Hello there, good to have new quilters here.
That way, all of these women can each have a small piece of one large heirloom.
I don't understand, are you cutting a large heirloom to make separate smaller quilts or trying to put smaller quilts together to make a larger quilt?
To sew two quilts together, butt up the edges and join it with a edge joining foot, usually used for joining lace. The join won't be a strong one but it will work and not cause bulk. You could make it strong by having a srip of fabric under the join on the back side that had no raw edges to show.