Primary quilting qualification: Ability to sew a straight line

Members of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild are pictured with patriotic-themed lap robes to be given to returning Honor Flight veterans. From left, Lisa Bross, Patsy Whitley, Joy Picket and Donna Salter. Photo contributed by Tina Landskroener, president of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

All you need in order to make a quilt is fabric, a sewing machine with thread in it, and the ability to sew a straight line.

That’s the message offered by Tina Landskroener, president of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild.

Anything beyond those basic essentials is intended to make the task of quilting easier.

“And there are lots of toys out there,” she said, for example, "there are hundreds of scissors that can be used for a variety of reasons. I also have specialty rollers, to cut out fabric in such a way to put the quilt together; the old-fashioned way was to use a template.

“But really, all you need is …”

She knows what she’s talking about; Tina has been quilting since 1986, when she was eight years old. 

Anyone with an interest in quilting, from the beginner to master, is welcome to join the Piecemakers Quilt Guild, which meets at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1 Columbus Road in Hannibal. At the meetings, members learn from each other.

The guild has 72 members; the youngest member of the club is 30; the oldest is 94, Landskroener said.

“There are several beginners, who are there to learn to become better quilters.

“We do have a lot of pretty fancy stuff going on; a lot of workshops to teach new techniques. We have a program every month, and a challenge quilt every year.” Members make a different block every month, and have a finished quilt top at the end of the year.

“Everything our guild does is voluntary; you pick and choose what you want to participate in,” she said.

“The talent we have in the guild; we have some members that have actually published patterns and do workshops for national organizations and quilt shows. Quite a variety of talent I’m constantly learning from. Everybody has a specialty and does things differently, and can teach us different techniques and different ways to do things.

“I’ll get my inspiration for a quilt based on talent in the room,” she said.

Quilt show

Every other year, on the even years, the Piecemakers Quilt Guild hosts a quilt show. It is a community event, with vendors, and an academy to learn different techniques and how to make a certain kind of quilt. Landskroener is this year’s chairman. The quilt show is scheduled for March 27-28, 2026, at the Admiral Coontz Recreation Center.

“It draws quilters from all over the state of Missouri, and Western Illinois.

“You can choose to display a quit, anyone is welcome to enter. There is a judging and a showing portion. Judges are master quilters, who have a certificate or degree from the American Quilting Society.

Mission

The guild’s mission is to provide donations to charities and different organizations. “That’s what we live for. We give to different organizations on a regular basis; everything we do goes toward that.”

Last month, they made donations to two food banks in the area. 

Each year, they make patriotic lap robes to give to returning  Honor Flight participants.

Members donate the completed quilts. They not only piece the fabric, they also pay to have them quilted. “We do have kits; we give them the fabric and batting.

“We also make quilts for Quilt of Valor,” she said. They pick a veteran and honor them with a quilt. They are bigger than honor flight quilts,” Tina said.

“Most of our donated quilts are pretty simple patterns, not elaborate as some quilts can be. They are going to get used a lot. Oodles and oodles. We call them utilitarian quilts because they are meant to be used.

“We do a lot for Leaps of Love in Hannibal,” she said. “It is an organization that provides for the families of  children with cancer, through all stages of their journey. We’ll probably have 100 different items we’ve donated this year, from tote bags, mugs, rugs, pillows, ornaments, quilts, pillowcases. That’s the biggest organization we give things to. They have new clients all the time, there is a need there. We have given them a monetary donation at the end of the year, too.”

They work with the Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division, making quilts that can be given to children who have been picked up and removed from their homes, “for whatever reason. They get a quilt, and a pillow case to put their belongings in,” Landskroener said.

They have what they call an opportunity quilt, which is raffled off each year. “Most of the money is used as a fundraiser so we can afford to do charity work,” she said.

For more information on the Piecemakers Quilt Guild, access their website at: https://www.hannibalpiecemakers.com/

Cris Ehrhardt’s “The Potting Shed” wall hanging-machine embroidery quilt won recognition at the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild’s annual show in 2022. The piece was quilted by Stacie Spradlin. Description of the wall hanging: “The Potting Shed is a workshop only machine embroidery design by Claudia’s Creations. The center portion is one piece of fabric using multiple hooping and needle alignment to property place the embroidery designs.” Photo contributed by Tina Landskroener, president of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild.

Many quilts have stories, including the Butterfly Handkerchief Quilt by Patsy Whitley. “This quilt is made out of my Great Aunt’s (Lula Price-Nickason’s) old handkerchiefs that she collected during her 42 year teaching career. It was hand quilted by Tina Webster-Brookhart of Kahoka, Mo., in approximately 2008. Photo contributed by Tina Landskroener, president of the Hannibal Piecemaker’s Quilt Guild.