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Quilter's Newsletter
Love, Joy, Piece
North American Mennonite Relief Sale Board - Quilter's Newsletter Co-Editors: Marlys Wiens, Bev Patkau 
Passing on the ComfortThe new year 2005 is already well underway. One of the quilting projects that has been on my mind is called "Passing on the Comfort". During and after WW II many Dutch Mennonites helped relieve the suffering of those caught in the world’s war. They gave protection to their Jewish neighbours fleeing the Nazi’s. They also gave shelter to many German speaking Mennonites fleeing Russia. MCC sent thousands of quilts overseas from North America to help shelter those who were displaced. Recently a collection of these quilts has been found. The story of these Quilts will be told in a book written by An Keuning-Tichelaar and Lynn Kaplanian-Buller that is being published by Good Books. MCC is creating a traveling exhibit featuring these quilts that will go on the road in April. Local groups are encouraged to produce replica quilts that would then be sold at their local relief sale. In this way the quilts will again be used to shelter those in need and those fleeing the world’s wars. What a tribute to the generations of men and women who have donated to MCC through the work of their hands. We pay tribute to those who sent these gifts of love by making replicas of these quilts and once again allowing MCC to provide comfort where it is needed. In Alberta there are a number of communities that have committed to making a replica quilt. These will hopefully be displayed along with the antique quilts and sold at this year’s relief sale. The Calgary group has already started on a replica quilt and has met about every other week since the beginning of the year. We have completed a quilt top and are ready to begin quilting. Enough blocks were left over to make a small lap quilt or wall hanging. One of the ladies who does not enjoy hand quilting has agreed to take on the task of dealing with the extra blocks.
Bev Patkau
For more information, contact Lois Flickinger:
The MCC Saskatchewan Relief Sale of Saskatoon, Saskatchewanreports great success in highlighting their quilt display by the use of black curtain backdrops. Darlene Wahl reports the curtains enhanced the quilt’s attractiveness and their quilt sale was better than ever.
Our kids are ready to help and learn.Have you considered inviting the children to participate in the quilting/comforter presentations? Have you considered offering classes or having a fun session knotting comforters at youth meetings? What better way to train the quilters of tomorrow? A number of relief sales offer the opportunity for the youth to create comforters/quilts as part of the children’s activity program during the Relief Sale and offer it for auction the following year. This creates a lot of interest and the children have gained the experience of helping others.
Machine Quilting - Gaining AttentionIn the last ten to fifteen years machine quilting has come a long way. Machine quilting used to be considered unacceptable. Over the last few years machine quilting has not only become acceptable but has managed to gain respect. There are even categories in quilt shows just for machine quilting. The machine quilting of the past was done with monofilament (plastic) thread and done "in the ditch". Today machine quilting is done using beautiful threads and has thru free motion expanded beyond the ditch. Machine quilting today, when done by an experienced quilter, can enhance the design of the quilt. The elaborate quilting designs of the past such as feathers and cables are now possible to reproduce by machine. The new variegated threads have also made machine quilting more interesting. Machine quilting may never replace the "feel" of hand quilting but it has definitely made a place for itself within the quilt community. Machine quilting takes much less time then hand quilting. In a world that seems to move faster and faster, time is sometimes a factor. Machine quilting in specific quilts might be a plus. For example - I machine quilted my children's quilts when they were young because the stitching could be closer together and I didn't worry about throwing the quilt in the laundry. The stitches held together through years of love and attention. What should we look for in a machine-quilted quilt? As in a hand-quilted quilt, the quilting pattern should enhance the over-all design. The stitches should be of similar sizes (not small and large in the same area). As with other types of quilting the amount of quilting should be uniform. For example - if the centre of the quilt is heavily quilted the border should also be heavily quilted. Check to make sure the stitch tension is correct. If it is not set properly you will see the back thread being pulled through to the front or the front thread showing on the back. I hope the next time you are at a quilt show or relief sale you will look closer at the type of quilting used and learn to recognize the beauty in the different types of quilting. There are many good books on machine quilting. One of the best authors on machine quilting is Harriet Hargraves. Most local quilt shops will also have classes on how to machine quilt. Becoming a good machine quilter takes practice and patience.
Thank you,
(Note: Bev Patkau volunteers with the MCC Alberta Relief Sale)
Quilt tips:If you enjoy piecing, but not hand quilting, why not check in your area (or with your relief sale committee) to see if there is someone who likes to hand quilt but not piecing, and work together! Marking:Never press a quilt top that has already been marked for quilting. The heat of the iron can set the marking making it permanent. If you don't want to mark on the quilt top, try marking on clear water-soluble stabilizer and quilting right through it. When you are done quilting you can pull off the stabilizer and rinse away the excess.
Email Chat roomTo sign up for the email chat room, please send your email address to Harriet Berg at .
NewsletterTo sign up to receive Love, Joy, Piece Newsletter by mail, contact: US
Marlys Wiens CANADA
Bev Patkau |
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Peach Cobbler Mennonite World Relief Sale
TriState Relief Sale
"Reverse Shoofly",
machine quilted by Ione Ewert Whitney, Port Orchard, WA and pieced by Cindy Wiens of Fresno, CA. The quilt received the highest quilt bid at the West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction, Fresno, CA.
