New Life Down Under

St. Mark's Quilters, a newly-formed group at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Sydney, Australia, recently held a New Life Workshop. Their small group made more than 300 Ezekiel blocks using leftover Stitchin' Mission and other scrap fabrics!

Quilts they're making will be given to children attending a preschool for autistic kids.

See more pictures here.

This past weekend, Stitchin' Mission quilts from series 20 at First Federated Church were displayed in the church's Franklin Hall.

Newbies and Rebekahs made 41 quilts.

In July, quilts will be taken to Dolce Refugio Children's Home in Monterrey, Mexico.

Thank you to the 38 quilters who made and donated a quilt.

Stitchin' Mission #21 UPDATE

Due to a family death, the second Stitchin' Mission #21 lesson scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, at Capitol City Baptist Church, has been postponed.

An additional Tuesday lesson has been scheduled for April 13, so participants will receive all five lessons.

Since no lesson was scheduled for March 16 due to spring break, the remaining four lessons are:

• March 23
• March 30
• April 6
• April 13

We'll begin at the same time, 6:30 p.m.

My sincerest apologies for disrupting your schedule. Thank you for your understanding.

Linda

First Class of SM#21

Last Tuesday evening, March 2, at Capitol City Baptist Church (the first Baptist church to host a SM - Yay Baptists!) we were blessed with lots of people interested in learning about quiltmaking, and donating their quilts to the Alpha Women's Center in Ankeny, Iowa.

Forty-one newbies attended, and 11 Rebekah-helpers.

The camera passed among many hands to capture some of these moments from the evening.

Yep, we sure do have a fella in this SM.

He's not the first guy to have participated; he's actually the fourth! Go guys!

This sign gave some of us "old-timers" the giggles.

Though it's always suggested that Rebekahs sit in the back, this ensures it!

Fabric shopping was in a separate room.

I'm happy to say that we again have several mother-daughter teams.

Even the newest SM "graduate" jumped in to help.

Thank you, Rebekahs! You're the best!

Newbies, we hope you're having fun making fabric selections for the quilt(s) you want to make.

New Life Workshop at St. Luke's Episcopal

On Saturday, February 27 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., 20 quilters gathered at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Des Moines to make "New Life" quilts.

The devotion from Ezekiel 37 was about a vision given to Ezekiel from God. A dry desert full of old bones returned to human form, but were not fully alive until they received ruach, the breath of life.

Quilters began "breathing life" into fabric strips and scraps to create new fabric. They began by selecting many strips and small pieces to sew together.

A colorful jumble of fabrics and machines!

Laura selecting more small pieces from the pile. A finished New Life quilt is behind Laura.

Diana sewing.

Sue with a strip of pieces.

Nancy and Lois

Debra shows off her "new" fabric.

Laura sewed lots of blocks.

Dorothea cutting "foursies" and "fivesies."

Janette and Laura

Some of the 20 block-makers were happy to pose with their blocks.

The group sewed 132 - 6-1/2" X 6-1/2" blocks that they donated to St. Luke's!

Quilters at St. Luke's will use the blocks to make quilts that will be raffled for a fundraiser.

Great work, everyone!

An Honor

After five years, and 20 - going on 21 - Stitchin' Mission series in the Des Moines area, including a Stitchin' Mission last year in Sydney, Australia, it's appropriate to thank and recognize all of you who have contributed to this ministry.

Quiltmaking helpers, called "Rebekahs" are the backbone of all Stitchin' Mission lessons. Without their help, quiltmaking lessons would not be feasible. Rebekahs are so-named based on Genesis 24. It was Rebekah at the well who offered water to Eliezer, Abraham's servant, and ten camels, and so Stitchin' Mission Rebekahs help teach newbies quiltmaking lessons.

