National Quilting Day is Saturday, March 16!
On that day, we’ll be raising up the stories of the countless quilters who keep the LWR Quilt & Kit Ministry going, and will also host four special in-person events to celebrate the day.
If you’d like to join us in celebrating the men, women and children who work so hard every year to send these gifts of love around the world to people in need, here are 8 easy ideas for lifting up your favorite quilters.
Dawn Young is a member of Christ Lutheran Church of Elm Creek in Seguin, Texas. Here she is learning to sew quilt squares.
Donate your gently used blankets. (For quilt fillers)
Your congregation’s Quilt & Kit ministry is run on a lot of love, and a lot of thrifting! If you have gently used blankets, they can be re-purposed as warm filler for the quilts your group makes.
Be sure to check with your group leader or coordinator before bringing in blankets to make sure you are donating when they are needed.
Send 16 Mission Quilts in honor of your congregation's quilting group.
By sending 16 Mission Quilts through the LWR Gifts online catalog, you help ensure your quilters' gifts of love reach the hands of the people who desperately need them.
In addition to sending the quilts, you can also send an instant e-card through the LWR Gifts site to the leader of your quilting group with a message of appreciation to share!
Help get quilts to the LWR warehouse or local Ingathering.
Once your quilting group's quilts are finished, they are sent to Lutheran World Relief, either by dropping them off at one of our two warehouses, or by participating in a regional Ingathering.
Offer to help transport quilts when the time comes to donate!
Ask your pastor to add a petition of thanks at your March 17 service.
National Quilting Day falls on a Saturday, but you can still celebrate your quilters during services on Sunday. Asking your pastor to add a petition of thanks for quilters at your Sunday, March 17 service is a great way to celebrate and get the entire congregation involved!
Offer to be the hands (and feet ... and muscles) for your quilting group's clean-up day!
Many quilting groups take time out in the spring and fall (and points in-between) to tidy up their quilting supplies, fabric stores, etc. Let your quilting group know you are willing to help during their next clean-up as a way to show appreciation for the hard work that they do!
Make a special treat and bring it to the next quilting session.
Many quilters share coffee and a snack when they gather. Consider making a special treat for your quilters next gathering. Pro-Tip: Make something that is deeply meaningful to you, and stick around to tell your group about it (and … help!). The best gifts are ones from the heart. (Need a recipe idea? We've got you covered with Jan's bundt cake recipe, pictured.)
Give a gift to the LWR Quilt & Kit Shipping Fund in their honor.
Much like sending 16 Mission Quilts, giving a gift to the LWR Quilt & Kit Shipping Fund is a way to ensure your quilters' work gets to the people who need it most. Gifts can be made of any size. In fact, if you get others to join you, your gift of $500 can commemorate your group with a brick at LWR's Quilt Plaza in Baltimore, Maryland.
Carol Limberg and Leslie Tsoungui work on quilts as part of an inter-generational sewing program at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke in Chicago.
Shout out your quilting ministry!
We asked the folks in the LWR Quilters & Kit Makers Community group on Facebook how they would like to be honored and celebrated for their work. And one of the most popular answers is oh so simple!
“I do feel appreciated when other groups/chairmen/individuals mention the quilting group in their reports or conversations. For instance, our Social Ministry chair usually lists quilt making in the annual report,” said Susan Mayer, one member of the Facebook group.
So next time you welcome a visitor or new member to your congregation, let them know: your church is home to an awesome quilt ministry!