Update on Landis Homes 2025 Fellowship Days Quilt Auction

As I "put to bed the 2025 auction prep" I am so thankful for all of the support so many of you have provided. This year's auction features 61 quilts as compared to last year's 36. Twenty 27 of this year’s quilts were donated by RRQG members. The auction provides funding for the Landis Homes Caring Fund, which supports residents whose finances are exhausted while they still need care. RRQG is very blessed to have been welcomed to Landis a year ago when we needed a new "home." Landis Homes greatly appreciates our donations. This shared mutual support demonstrates Landis Homes’ commitment to building community both in our quilt room around the quilting frame and supporting others in their time of need.

Jeanne asked me to share my latest finished quilt with you, as it will be the show stopper of this year's auction. It is a Judy Neimeyer paper-pieced pattern given to me by Patty Hauber. Problem: it was 80x80" and it needed to be a king-sized bed quilt. Sally Tobias and I headed off to Burkholders to pick the fabric. Lyn Daubert and I paper-pieced till we totally lost our minds but we had lots of laughter along the way.

I found the "extension" pieces to make it larger on the Quiltworx website. Problem solved..... Nope! It was just the paper pieces, without instructions on assembly. Jack the ripper and I became close friends, to say the least. After a good big 80 hours of piecing, it was finally ready to be marked and loaded into frame for hand quilting.

Connie Lapp and I put our heads together to find quilting designs that would enhance the piecing. Lyn Daubert helped me put the 104”x114" monster in the frame. No problem... Nope! The back was big enough for the quilt but did not have the 2" extra fabric for mounting. Solution: take it back out of the frame and sew additions on the 2 short sides.

The Landis Quilters began stitching the week of June 16. We hosted a Quilt Bee on that Friday and invited hand quilters from the community to join us that day. There were 21 attendees who worked on the quilt and helped hand stitch binding down on others. The quilt came out of the frame on the 18th of July. Unbelievable! We were so excited that we took photos of both sides. Then we all stood there a bit in awe of what we had accomplished together. I added the binding and the paperwork needed for the next step of its journey to the live auction on September 13 at 2 pm. This morning it was delivered the Landis Homes Advancement office. DONE!

Whew!

Program: Sept 10, A Tribute to Jane and Bill, Landis Homes West Community Room,

 6:30-8:30 pm

        Presenter: Jeanne Riley and Bonnie McClun

In 2023, the Guild received the largest contribution of fabric it has ever received, the

stash of Jane Hoar, a Millersville quilter who had quilted for over 50 years. She would

have fit right in with us Red Rose Quilters! Sadly, she stopped quilting about 5 years

prior to her death in June 2023. Her husband Bill generously allowed Bonnie McClun

and Jeanne Riley to empty out her studio. Picture this: seven carloads, two of which

were van loads – and six of those loads were just fabrics! It took them two full days of

work, and they recruited Jeanne’s good-sport husband to help them load and transport

it all. Many thanks to Lyn Daubert, Cathy Mead, Kathy Arndt, Sally Tobias, Beth

Holcombe, Sarah Hunt, and Elaine Spangler, who spent many hours sorting the fabrics

and Jane’s UFO’s for our stash and the fabric frenzy we had for our members later that

year.

These pictures do not show the 4-drawer highboy dresser crammed full of neatly folded

fabrics, the large bins of Christmas fabrics, the many small bins and pizza boxes full of

Jane’s UFO’s (her quilts are beautiful, by the way), and her many tools, notions,

patterns, books, etc.

There were also 14 garbage bags of “strings”(!!). We had a free “strings” workshop on

New Year’s Day 2024 to use up some of them up, and still have enough for another

strings workshop at some point.

We invited Jane’s husband Bill and his sister to our September 2024 meeting, for a

"show and tell" of quilts and quilted items we have made so far from Jane’s fabrics, as a

thank you for his generosity.