The members of a local quilting club have received some recognition from a state away, after a quilt they put together won first place in Mississippi.

The “Sweet Memories” quilt made by Monticello, Miss., resident Marion Blackwell and quilted by the Friendship Quilters out of Atmore, won first place in the traditional, or hand-quilted category at the 2013 Cultural Crossroads 25th annual quilt show in Port Gibson, Miss.

The quilt was also hung at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Miss., from May 4 to Sept. 3.

The friendship quilters are made up of Ruth Ann Tullis, Ann James, Thelma Albert, Marie Owens and Anne Howel. The ladies meet once a week, on Tuesdays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Owens said.

The group stays busy making quilts for the public, she said.

“You can call us and we’ll put you in the book,” Owens said of people interested in having a quilt made. “We always have someone on the book. We’re always quilting.”

As of Tuesday morning, the club currently has five people on the book, she said, and the length of time it takes the group to finish a quilt depends on the size and how many quilts they’re working on at the time.

For instance, Owens said a king-sized quilt could take a month or longer, but a baby quilt wouldn’t take as long.

At 98 years old, Howel is the group’s oldest member. She began quilting as a girl and later did it as a way to keep her family warm.

“I started doing decorative quilts later in life,” she said.

Howel said she enjoys the club because of the camaraderie.

“We just like to get together and the friendship,” she said. “Sometimes we take our money and go out to eat.”