A Fine Finish!

Stitchin' Mission #23 concluded Tuesday evening at Martensdale Community Church. What a wonderful group of participants! Look at all those bright quilts and even more bright, smiling faces.

The quilt count isn't yet final since a few remain to be finished, but it looks as though approximately 35 quilts will be divided between children in LaMesa, Mexico, and Ruth Harbor, a Des Moines home for unwed mothers. Gorgeous!

These two Stitchin' Mission co-coordinators did an excellent job of planning and welcoming everyone to their church. Thank you both!

Linda B.

Renee S.

Nor would Stitchin' Mission be successful without the talented guidance offered by these dedicated Rebekahs. And they made quilts too! Wonderful!

Deb D.

Michelle T.

Norma H.

John 17:21 says, "(Jesus speaking) I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you." (NLT)

In every Stitchin' Mission, women and men, from a variety of beliefs and various denominations meet weekly, and together become the one that Jesus prays we will be. 

My prayer is that Stitchin' Mission will continual to be an occasion to join in community, regardless of our denominations, and be our opportunity to work together in service. In doing so, Jesus' prayer is answered.

Amen.

Third Class - UNsewing!?

I don't have any photos to share from last week's two Stitchin' Missions, except for this one taken by Susan, the coordinator at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church.

One of our quilters discovered she'd loaded her sewing machine bobbin backward, so the piecing stitches pulled out like basting. Several people offered to help with unsewing, so the quilt top could be resewn more securely.

Without pointing out the "victim" of the sewing machine mistake, here we are, left to right:

Abigail, Michelle, Linda (me), and Merri Jo.

Thanks quilters for helping one another. We're so much better together!

Stitchin' Mission Rotary Cutting Lesson

With two Stitchin' Missions happening simultaneously, we've got plenty of photo opportunities. More people than time to snap photos!

Everyone, in both classes, learned rotary cutting during the second lesson. The following are photos of students and Rebekahs (helpers) at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church, on the east side of Des Moines.

L-R: Joan, Hollee and Marilyn

Maddie and Jerry, a father-daughter team! 

Phyllis

Mary Kay, and "Rebekah" Norma

Merri Jo

"Rebekah" Michelle, and Pat

 And at Stitchin' Mission #23 at Martensdale Community Church...

L-R: Beth, and SM#23 Co-Coordinator Linda Brewer

L-R: "Rebekah" Deb, and Susan

L-R: Emma, "Rebekah" Deb, and Holly

Two Stitchin' Missions Off to a Flying Start

Monday night saw the start of Stitchin' Mission #22 at Sheridan Park United Methodist Church with 16 newbies in attendance. Coordinator Susan, was able to get Wal-Mart to donate a $50 gift card toward fabric purchases, and here she is making her selections.

 Also at SM#22, Angie, a first-time Rebekah, checks out the donated fabrics.

 Tuesday evening, Stitchin' Mission #23 began at Martensdale Community Church with 23 newbies. 

 

Going beyond the usual, co-coordinators Linda and Renee measured, labeled and organized all the donated fabric pieces.

 It looks very appealing, doesn't it?

 These new quilters thought so too!

Newbies, have fun finalizing your fabric selections this week!

Dream Big Grow Here Update

I will be making a short video too that I anticipate will also be put on the Dream Big Grow Here website. The $1,000 check-processing is in the works as I am trying to make plans for a January, 2011 Stitchin' Mission that will be videotaped. I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, two Stitchin' Mission beginner quiltmaking series start later this month. Please invite your friends to give quiltmaking a try. What better opportunity can anyone have than to learn how to make a quilt for free!?

Click here to read more about the Stitchin' Mission series on Des Moines' east side.

Click here to read more about the Stitchin' Mission series in Martensdale, Iowa.

Quilts made in these Stitchin' Missions will benefit:

• Broadlawns Family Birthing Center, Des Moines
• Mission La Mesa, Mexico
• Ruth Harbor, Des Moines.

Thank you all for your support!

Linda

Stitchin' Mission Wins!

Thank you!

Voting for Stitchin' Mission to win the $1,000 Dream Big, Grow Here grant, concluded at midnight, August 31. Thanks to all of you, Stitchin' Mission won, receiving 2, 519 votes over a 16-day period. Your support has been overwhelming beyond words. My simple "thank you" does not begin to adequately express the depths of my appreciation for everyone who voted, and my thoughts about this experience. God is faithful to us, even when we don't expect it, or think we deserve it. Praise Him for what He has done.

All follow-up information about the Stitchin' Mission grant will be posted to this blog. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

Help Stitchin' Mission

If you've participated in a Stitchin' Mission, or read this blog, you probably know that since January 2005, I have been teaching free beginner quiltmaking lessons, with the students' quilts being donated to missions around the world.

These lessons, called Stitchin' Mission (SM) began at my own church, Lutheran Church of Hope, and have continued in Des Moines, Iowa, area churches of nearly every denomination. Quilts made by the students are donated to the host church's mission of choice.

To date, 689 people have participated in free Stitchin' Mission beginner quiltmaking lessons, with 895 baby quilts going to missions throughout the world. (See the world map here.)

Individuals from other states and countries have contacted me about offering SM lessons in their church. Unfortunately, I am unable to offer lessons farther away than I'm able to travel for five weeks. It has been my prayer that God would grow SM. Well, a door has opened. An opportunity has come up to grow SM.

In the month of August, an organization called Dream Big, Grow Here is giving a $1,000 grant to the person or organization who captures the most on-line votes for their big dream. With such a grant, my dream is to make a video production (DVD) of the SM lessons, including the Bible readings, devotions and prayers, and make it available to churches, accompanied by a coordinator's guide, that wish to host a SM. SM could spread across the U.S. and the world.

To win the $1,000 grant, I need your help!

The winner is determined by which dream receives the most votes.

Beginning Monday, August 16 (at noon, US Central time), you can cast an on-line vote for SM. Votes are being collected until noon Tuesday, August 31.

You can vote every day!

The July dream/grant-winner won with 2,000 votes. Can you help SM surpass that number?

Beginning August 16 cast your vote by clicking on the badge below, or click the voting badge on the right side bar. One vote permitted per day, per computer network.

These badges take you directly to the SM "Dream Big Grow Here" site at http://tinyurl.com/vote4SM

Even better... grab the badge (right side bar) and post it on your own blog to get more people to vote for SM.

Remember to vote daily through August 31!

Thank you so much, friends, for helping me help Stitchin' Mission.

Linda