Farmington Hills — It’s a social club, workshop and ministry all stitched together into one.

Every Tuesday during the school year, ladies from St. Fabian Parish in Farmington Hills meet for the Quilters Block, a group that’s been a fixture for the parish for more than 16 years, providing a creative outlet for experienced quilters and novices alike.

“It started 18 years or so ago as ‘The Crafters,’ then it ended up being the Quilters Block,” said St. Fabian parishioner Pat Allmen, who moderates the group. “The quilts go to our youth group, who take them on mission trips in the summer. This all started as a need to do something for other people. Now it’s turned into a place to meet with one another and learn how to quilt.”

The club makes on average 50 quilts a school year to give to the youth group, who in turn go on mission trips within the United States, distributing the quilts to the needy.

“We call ourselves sewers who quilt, because we’re not really quilters,” Allmen said. “We don’t do a lot of the finishing stuff, but we have similar patterns and it’s a nice way to learn.”

The club advertises itself for people of all experience — most members started going to the weekly meetings without any prior sewing experience — but sewing in a group offers novices exposure to guidance and critiques.

“What’s nice about sewing in a group together is putting together patterns and having another person look at it, point out things and help work through any problems,” Allmen said. “You get feedback, which is nice about quilting in a group.”

Parishioner Ellen Kramer joined the group at the suggestion of a friend.

“The group is nice to be with because they’re nice people,” Kramer said. “It was people that I knew who introduced me to the group. We get together and talk about certain things. It’s just a nice thing to do for a good cause.”

In addition to giving the quilts to the youth group for distribution to mission sites, the Quilters Block offers participants a chance to create something from scratch, taking patterns they imagine and turning them into something they can see and touch.

“There is a certain sense of accomplishment at looking at something you put together after working on it for some time,” said parishioner Roberta McClintock. “It’s building something from your hands, a true work of art.

“After you finish a quilt, you get to finally see all the textures, colors and patterns coming together. That’s the reason you do it: you’re not sure of what it will look like until you finish the project and it’s all put together. Then you look back and admire what you can create.”