What’s Your Story? – Wounded Warrior by Marie D.

BLOCK Magazine is always looking to publish original stories from quilters like you. We believe that everyone has an important story to tell and that sharing our stories brings us closer together.

Today’s, What’s Your Story?, will touch your heart (you may want to grab a tissue!). It’s one of love, fate, and hope that all stem from a single quilt.

Thank you Marie D. for sharing your beautiful story…

About seven years ago, I was involved in a quilt guild that was making quilts to send to Wounded Warrior. The quilts were given to men and women who had served in the armed forces and returned wounded. Like all of the other ladies in the group, I made a quilt to send which was a scrappy stars and stripes pattern. The quilts could not be labeled and all donations were anonymous. As I finished the last stitch in the binding, I hugged it tight and said a little prayer for the recipient and packaged it for shipment and didn’t think another thing of it. 

Five years later, I’m scrolling through Facebook and I get a message from a boy I had dated in high school. We were high school sweethearts, but our lives took different paths. Mine took me to college and a career and I never knew where he ended up until I received that message. We began chatting frequently, talking about everything from spouses to children to everyday life. I found out that he had enlisted in the Army shortly after I left for college and was with the 101st Airborne. During his career, he had been to Afghanistan and came home wounded. 

One day while we were chatting he asked me if I fixed quilts since he had seen my posted photos. He said he had a quilt that he needed to be repaired due to wear and tear. He said he had received it while in the hospital and it was very important to him to get it fixed. I responded that normally I don’t do repairs, but for him, I would make an exception. We then made arrangements to meet so I could see what I had gotten myself into. 

On the day we were to meet, it seemed that nothing could go right. Traffic, car problems, and the weather had me praying to just make it to my destination safely. When I did finally make it, I was exhausted and cranky and honestly wanting to pick up the quilt and go. Of course, I couldn’t simply do that, so I met with my friend and his lovely wife and we chatted for a long while waiting on the weather to clear.

When it came time to depart, I remembered the reason for the trip and asked to see the quilt. I was thinking in the back of my mind that this could be next to impossible. When he brought the quilt in and showed me the damage, you could have knocked me over with a feather. He brought in the very quilt I had donated to Wounded Warrior. The tears immediately began to flow. What are the odds that someone I knew would end up with that quilt, especially when he needed it most? Once I composed myself enough to speak, I explained why I was so emotional. Then it was his turn to be speechless. He then explained how he had always felt comforted whenever he covered up with the quilt and how he was still using it to cope with severe PTSD.

After that, I was so happy to repair that quilt. To this day, he still uses it whenever he has a bad day and it still does the trick. So now whenever I make a quilt to send to our servicemen and women, I always hug it tight and say a little prayer for whoever receives it so that they may also know the comfort of a quilt made with love.

– Marie D.

As we listen, learn, and grow, greater inspiration enters our lives and our capacity to care expands. No matter how simple you believe your story to be, it’s worth sharing. Share your story >

Sneak Peek: BLOCK Magazine Summer 2020

A note from Jenny.

My hope is by the time I’ve written this letter to you and BLOCK arrives at your home, that life will have returned to normal. My hope is the sun will be shining outside your window… you’ll be free to gather with friends and family… you’ll feel comfortable greeting neighbors and walking the dog again, and a trip to the beach might be just around the corner. It’s hard to imagine after weeks of being separated from loved ones and anxiously watching the television, but I have great hope that we’ll make it through…many of us have been spending extended periods of time at home. I am trying my best to view this as an opportunity instead of an inconvenience. 

I recently read a quote by one of my favorite people, Fred Rogers, that made me pause. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” It has shifted my mindset and caused me to be proactive. Each day I ask myself, What small thing can I do to help?

Quilters never cease to amaze me. You make a difference with every stitch and it’s never been more apparent to me than at this very moment. You’re sewing masks by the thousands, you’re making surgical caps for hospital workers, you’re helping friends and neighbors, and you’re a positive influence in your community. Thank you sincerely for everything you do. I feel privileged to be a part of this remarkable global community of quilters. We really can change the world one stitch at a time.

Love,
Jenny


Like Jenny (and Mr. Rogers), I believe many of us makers feel grateful to be part of a community that creates – not only quilts, but comfort, inspiration, and kindness. (After all, we are the piece-makers ✌️)

Fun fact: Back in 1889, the women of Caldwell County (now home of Missouri Star) came together to create a “census” quilt. For an entire year, wives, mothers, and children throughout the county helped one another to hand-stitch the names of over 1,000 residents to create a gorgeous hand-sewn quilt that celebrated their entire community.

