Preschoolers honor church quilters
Berl Tiskus
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Quilter Barb Legoo receives a mug with a potted flower in it from a Little Lambs preschooler.
Berl Tiskus
Preschoolers sit on boxes of quilts packed to be shipped as mission quilts.
Berl Tiskus
Children make cookies to share with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church quilters.
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POLSON — Ministry quilts keep people warm at night; can become a shawl; may make a baby carrier when tied around a mother’s back; turn into a sack to carry items; can be used at the marketplace to display goods; and provide shade during sweltering days, according to the Lutheran World Relief website.
This year the hardworking quilters at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church made 284 hand-tied quilts and shipped 254 to Lutheran World Relief, according to Jean Kvande, one of the quilters.
The other 30 quilts they kept to give to graduating seniors in their congregation, to fire victims or others in need.
Noticing that the quilters take scraps to the church’s Fellowship Loft where they work and come back with big quilts, Heather Holmes, Little Lambs Preschool teacher, decided someone should do something to let them know they’re appreciated. She received a small grant from Thrivent Financial to be used to support those who serve others and planned a party to honor the seamstresses.
Since the quilters work from 9 to noon on Mondays, the Little Lambs Preschool at GSLP invited the stitchers for tea and cookies at 10 a.m. on May 12, according to Holmes. The children and volunteer moms made cookies at the church’s kitchen — cut out sugar cookies with sprinkles, of course. As a special gift, each child made and decorated a ceramic mug, and then Holmes personalized each mug with a quilter’s name, added handles and fired the cups.
The kids turned the cups into flowerpots and potted a pansy in each. When the coffee was ready, the cookies were baked and the quilters gathered to receive their mug and get a hug and a thank-you. After the quilters were all honored, each child poured a cup of juice, grabbed a cookie and went to sit by “their” quilter.
GSLC quilters include Jackie Christensen, Lou Duford, Carol Johnson, Kvande, Portia Lakoy, Barbara Legoo, Lora Pearson, Bea Rademacher, Marion Retzer, Lucy Richwine, Peggy Seifert and Susie Thorsrud.
The women receive lots of donated fabric and several of them make quilt tops at home for the group to tie during their time in the loft each week. Each quilt is 60 inches by 80 inches. They use sheets for backing and order batting from a company in Minneapolis.
“We can get 25 or 26 lengths from a bale of batting,” Kvande said.
Besides donated fabric, they also receive donations from the public to pay for the batting and the sheets. The quilters are always buying and digging through their own stashes for fabric, Kvande said.
“It’s a neat ministry,” she said.
