A kind-hearted group of quilters in Sharps Chapel finished a true labor of love this summer. The Norris Lake Quilting Bee, who meet in Irwin's Chapel United Methodist Church, completed a quilt started by an Ohio woman who passed away due to cancer and returned the completed quilt to her husband, Jeff Sutherland.

The quilt came to Sharps Chapel by way of Rebecca Miller, a Kentucky native who moved to Cincinnati when she married. She and her husband retired to Sunset Bay two years ago. Miller is a third-generation quilter, and she remembers her grandmother's old-fashioned quilting bees.

"Women would come and bring a dish and quilt all day," she said. "They would help one another. I have the original quilt frame that my grandfather made for my grandmother. I always remember a quilt on the quilt frame in the living room."

When Miller moved to Sharps Chapel, her friend Sue Ross told her about the Norris Lake Quilting Bee.

"This is the most wonderful group of women," said Miller. "Everybody brings a project, and we either do projects together or we work on our own individual pieces."

And Miller had a perfect project for the group. Ten years ago, her friend Pat Sutherland, passed away due to cancer. Husband Jeff asked Miller, then a real estate agent, to come do a comparative analysis for their estate.

"While I was there, I saw this quilt," said Miller. "I knew she quilted. I said to Jeff, 'Would you like me to finish that quilt? I'll be happy to help you.' He said, 'No, I'm going to learn how to quilt, and I'm going to quilt this quilt for her.' Fast-forward 10 years. We had just sold our house, and we were getting ready to move to Tennessee. Jeff said, 'If the offer's still open, I'll take you up on it.'"

So, Miller moved, unfinished heirloom quilt in hand, and asked the Norris Lake Quilting Bee for help.

"I did just like my grandmother did. I had an old-fashioned quilting bee in my home. It felt good. It connected me to my past," she said. "It was a wonderful afternoon. It took us two years to get the quilt done, and we got it done this past July."

Along with the quilt, Jeff sent his wife's fabric, books and patterns to donate to the group. When they returned the finished quilt, Miller said Jeff was overwhelmed and sent a $250 monetary donation.

"He was just overwhelmed that people who didn't even know his wife, that we took on this project. We helped him honor his wife in finishing that quilt. She was always doing a project for someone," Miller said.

The quilting group plans to donate the funds to local charities Pam Sutherland would have supported. Portions will go to Irwin's Chapel and the Linus Project. Another portion will go to the Union County Humane Society in honor of Pam's two dogs who waited for her by the front door for three months after she passed away.

The Norris Lake Quilting Bee welcomes new members. They meet at 10 a.m. every second and fourth Thursday, at Irwin's Chapel, 351 Old Valley Road, Sharps Chapel. Bring your own lunch.

"Someone always brings a dessert, and we break for lunch around noon, so there's a lot of sewing, socializing and laughter," said Miller. "These women, I'm telling you they are something else. They're just a wonderful group of women."