Heart in Hand Quilt Guild (HIHQG) was founded on September 9, 1999, by Nadesha (Neddy) Mack, Kathleen Leies, Dawn Kunkle, Donna Tarnok, and Linda Newhard, who served as the original executive board. Since that time, the guild has grown into a caring community of quilters dedicated to creativity, education, and service.
We currently hold our monthly business meetings at 1:00 PM on the second Thursday of each month at Hope United Church of Christ in Wind Gap, PA, in the fellowship hall. Doors open at 12:30 PM, giving members time to gather and visit before the meeting begins. Each meeting includes a program, either a workshop, a guild-related activity, or a guest presentation demonstrating new techniques and projects. Annual dues are $35.00.
Throughout the year, we host Saturday workshops and participate in meaningful community service projects. Our service work includes making adult clothing protectors and walker bags, which we have delivered to Gracedale Nursing Home in Nazareth. We make and deliver large breast pillows and patient bags to the Lehigh Valley Woman’s Health Center in Bethlehem.
Our newest community service project is Tummy Time baby quilts, which are given to St Luke’s Visiting Nurses Program in Allentown. These quilts are presented by nurses to newborns and their parents to support healthy infant development and to teach families the importance and benefits of tummy time.
A recent project has been our first Heart in Hand Quilt Bingo in May of 2024. It was a very successful endeavor which we plan to repeat every other year. Our second Heart in Hand Quilt Bingo will be in April 2026.
Over the years, our guild has celebrated many meaningful milestones. In 2002, our Heart in Hand work was featured in Traditional QuiltWorks magazine. We have displayed our quilts for several years at Bangor’s Heritage Day and have hosted workshops for Girl Scouts to teach them how to make preemie quilts.
Additional community service projects have included providing mastectomy kits, small breast pillows and drainage bags to local hospitals, donating teddy bears to fire, police and EMT personnel to comfort children during traumatic situations. In past years, we have held raffles, donating part of the proceeds to nonprofit organizations of our choice.
HIHQG is more than a quilting guild — it is a community of friends who share their talents, support one another, and give a to those in need.