About Quilting

With credit to singer Cathy Miller and QuiltbirdStudio - You Can Quilt That Out

How to Baste and Tie

Eager learners attended the third Stitchin' Mission lesson at Faith Lutheran Church. The lesson was about how to: make a quilt sandwich; baste a quilt with a needle and thread, or safety pins; tie a quilt; and go about machine quilting.

From those intent gazes, these students look determined to learn how to tie their quilts!

What a pretty quilt was being use for the demonstration!

Pairing up, quilters set to sandwiching their quilts.

Here, one of our mother-daughter teams work together.

 Many hands make light work.

Next Thursday, Nov. 3 our lesson is about how to bind a quilt. Several different methods will be reviewed, followed by a demonstration at the sewing machine. Rebekahs have the night off since the lesson is short. Newbies are encouraged to attend, ask questions, and then return home to sew!

Students: As always, no matter whether or not you're keeping up with your quiltmaking during weekly lessons, you're encouraged to attend classes. If your quilt isn't finished by the last lesson on Thursday, Nov. 10, you have until the morning of Saturday, Nov. 19 to complete your quilt. That's plenty of time to see it finished and displayed alongside other Stitchin' Mission quilts on Nov. 19-20. Everyone is invited to visit Faith Lutheran Church, and attend a worship service to see the display. Services are at 5 p.m. Saturday, and 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. Sunday.

Second SM#25 Lesson

At Thursday evening's second beginner quiltmaking lesson, newbies learned about rotary cutting - using a rotary mat, acrylic rulers and a rotary cutter to straighten and cut fabric. 

After the rotary cutting demonstration, Rebekahs stationed themselves at tables around the room to give guidance if anyone had difficulties. 

Sometimes, to be sure those rotary cuts were perfectly straight, an extra pair of hands became helpful.

Two can always accomplish more, and have more fun, than one working alone!

After rotary cutting, newbies learned how to sew blocks together to create a "web" and make a finished quilt top.

A demonstration of how to measure, cut and sew borders to a quilt center concluded the evening's lesson.

There is no lesson Thursday, October 20, so students have two weeks to make a quilt top... or two or three! The next lesson is October 27. Students will learn how to make a quilt sandwich, tie a quilt, and learn a little bit about machine quilting. 

Stitchin' Mission #25 Underway

Thirty three newbies and 11 Rebekahs (helpers)  - 44 people! - turned out for the first beginner quiltmaking lesson at Faith Lutheran Church.

Several other newbies will join us for second and third lessons, so our whole group totals 50!

God is definitely teaching us about working together in community, and demonstrating how we can serve Him without traveling far from home.

This is such an attentive, cheerful group! They make it exciting to be teaching again.

Here I'm showing what a fat quarter is - an approximately 18" X 22" fabric rectangle with the same number of square inches as a 1/4 yard cut of fabric.

Toward the end of class, everyone received a demonstration of various ways to find a scant quarter-inch seam on the sewing machine.

We're starting new quilters off on the right foot... a quarter inch sewing machine foot. (Pun intended.)

While the seam width demonstrations continued, newbies shopped with the help of our awesome Rebekahs. Norma (pink shirt) has attended nearly every Stitchin' Mission during the past six years. Linda (orange shirt) too has helped with many of them.

If Deb (right) looks like she knows what she's talking about, she does! She's been a Rebekah at least a dozen times. 

A lovely mother (red top) and daughter (black top) team signed up to be first-time Rebekahs since participating in the last Stitchin' Mission at Lutheran Church of Hope. Yay!

Another first-time Rebekah, Sara (pink top) is helping a returning newbie.

Everyone who participates in a Stitchin' Mission for the second, third, or fourth time, learns something new - and even better, enjoys doing it again because we're just so much better when we're together!

It's exciting to see this many people interested in learning how to make a quilt, especially knowing that they've been asked to give that quilt away.

This time, our quilt recipients live locally. They are children between infancy and nine years old who are in difficult circumstances due to separation, abuse, or other desperate family situations. For that reason, we cannot expect to see pictures of these kids with the quilts we make. But we understand and will be prayerful for them as we sew.

