Posted: 7/12/06
Quilting ladies on a mission
 Earlier this year, Pastor Susan Schoon of Trinity Lutheran Church asked a small group of dedicated quilters at the church if they could make 47 quilts by July. |
By Steve Morris
The quilt has not lost its appeal through the years. A practical gift, it still holds its own today, even with the advent of text messaging, Ipods and camera phones.
Fourteen women at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Branch recognize the usefulness of a quilt and have been meeting bimonthly for years to make quilts for people in need.
Through the years the women have shared their love for sewing and quilting with people all around the world. Their quilts have been donated to the Childrenís Hospital, nursing homes, VA hospitals and even refugee camps where they sometimes are used as wall dividers.
In the past, the group would casually make quilts and send them where there was a need ñ no deadlines and little stress.
However, that all changed in the early part of 2006 when they were asked by the Pastor Susan Schoon of Trinity Lutheran Church if they could make 47 quilts by July for two groups going on mission trips.
It was the largest project they had been asked to do. Lil Panek, one of the 14 retired women who makes the quilts, said she was a little overwhelmed at first when with the pastorís request, especially on a deadline.
ìItís (quilters) a small group of people,î she said.
But the group accepted the challenge of making the quilts and for the months that followed were on their own mission to meet the grandiose goal of 47 by July.
Jan Liescke visited thrift shops, rummage sales and any other place she could in search of fabrics for the quilts.
Soon, a production line was set up. Some women assembled, some tied and some sewed. All this was not a problem for Liescke who has a love and passion for sewing and making quilts.
ìWe donít care where they go, we just keep making them,î she said.
Each quilt is approximately 46 inches wide and 72 inches long and has 72 squares. Conservatively, each quilt takes three to four hours to complete. Some of the work was done at their homes while a majority was done at Trinity Lutheran Church.
The group of women stayed determined to accomplish their goal by July. The ladies didnít even let broken sewing machines crush their spirits. (They used one sewing machine that was 75 years old.)
ìThey would break every once in a while,î Liescke said.
During the breakdown, members of the congregation would bring in their personal sewing machines to use until the machines were fixed. Soon, word spread about the quilt makers. With that came an influx of donations of all kinds of material.
ìThe material comes from several sources,î Panek said.
The women finished the quilts about a week before the first mission trip was to leave.
Pastor Schoon said she has had a great time watching the group of women work on the quilts. She said making the quilts has given the women a lot of value.
From this project, they learned their skills are worth something, she said.
ìIt was wonderful to watch them all take this project on,î Schoon said.
Half of the quilts left on Sunday, July 9. A group of 26 students along with six adults left North Branch to go to Martin, South Dakota. During the mission trip they will hand out the quilts to people they see could use them.
Pastor Schoon has handed out quilts on different mission trips and has never had anyone turn one down before.
ìItís one of those gifts that means a lot,î she said. ìThere is a great history in quilts.î
The second group of quilts will travel to Rock Island, Ill., with 15 students and three adults. The group leaves July 23.
The quilts are given as a gift from our community to theirs, Schoon said.
With their biggest project to date completed, the women are taking a break until fall. Theyíre done for the summer, but the fruits of their labor will be reaped for many generations to come.
ìThe quilts should last a long time,î Carol Gustafson said.
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