130 years later, the antique quilt remains a representation of the connections made among a community of quilter’s helping one another to create a beautiful, inclusive piece of art. It hangs inside our Caldwell Country Historical Society, seven miles from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Much like those whose names were stitched onto that quilt from long ago, when you subscribe to BLOCK Magazine, you subscribe to become a part of a community of makers whose stories become stitched into our hearts! BLOCK Magazine’s upcoming summer issue contains our own stories and the stories of our readers, together building a community of creatives inspired by one another.

Subscribe by our May 25th deadline to ensure you receive the new June issue straight to your mailbox late next month!


Get a sneak peek of what’s inside!

BLOCK Magazine June 2020
Ruby Sensation Sew-Along

Ruby Sensation Sew-Along

This five part sew-along walks you through every step until together – we’ve created a ravishing masterpiece! (Subscribe now so you won’t miss out!)

BONUS Table Runner Patterns

Enjoy three BONUS table runner projects, great for a quick refresh to your dining table!

Travel Pocket Project

This handy, little organizer is great for traveling with kids and other simple storage solutions.

Jenny’s Journal

Get an exclusive look into Jenny’s studio as she shares with you her latest projects. There’s always something unique and inspiring!

… and seriously, SEW MUCH MORE:

• Stories from Jenny, Missouri Star, and our readers! (Subscribers are invited to submit their own story and some are even published in BLOCK! Jenny loves to hear from our readers!)

• 10+ quilt patterns (including two hexi patterns by Daisy & Grace!)

• When you subscribe, you’ll get instant access to April’s digital issue so you can start enjoying BLOCK right away! (That means you’ll get seven issues for the price of six!)


• NO ads and your subscription ships free!


Take a look behind the scenes!

Crawfish boil scene for BLOCK Magazine
“The most satisfying part of my job is finding a location and props for a scene – one that brings life to the stories we tell in BLOCK. For this shot, we had decided on a crawfish boil, indicative of a southern and celebratory meal. I wasn’t aware what a task this would be until I contacted local grocery stores and made several other calls to no avail.

I had succeeded to photographing a boiling pot of water at best until, luckily, I saw exactly what I needed on social media! A local family posted a photo of their crawfish boil! I immediately contacted them and they gladly accommodated my request, but I had NO IDEA I would be purchasing LIVE crawfish, fresh from the Louisiana bayou! I went to pick them up (thinking they were already cooked) and the ride home had me poking the crawfish back into the pot! I had never prepared them before and was apprehensive but they were absolutely delicious and made for a fabulous photo!

I’m always open to new adventures and experiences which is why I love working on the BLOCK Magazine team. This was definitely one to remember.”

– Jennifer Dowling, photo stylist
Jenny and Ron enjoying a sunset on the set of BLOCK Magazine

“We hope our magazine will inspire you to create beautiful quilts.” – Jenny

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOCK MAGAZINE

2017 Stitched Together Story Contest Winners

As part of our Annual National Quilting Day celebration, MSQC has hosted a story contest for the last four years. We’re happy to share our three winning stories from this year’s contest. I say I’m happy, but I’m actually so sad that we only get three winners. These stories are truly amazing and so many of them touched my heart. But if you enjoy reading them as much as I do, don’t worry! I will be sharing more of them throughout the year each week as part of our Stitched Together series in our Daily Deal email (sign up to receive it in your inbox daily HERE), and including them in our next Stitched Together book.

Quilters know, when something isn’t right and it seems there’s nothing you can do about it, you can quilt. The winning story in our annual Stitched Together Story Contest will hit home to all of us who have waited, loved, and quilted. A big thank you to our anonymous quilting friend for sharing with us.

“As a thirty-four-year-old, I was finally about to become a mother. But the question was ‘When?’ My husband and I had been married almost five years and were deep into the paperwork and emotional ups and downs of international adoption. We were assigned a baby boy. Weeks would go by and we would hear nothing, then a letter from his foster mom arrived, and on a really good week, we would receive pictures. ‘When?’ That was always the question.

“The ache was deep. The wait was agonizing. We both longed for a child. God did not bring our dreams about the way we hoped. I felt helpless. I had to DO something! So I did what I loved to do since I was ten. I sewed. We were preparing his room, and I decided to make a quilt. This was 1991 and there were no ideas on Pinterest, no online classes to learn to quilt and no computer for that matter! I had never made a quilt before!

“I loved bright colors, and I thought all boys loved cars and trucks, so I went to a fabric store and picked a brightly-colored cotton fabric covered with modes of transportation. I copied and enlarged those little figures to make appliqued trucks, cars, planes, boats and trains. I was doing this for him. Really? Really it was for me! As I sewed, I felt like he was almost with us. I was connecting my heart to the precious little life I did not yet have in my home – my love grew with each block and stitch. I was comforted by the whole process. I even made his crib sheets out of the colorful fabric. But when would he get to cover up with his quilt? When would we be able to snuggle on his bed? When?

