BUTLER TWP - Windows convey light, allowing the warmth and beauty of nature to be experienced indoors.

But for one artisan, another type of window allows her spiritual light to radiate outward.

The windows, or quilts designed to look like stained-glass windows depicting biblical scenes, are created by Alberta Osborne, a member of Christ Community United Methodist Church.

The works are made of colorful panels of fabric, pieced together to create pictures. Strips of fusible black cloth are then stitched between the shapes to simulate leading between stained glass.

Osborne's work has resulted in a collection of striking images that are rotated in the sanctuary throughout the seasons.

"I'm working on one that says 'Love is Forever,'" Osborne said recently of her latest project, which will be used this month for her granddaughter's wedding.

Since Osborne's granddaughter would carry Calla lilies in her bouquet, just as Osborne's daughter had done, the church decorations would also include a quilted lily scene.

"We rotate them, and the idea is images will speak to people seasonally," said the Rev. Oden Warman, noting some of Osborne's work, including a dove and an olive branch image, would support a theme of peace that is relevant to the times.

During Christmas months, Warden said the stained-glass quilts that lined the sanctuary included a Noel banner and various Nativity scenes.

During the seasons of Easter and Lent, the wall hangings included "He is Risen" in letters created individually and hung on wooden dowels to spell out the phrase.

Pictures of Jesus carrying the cross, a cross with lilies and an image of loaves and fishes were also displayed.

The images, many of them designed by Osborne due to the lack of commercially made templates, contain an array of fabrics chosen carefully for their subtle qualities.

An angel's hair, for instance, is pieced together with fabric that reflects a golden strand-like design. A basket of fish, which were created out of an earthy, hand-dyed fabric, sits on a ground created with cloth that resembles stones on a beach.

Christmassy quilts contain deep, rich reds and greens. Spring pieces contain lavenders and pinks, with the "leading" done in shimmery metallic instead of black.

Since the Christ Community sanctuary is of simple design and contains no actual stained glass, the rotating show of quilts seems to make the décor compete.

But more importantly, said Warman, the quilts reflect the giving nature of Osborne and other members of the congregation.

"Alberta has used her gifts, and that's what we encourage people to do," he said, describing "the joy that comes when a new (quilt) appears."

"Our goal is to have as many people as possible using their gifts in worship, praise and service."

Although Osborne only began making the stained-glass quilts several years ago, she has shared her talents for much longer.

Osborne began the church's quilting group, the Sew and Sew Quilters, in 1976.

Describing it as a ministry more than a social organization, Osborne said the group meets for several hours each Wednesday to work on paid quilting jobs. Proceeds from the jobs go toward church projects, she said.

Although the group once determined how much thread was in each blanket to calculate the bill for each project, the women now charge based on experience.

An average queen-size blanket runs about $150 to quilt, Osborne said. Such a blanket would take the six women about three months to complete.

Osborne, whose husband once served as pastor at Christ Community, also belongs to Where the Corners Meet, a quilting guild in New Wilmington that comprises members from three counties.

In her quilting career, Osborne has made 35 queen-size quilts, 30 twins, three kings, 20 crib quilts, 33 wall hangings, 50 stained glass pieces and six sets of words, such as those that hang on dowels in the church.

At 81, she continues to create the pieces that brighten the lives of others. "Oh, it keeps me busy trying to figure out what to make," she commented about her ongoing projects.

"I enjoy them - the symbolism of them," she added.