Several local fabric stores are having weekend Columbus Day sales. Between the wonderful fabric donations, and sale fabrics available, we can expect to see many beautiful quilts coming from this group. Please tag along!

Another Tidbit
On Tuesday evening, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. I'll be at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Ankeny, Iowa, giving a program to the Ankeny Quilt Guild. If you're interested in learning more about Stitchin' Mission and picking up a few tips about making charity quilts, do come. Linda

Another Stitchin' Mission Series Scheduled!

Stitchin' Mission® beginner quiltmaking lessons start Thursday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m., at Faith Lutheran Church, 10395 University Ave. (next to K-Mart), Clive, Iowa. Choose from four 36” X 48” quilt patterns and in five free lessons, learn the fundamentals of quiltmaking. As much as possible, supplies are provided. Your cost may be $15 or less. Please consider donating the quilt you make to the mission selected by Faith Lutheran Church: House of Mercy, Des Moines.

Stitchin’ Mission is for everyone! Home-schoolers, accompanied by a parent, are welcome! For more information and to register visit www.StitchinMission.org or phone 515-225-8334.

Five Stitchin' Mission, beginner quiltmaking lessons are:

Thursday, October 6, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 13, 6:30 p.m. 

No Lesson October 20

Thursday, October 27 , 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 3, 6:30 p.m. 

Thursday, November 10, 6:30 p.m.

Registrations are being accepted now! Go here to register.

Stitchin' Mission #25 Cancelled

Due to low registration numbers, Stitchin' Mission #25, scheduled to begin Sunday, July 17 at Crosspoint Methodist Church in Bondurant, Iowa, is cancelled. This is the first time a Stitchin' Mission has been cancelled. Perhaps it's due to busy summer schedules.

Several of us are praying about future Stitchin' Missions. At this time, none are anticipated.

New and Experienced Quilters Can Help Tornado Victims

Quilters always come through when it's time to help others in need. Stitchin' Mission #25 is your opportunity to help tornado victims in Alabama and Missouri.

If you'd like to learn how to make a quilt from start to finish five beginner quiltmaking lessons begin Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., on July 17 at Crosspoint Methodist Church in Bondurant, Iowa. (More information here.) In exchange for your lessons, the 36" X 48" quilt you make will be given to tornado victims. Quilts will be delivered to affect areas by people involved with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCR).

If you're already a quilter, you too can help by making a quilt - preferably a larger one - that can also be donated and delivered through the UMCR. Please finish your quilt by the last Stitchin' Mission lesson on Sunday, August 7 to have it included in the delivery to either Alabama or Missouri.

As well, a request for help has been received from Gloria Parks who represents one of the quilt guilds in Joplin, Missouri. Her email reads:

I am in charge of donations for our guild of 75 quilters. As you probably know the house we store our fabric and tools in was completely destroyed. We found only two crib quilts in the debris so about 80 quilts we had already made are gone. Any material, batting, quilts, large pieces for backings, etc. will be appreciated. You couldn't ship mats and large rolls of batting, so any donation of money for these items we would love. Our quilt store, Joann's and Walmart are destroyed so we can purchase in an adjoining city. We have also set up a relief fund for victims. Anything donated can be sent to:

Gloria Parks

2921 N. Hickory

Joplin, MO 64801

Checks should be made out to Gloria Park. The other (Joplin) guild doesn't make charity quilts for the needy. We make 178 per year along with 150 pillow cases made for cancer children which I personally drove up to Kansas City to the Children's Cancer Hospital. We made dresses to send to Africa and star blocks for the Military Quilt this year. We make baby layettes, blankets and premie hats for the hospital and every Christmas all of us make Christmas stockings and put money in them for the children in a home here. We knit scarves and hats to give out in winter and some women make sleeping bags out of old batting and fabric for the homeless. We help the needy and now we are the needy.

Did you catch that last sentence? "We help the needy and now we are the needy"? We never know when such a tragedy will strike us or someone we love. Make the time, now, to help as you are able. 


When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him. Don't keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. - Deuteronomy 15:7, The Message