“I made the quilt top, and paid someone to hand quilt the layers. I was so excited. I was doing something for the little toddler miles and miles away from us. I made a simple small pillow out of the quilt fabric, and sent it to El Salvador hoping it would arrive safely and that he would hug it and smell a little of me!

“We received the first precious photo of him when he was six weeks old. Finally, when he was 20 months old, my husband and I traveled there to meet him and bring him home. The three-day journey was emotional and incredible, one of the best times of our lives.

“Three other adopted children and twenty-five years later my quilting skills grow, and my love continues.”

st1

In El Salvador: We received this picture while we were in the waiting process; our son is in the upper left corner, and I was thrilled to see his little pillow in the picture!

st2

At home: Our little guy and daddy reading on top of his quilt; his little pillow on top of the large pillow.

st3

When he was three, the pillow case fabric was thread-bare! We finally had to get rid of it.

Close to his college graduation, and upon taking his first career music job, I made him two other quilts.

ST7

Our 2nd story comes from Molly and it’s about the power of teaching others to quilt.

“’Hey everyone, Tammy finished her first quilt.’ I hold up the pink and purple rail fence quilt for all to admire. Her classmates clap; Tammy beams.

“I’m a member of Coffee Creek Quilters, a group that teaches quilting to women incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. There are four weekly two-hour classes, each with twenty students. Each student makes three quilts. We donate the first two quilts to various organizations for hospice patients, kids in foster care, and the like. Students can keep the third quilt, which is a very big deal when you live in a prison dormitory where everyone wears navy blue and orange. Some do keep their third quilts, but quite a few give them to family members, kids and moms.

“People often ask how we structure our quilting classes. In some ways it’s the same as a class in a quilt shop. Instructors explain the basics of cutting strips of fabric with rulers, rotary cutters, and mats. Students learn to thread a sewing machine, sew quarter inch seams, and follow a pattern.

“In other ways, CCQ classes are very different. Prison security rules require that we count every pin, needle, and rotary cutter blade before taking them in to class. We pass through a metal detector before entering the dining room where class is held. And there are restrictions on the color of clothing we can wear, such as no blue jeans.

“Our goals are similar to quilt shop classes, but with some differences. We want our students to become proficient in quilt-making techniques. But we also strive to teach patience, perseverance, problem-solving, and the importance of quality work. We work to nurture our students’ self-confidence and self-esteem, attributes that we hope will help them to be successful at living in the community after release from prison.

“It takes around eighteen months for students to go through the CCQ program. During that time we gradually get to know each other. Last week Tammy said her daughter’s birthday is coming up, Maureen told me she’d applied for the eyeglass program, and I heard that Jamie is learning math in her quest for a GED certificate. I told the story about how good it felt seeing a resident in my Mom’s memory care community bundled up in the yellow and green churn dash quilt I had made.

“Some of our students come to love quilting just as much as we do, while others decide it isn’t their cuppa darjeeling. Everyone who completes the class is eligible to receive a ‘release kit’ when they’re released from prison — a used sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins and needles, rotary cutter and mat, and a selection of fabric and batting to make their next quilt.

“Next week I plan to bring my latest project, my purple rain quilt, to class for show ‘n tell. Because that’s what quilters do.”

Our 3rd story comes from Suzanne and it’s full of love and generosity. Thanks for sharing!

“My twin sister and my twin daughters are all fabulous, experienced quilters, but for years now I have declined to quilt. I have been an avid and even professional seamstress in my years but quilting was just something I didn’t think I had the patience for.

“My sister’s son, my nephew, is a Blackhawk Helicopter pilot in the Army and was sent to Kosovo for a period of time, approximately one year. She lovingly made him a quilt and sent it since it was winter there and she wanted him to be warm. He cherished it and so did his other twenty-seven compatriots. Then my sister got the wonderful, generous thought to make all of them quilts… WAIT, HOLD ON… how can you make twenty-seven more quilts and get them done and sent in any reasonable amount of time? I had to help. Yes, I had to help, even though I had only made two very simple quilts with my daughters’ help at the time.

“We battened down the hatches and asked people to help. We tried to raise funds to cover the enormous cost. Many friends and family gave to assist in this endeavor although we did not reach our goal on a crowdfunding website. No matter, we forged ahead. What began as “I’m not going to let her do this alone, I have to help…” ended with a heart wrenching (in a good way) call to arms to help. Many of the people who made quilt tops we did not even know, a very humbling action for strangers to do for others. They were friends of friends. It was so good to see people step up to give to our servicemen and women and they were so very grateful for the love, thoughts and quilts they received.

