May 15, 2008 60-year-old club has women in stitches JAMIE LAMPROS/Standard-Examiner correspondent Alma Parisi, Imogene Leonardi, Aileen Segna, Mae Degiorgio, Mary Costesso, Carol Harley, Helen Aragon, Maryanne Friedel, Darlene Cardon and Dora Anselmi are members of the St. Madeline Sewing Club. The club has been running since 1948. The women, all members of St. Mary's Catholic Church, make quilts, pillowcases, dishcloths and much more and sell them at the church bazaar. They also donate their handmade items to charity. By JAMIE LAMPROS Standard-Examiner correspondent WEST WEBER Three years after World War II, a group of women from St. Mary's Catholic Church made their first quilt together. It wasn't their last. Since that time in 1948 the group has continued to sew quilts, pillowcases, purses, dishcloths, scarves, hats and more. Seeing that the group was going to last awhile, they even decided to give themselves a name. "We were just The Club for a long time," said Alma Parisi. "Then we finally decided to call ourselves the St. Madeline Sewing Club." Parisi and Mary Costesso have been friends since the age of nine. They even lived in the same neighborhood. After they married, they moved to the same neighborhood in West Weber. They are two of the original members of the group. "This group has a different heritage than the norm," said Parisi's daughter, Elaine Hall. "This is one way they keep their heritage alive. It's really unusual for a group to meet for this long and maintain the friendships. I remember them getting together when I was a kid. They were quilting fools." Imogene Leonardi said the group has never gotten into an argument. "We enjoy being with each other," she said. "We all get along. We meet once a month and sew and socialize. We usually meet at someone's house and we have refreshments. We have a great time. It's what we all love to do. Needlepoint happens to be my personal passion." Darlene Cardon said before she joined the group she hadn't touched a sewing needle. "I didn't sew. I didn't quilt. I didn't do embroidery. I didn't do anything," Cardon said as she knitted a scarf. "But these ladies sat me down and taught me how, and within two weeks they had me sewing up a storm." The group charges a $3 per month fee to be a member. All of the money they make from dues and bazaar sales goes back into the church to help pay for needed items. "We used to only charge a quarter," said Mae Degiorgio. "That was back during the Depression. We also give away quilts to St. Martha's Project through Catholic Community Services and Birthright, which is a pregnancy counseling center in Ogden." The group currently has 12 members. Last month another member, Sheila Wheatly, died. During the meeting, the women talked about finishing some of her projects and asked about each others' families. "We have made some very close friendships," said Carol Harley. "We enjoy each others' company, and sewing is our passion. We've even made other things like hats, flowers, ceramics, marble grapes. When we get ready for the bazaar in November we spend five hours, five days a week, working on everything. This year the bazaar will be held in our new church, and we're very excited about that." 179