Legendary Green Pay Packers coach Vince Lombardi never said, “Winners never quilt and quilters never win,” but he came close to it.

Members of the Thimbleweeds quilting club, which meets twice each month at Sabana Grande Recreation Center, never quit, either n until they’ve finished one of their works of art.

Members fill the rec center and, after taking care of their business in that type of setting, disband to tables spaced throughout the room, where they work on their quilts or just show them off to their fellow n yes, there is a male or two among the fold n club members According to Wikipedia, “Piecing fabric together is also very old. It was more often used for clothing but also occasionally for decorative objects like this exquisite pieced pillow from the 15th century.“

The making of pieced quilts made up of cut pieces of fabric sewn in block form with the blocks then sewn together to make the quilt is a more recent development. Pieced block quilts, often called patchwork quilt, did not become the dominant form of quilt making until the mid-19th century, and still is not the traditional form in Provence, Wales, and parts of India.”

Thimbleweeds member Donna Barnitz, who joined the club about 15 years ago, says the hobby enjoyed a resurgence during America’s Bicentennial 32 years ago. Barnitz said she’s hoping a lot of Rio Ranchoans and West Side residents will visit Veterans Monument Park on April 20, when the club plays host to its annual quilt show. Hundreds of quilts will be there on display, she said, although probably not many of them will be offered for sale.

Quilters, you see, are very protective of their work: They put countless, often in the hundreds, of hours into each piece, and that doesn’t count the planning, nor the money forked out for supplies. Barnitz downplays the quilts she’s made, even though she once taught the craft in Las Cruces.

“Quilting is so varied now,” she said. “In the past, precise points were supposed to match.” And now, she says, “Not as much skilled is involved.”

At least, not that she’d take credit for, although she’s quick to lead a visitor to the table where Emily Frear is sitting. Frear, of Taylor Ranch, took it upon herself to finish a quilt started by a late cousin.

Yeah, she’s one of them, but hands-down the quilter all the Thimbleweeds are in awe of is Elizabeth Ramirez. Eighty-six years young, Ramirez said she has a touch of arthritis “between my thumbs; sometimes it bothers me,” but it’s not enough to slow down her quilting. She’s planning to have a few quilts displayed at the Thimbleweeds’ show in April but no so sure there’ll be price tags on them. Why did she wait until she was 76 to start a new hobby?

“Because I’m retired and wanted something to do,” she explained.

Born in Montana and raised in Kansas, Ramirez came to New Mexico with her family at the age of 17. She graduated Albuquerque High School, although she couldn’t remember what year she grabbed her diploma. A resident of Corrales for the past 28 years, Ramirez is a skilled cook and once spent a lot of time gardening.

Now, she says, “(Quilting) gives me something not only to do but be interested in and excited about. I like to try new things and new techniques and it keeps my interest.”

She figures she makes two or three quilts a year.

Some wind up hanging on her walls; 12 of her quilts feature a month of the year and this month’s quilt showcases Valentine’s Day.

Although she once sold a quilt for $1,200, that’s probably chump change the way Ramirez figures it.

“When you consider the money spent on the fabrics and supplies and the time you put in, you could never put a price on it,” she said. “People look at them and they don’t see all the time (I spent).”

She estimated she spends about two hours a day on her craft, preferring to listen to music and “occasionally, I listen to the TV. You can’t sew and watch.”

“I’ve made a lot of friends here n it’s a nice group of ladies,” she said. “I’ve connected with all the nice people.”

Age knows no boundaries, nor gender, at Thimbleweeds. Ramirez said when she needed a hobby, skydiving never entered her mind, although pursuit of that hobby may have been cheaper. Her son. 47-year-old Lee Norris, owns and operates Sky Dive NM. “He’s into skydiving, I’m into quilting,” she said. “Our worlds don’t meet.

“Someday, he’ll go splat.”

For more information on the Thimbleweeds, who are always seeking new members call Gloria Shapiro at 891-1190.

“It’s a family thing,” Shapiro said.