Without each of you, teaching more than 600 people how to make quilts would not have happened. Thank yous do not begin to convey my appreciation to these 80-plus Rebekahs since 2005:

Elaine Anderson

Mary Baker

Cindy Barnett

Sharon Beerman

Dolores Belisario

Marna Billings

Debra Bird

Judy Bishop

Katie Borwey

Di Bracey

Linda Brewer

Emmaly Burklund

Jane Christenson

JoAnn Christians

Teresa Coady

Sue Conard

Connie Cook

Kimberly Coulter

Debbie Cowling

Jane Davis

Lynn DeGroot

Debra Dickerson

Beth Duensing

Ann Gerdom

Becky Gernant

Maggie Gilbert

Lori Githens

Missy Godfrey

Lois Grove

Norma Hamilton

Hollie Hart

Lorna Heemstra

Laurie Hews

Lyssa Hoffmann

Erika Horstmann

Barb Hyler

Deb Jacobs

Di Jobbins

Julia Jones

Nancy Jones

Deb Kellogg

Deanna Kennedy

Katie Kisling

Laura Kovarik

Linda Lack

Janet Leete

Kathleen Levinson

Abigail Livingood

Connie Lovelady

Doris Martin

Susan Mathison

Rhonda Matus

Su McCurdy

Robyn McGregor

Jean McLaughlin

Cath Midson

Leslie Miller

Susan Murdock

Mary Nichols

Kim Ogle

Gail Opie

Elaine Remoff

Norma Rohn

Jan Rosander

Lu Saf

Helen Schleicher

Nancy Schroeder

Susan Scrivner

Ann Shoemaker

Sharon Shultz

Julie Siefken

Norma Soethout

Ann Spencer

Michelle Tepley

Vivian Thatcher

Shirley Thomson

Alice Wegner

Nancy White

Marjorie Wildgoose

Lyn Wilson

Gigi Wilwerding

And extra special thank-yous go to the women who have accepted the responsibility of hosting a Stitchin' Mission. This is no small task! Consider the publicity, fabric donations, room arrangements, name tags, hand-outs, batting-shopping, photo arrangements, and quilt displays that each of them accomplished... dispensing smiles for everyone while an exacting teacher directs their moves! Thank you to these indispensable women who have coordinated Stitchin' Mission lessons in their churches since 2005:

(In chronological order)

Helen Schleicher - Valley Evangelical Free Church, West Des Moines

Norma Rohn - Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Urbandale

Sharon Beerman - St. John's Lutheran Church, Des Moines

Janet Leete - Berean Assembly of God, Pleasant Hill

Deanna Kennedy - Living Faith Lutheran Church, Clive

Jane Christenson - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Des Moines

Gigi Wilwerding - Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Des Moines

Ann Gerdom - West Des Moines United Methodist Church, West Des Moines

Norma Hamilton - Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines

Susan Mathison - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Des Moines

Joann Christians, Jane Davis - Johnston Evangelical Free Church, Johnston

Di Jobbins, Di Bracey - St. Mark's Anglican Church, Darling Point (Sydney), Australia

Lois Grove - First Federated Church, Des Moines

Because all of you have stood so faithfully behind Stitchin' Mission, supporting it and me in countless ways, this was given:

American Red Cross 2010 Heroes of the Heartland Award

Thank you, Jaci Gordon, women's ministry director at Lutheran Church of Hope, who made the nomination.
I am honored and more than humbled. This moment cannot be about me, but about all of you who have steadfastly participated in, and assisted with Stitchin' Mission. And numerous friends who have been my sounding board and advocate throughout the past five years. God's perfect timing put each of you in the right place, at the right moment, to fulfill his plan to help others in need of quilts, and touch lives in a unique way.

Thank you all for being such an incredible blessing. To God be this glory.

Linda

It's a Wrap!

A wrap of quilts that is!

Stitchin' Mission #20 lessons at First Federated Church concluded last evening with a little celebration,

and photos. Have you ever seen so many beaming faces?

Look for this group photo in the Des Moines Register (communities section) on Tuesday, February 16.

Thank you, Rebekahs, for giving your time to help our newbies. And thank you, newbies, for the gift of your time and struggles to learn to make a quilt, and then give it away! During show and tell we saw lots of fun boy quilts, and darling girl quilts that will surely bless the children at Dolce Refugio Children's Home in Monterrey, Mexico.

SM20 participants have until March 7 to complete and turn in their quilts. First Federated will display them in their worship center on Sunday, March 14. Come and see them!