The comforts of home can be hard to come by for women fleeing abusive relationships.

The Pieceful Quilters — a group of Vicksburg women who love to sew — would like to help.

Over the last year, the group has made at least 60 lap quilts along with pillow cases, tote bags and other quilted items which they give to women and children who turn to Haven House for shelter.

Last week, the quilters delivered 22 twin-sized bed quilts to Haven House to brighten rooms and provide a touch of home.

Haven House is a source of housing and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and offers crisis-intervention services that include counseling, child care, court advocacy and safety planning.

Women with and without children have been helped, and men as well, said director Scotty Kiihnl, though men are provided with different housing options.

One of the women who has turned to the local agency for help is a quilter herself, and understands the time and effort involved.

“You have to love it to do it,” said the woman, whose identity is not revealed for her protection. “It’s a real nice service. It makes it feel like home and gives us a little sense of normalcy.”

The woman has made quilts all her life, both by hand and by machine, and said the children who stay at Haven House love having their own “blankie.”

“My son wrapped himself up in his,” said another woman.

“It is comforting to have,” said a third. “You can tell that it really has a lot of love and care in it.”

Each child who stays at Haven House gets one of the smaller lap quilts to keep. “She likes to take it and put it over her head,” one of the women said of her toddler daughter. “She doesn’t want me to take it away and wash it.”

The Pieceful Quilters were organized by Diane Jordan, a Vicksburg woman who understands what the women of Haven House are up against.

“I went through some difficult times in a previous relationship and had nowhere to turn,” Jordan said. After learning about Haven House, Jordan said she was intrigued. “I asked a lot of questions about it, and I wanted to do something to help.”

Jordan called some friends and the women began meeting once a month for quilting sessions, “show and tell” of patchwork pieces they’d done at home and a shared meal. Each does piecing and sewing between meetings, as well.

“Some, we make them just by piecing without even using a pattern,” said Mary Holman, a member along with her daughter, Allyson Harrison.

Often a quilt top can be put together in just a few hours, while others take longer. Then a backing material is added, batting placed in between, and Jordan quilts the three layers together on a special long-arm machine.

A lot of the fabric is donated, Jordan said, and she provides the batting.

“Quilts are very comforting,” said Kiihnl. “It’s also comforting for these women and children to know that there are people who care enough to make them. I can’t say how much it means. I don’t think there are words to describe it.”

Funding for Haven House is provided by federal, state and local sources, and Haven House is a member agency of the United Way and accredited by the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Case manager and children’s services director Georgia Grodowitz said Haven House benefits immeasurably from groups like the Pieceful Quilters. “What does help is a community that provides services these women need to keep them from going back to abusive situations, and Vicksburg has that,” Grodowitz said. “This is a community that is so supportive.”

The Pieceful Quilters auctioned off a king-size quilt last year and raised about $1,500 for Haven House.

“Every one of these quilts is totally different,” said Jordan. One — a red, white, and blue “community quilt” — contains blocks made by each member of the group, which also includes Marilyn Daggett, Dianne Cameron, Linda Stevenson, Lillie Plummer and Patty Watts.

“There’s not a lot of people who really know what we’re going through,” said one woman at the shelter. “When you think nobody’s there, to realize someone actually is, it means a lot.”