Lois Zegers, Petersburg resident and longtime quilter, estimated she has quilted more than 200 quilts since she began quilting in 2000, and most recently finished 33 since October of last year.

Zegers really had no real interest in quilting until she and husband Jim moved into Petersburg in 2000, and “for once” she had time to try something and became acquainted with the St. John’s Quilting Group.

She has created quilts for her family of five children: Larry, Terry, Deb, Jan and Sandy, and her 16 grandchildren. She made many unique baby quilts and had some extras left, predominantly in pink, since most grandkids and great grandkids were boys.

But her quandary was the 33 great-grandchildren who she wanted to also have a quilt, how would she handle getting that many quilt tops completed and how to distribute them fairly.

Then, her daughter, Jan, was diagnosed with cancer and by October 2023 the 33 quilts became a priority.

Zegers noted quilting then may have been a way of coping, Jim and Lois had already lost their son, Terry, who died unexpectedly in 1983; and daughter, Sandy, to cancer in 2000.

She said in October of 2023 she had an idea. The family had scheduled a reunion the second week in July 2024, and if she could get those quilts completed each great grandchild could go home with a quilt.

Distribution would be handled by attaching a number to each quilt and the children could draw a number which corresponded to a number on a quilt. She would, however, allow supervised trading.

In October she began quilting noting “I quilted all the time, practically living in my basement quilting room.” She made a variety of patterns of large quilt tops. She already had quite a supply of material some from friends some purchased for other quilts and also new material. She added it’s “exciting when you think you can’t find a color or patten to match, so you try something totally unrelated, and it looks perfect.”

Most were machine quilted since she was on a deadline.

She mentioned it “was also a peaceful time saying for some reason I began thinking about my mother. You always love your father, but often you have a special relationship with your mother.”

She remembered seeing her mother making quilts but those were the quilts that most farm wives made usually made with left over material (no one had money to buy new material) in large blocks and tied generally with yarn not quilted. She recalled in the early years you would use wool directly from the sheep and a process referred to as “carding” was done.

Carding was a process by which the wool was pulled from the chunks of wool into thin layers then placed on the bottom cloth and covered with the quilt top.

One quilt of importance is a quilt with a beautifully embroidered center she was in the process of making when daughter, Sandy’s, condition was getting worse.

Quilting then may also have brought her some solace and as the end neared, her friend Donna Iburg, helped by finishing the embroidery.

Zegers says she doesn’t plan to stop quilting. Her quilting cabinet, which Jim built for her, still has plenty of material and scraps for other quilts.

The display takes up an entire room in her basement and by observing these quilts anyone can tell they are indicative of a lifelong love for family. Now she will have more time to golf, take care of her lawn, spend time with family and continue with a very active social life.