“Some quilters received letters but all received a wonderful certificate made by the troops and sent to us in gratitude. They also took pictures of each serviceman and woman receiving the quilt and sent them to us. In total we received or made thirty-four quilts in about two and a half months. Thank goodness the troops are now returned from Kosovo and they held a special thank you ceremony upon their return for my sister. She received a framed certificate of thanks with everyone’s name who assisted in our ‘Quilts of Valor’ project.

“Needless to say, I am now a quilter and it usually takes first choice in what I wish to do each day. I fell in love with it and I was so wrong about not having the patience to quilt. Quilting is like life, one square at a time and it’ll come together just fine!”

The only thing I love more than quilting fabric is quilting stories. Got a good one? Send me yours at stories@missouriquiltco.com for the chance to be featured!

Call for Stories – National Quilting Month 2017

March is National Quilting Month and we’re using it as an opportunity to celebrate the giving nature of quilters everywhere! Here’s how you can join the fun (and win lots of Quilter’s Cash!) :

Quilt From The Heart #GiveaStitch

Quilt from the Heart: This month (and every month) we challenge you to #giveastitch by making a quilt and donating it to a person or organization in need. Listen to a special message from Jenny and check out the information we’ve gathered to help you out HERE including easy to make patterns and a list of organizations accepting quilt donations. Be sure to share your charity quilts and the story behind them with us on social media using #giveastitch!!

Share:  We’re continuing the Missouri Star Quilt Co. tradition of holding a “Stitched Together” story contest, and we want YOU to enter!  Share your story with us: Has quilting made your life better?  Has it changed you or touched your heart? Have you used your quilting skills to make someone else’s life better?  Email us at stories@missouriquiltco.com and tell us how in 500 words or less for the chance to be one of three grand prize winners to win Quilter’s Cash and be featured on our Daily Deal page and Daily Deal email!

  • 1st place will be featured on National Quilting Day (Saturday, March 18th) and will receive $250 in Quilter’s Cash

  • 2nd Place will receive $100 in Quilter’s Cash and will be featured Sunday, March 19th.

  • 3rd Place will receive $50 in Quilter’s Cash and will be featured Monday, March 20th.

stitched together

A few details to remember:

  • Entries must be emailed to stories@missouriquiltco.com by noon (CST)on Saturday, March 11th.

  • If you would like to remain anonymous, please let us know. (Or, come up with a fabulous pen name!)

  • Even if your story isn’t chosen as one of the three winners, we might still share it in future Daily Deal stories, blog posts, or magazine articles. By submitting your story, you acknowledge that Missouri Star may use it at some future date for commercial purposes.

We are so excited to read your stories! We want to be inspired! We want to laugh! We want to cry! Just be sure to send your entry to stories@missouriquiltco.com by noon (CST) on Saturday, March 11th, 2017!

Haven’t read the touching stories in Stitched Together Volumes 1, 2 & 3 yet? Get them HERE! You’ll love them!

Share Your Story With Us for National Quilting Month!

It’s National Quilt Month, and we are ready to par-tay (And give away lots of Quilter’s Cash)!!!! Here’s how you can join in on the fun:

Missouri Star Quilt Co challenges you to make something today!

Create: We encourage you to join quilters across the globe as we accept the challenge to  #makesomethingtoday! Whatever you choose to make, enjoy it!

Share: We’re continuing the MSQC tradition of holding a “Stitched Together” story contest, and we want YOU to enter!  Share your story with us: Has quilting made your life better?  Has it changed you or touched your heart?  Tell us how in 500 words or less and you could be one of three entrants chosen to have your story featured on our Daily Deal page and Daily Deal email!

  • 1st place will be featured on National Quilting Day (Saturday, March 19th) and will receive $250 in Quilter’s Cash

  • 2nd Place will receive $100 in Quilter’s Cash and will be featured Sunday.

  • 3rd Place will receive $50 in QC and will be featured Monday.

Stitched Together: Stories for the Quilter's Soul, by Missouri Star Quilt Co

A few details to remember:

  • Entries must be emailed to stories@missouriquiltco.com by noon (CST)on Saturday, March 12th.

  • If you would like to remain anonymous, please let us know. (Or, come up with a fabulous pen name!)

  • Even if your story isn’t chosen as one of the three winners, we might still share it in future Daily Deal stories, blog posts, or magazine articles. By submitting your story, you acknowledge that Missouri Star may use it at some future date for commercial purposes.

We are so excited to read your stories! We want to be inspired! We want to laugh! We want to cry! Just be sure to send your entry to stories@missouriquiltco.com by noon (CST) on Saturday, March 12th, 2016! 🙂

Haven’t read the touching stories in Stitched Together Volumes 1 & 2 yet? Get them HERE! You’ll love them!