Sunday, February 9, 2020

2020 MCC 100 Year Anniversary North American Relief Sale Board Traveling Quilt

The purpose of the 100 Year Anniversary Quilt is to travel to various MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Relief Auctions and Festivals across the United States throughout 2020.
During the Live Auctions, the quilt will be raised for viewing and accepting of donation bids to be used for various  MCC charitable causes, similar to the previous Water, Peace andBasket/Hunger Quilts.

                                


Picture of Quilt Artists (from left to right)
  • Sally Mortenson, St. Paul, MN -- Artist for the center logo
  • Marlys Wiens, Edina, MN who was commissioned for the entire project by the North American Relief Sale Board and Piecer of Shoofly, Log Cabin and Basket Blocks
  • Rebecca Ruth Anderson of Rebecca Ruth Designs, Bloomington, MN -- People Boarder Designer
  • Dawn Weaver, Quilted Traditions LLC, Eau Claire, WI -- Long Arm Quilter
The Revered G. Travis Norvell, Minneapolis, Minnesota commissioned quilt during a Blessing Event on December 19, 2019, for delivery by Dawn Weaver to Les Gustafson-Zook at MCC Goshen, Indiana, over the Christmas holiday.




Upon the completion of the quilt I sit back and reflect on the project and respond with ...  "The difference of one - one block, one artist, one quilt! Together we make a difference in this world!"

So how did the 100 Year Anniversary Quilt occur?  It started with conversations between me and my cousins in Washington State, my past Co-Quilt Liaison for the North American Relief Sale Board from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and quilt friends here in Minnesota.

Thanks to Bev Patkau of Mountain Rose Quilt Company who had experience with Anniversary quilts, who explained you start with the logo in the center of the q quilt and work out with various boarders.

So how big should this quilt be?  A quick decision was made that the quilt needed to be approximately 100 inches by 100 inches as the math would not allow 100 baskets.

With MCC providing the Logo for the event, the Logo would need to be blown up some 20 inches.

Based on Bev's sketch, I wanted the Log Cabin block representing a home from the  Underground Railroad in the United States, the Reverse Shoofly block, which is the Love Joy Piece Logo with the meaning that clothing would be provided to the person.   And, from Africa, the Shoofly, which is a symbol of the tailor, weaver, and maker of textiles or clothes.

The blue solid fabric is from Cherrywood Fabrics, Baxter, MN.  Cherrywood Fabrics is a business owned and operated by women who celebrate and remind us of the importance of women's influence and work globally.  The fabric is hand dyed in gradations of blue.

I purchased the blue and white batik fabrics on a Mennonite Central Committee Learning Tour to India several years ago.  I wanted the fabric with no idea that at the time I was purchasing it for this project.

For the next steps, based on the draft, I would need four Log Cabin blocks for the corners and in addition eight Reverse Shoofly blocks.

Then on to the basest for the outside boarder which would assist in the calculation for the size of the quilt.  Once again I used the variety of blue Cherrywood Fabrics.

For the basket blocks, my mind went to the Basket Traveling Quilt, which  Relief Sales still has available for use for Live Auctions.  The Batik dyed fabrics received from Art and Lois Kennel from their work in the Congo for MCC, were just what I needed.  The  unique basket outside boarder is made from these fabrics.



I made basket blocks over a period of days when suddenly, I became uneasy as I had no idea how many basket blocks I made or needed to make.  The atmosphere of love was all around me as I continued to work with the fabrics.  Sometime later I went on to county how many Basket Blocks I had made.  It was exactly 40 blocks -- the exact number I needed for the approximate 100 inch quilt.

I was not short and I had no extra blocks!  God works in interesting and mysterious ways!!


So back to the center logo block, I had worked diligently to find the best method to make the logo on peach colored fabric and after visits to the store.  I chose to use ink and paint the logo.

However, after a conversation with Sally Mortenson, a Modern Quilter and donor to MCC Relief Sales of Traditional Quilts, she suggested instead to use the Mennonite and Amish's traditional hand stitching appliquéing off quilts.  During that  conversation I chose to celebrate Sally's offer to make the Center Logo Block.  Sally quick learned that MCC has a certain "Aqua Blue" color once again found at Cherrywood Fabrics.

Rebecca Anderson created the the "People Boarder" to include the people that MCC partners with around the world using the colorful clothing and skin of many people celebrating together as they circled the MCC Logo.

Rebecca felt comfortable making 12 people, but how they would fit around the traditional Log Cabin and Reverse Shoofly blocks was a challenge?

Rebecca Anderson
Once the blocks were on the Design Wall, we knew why Rebecca had felt a peace with 12 blocks.  The first and second boarders of the q quilt needed to be reversed, putting three people on four sides of the quilts  Rebecca's talent embraced and took inspiration from the Bible using design and color reflecting the 12 tribes in the Old Testament and 12 disciples with Jesus at the Last Supper.








In December of 2019, friends and family of MCC were invited to share in the Blessing and Commissioning Event.

It was decided a multi-colored pillowcase Marlys had made for a different event would become the container for the 100 Year  MCC Anniversary Quilt to travel in as it already had  her name and address stitched into the fabric.  An additional Love Joy Piece Logo was included on the Quilt Label attached to the back of the quilt.




Dawn Weaver and Marlys Wiens
 
Rebecca Anderson and Dawn Weaver
Quilt Label

For more information, please see:  www.mcc.org and on Facebook: Love Joy Piece.  You can also visit:  www. lovejoypiece.blogspot.com to share in the conversation.

@ Copyright:  Marlys Wiens -- February 2020

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Quilt: Throw Quit Goshen

Fabrics:  Shades of Corals - Pinwheels

Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Quilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Machine Quilted.

Size:  56 inches by 68 inches































Donor:  Anonymous

Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Queen Quilt: Nine Patch in Star Kansas?

Fabric: Blue, Mauve and green with 3.5 inch blocks.

Nine Patch in Star Quilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Hand Quilted.

Size: 89 inches by 105 inches



Donor:  Anonymous

Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Queen Quilt: Hour Glasses and Snowballs Goshen, IN

Colors:  Burnt Orange and Beige fabrics.

Hour Glasses and Snowballs Quilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Hand Quilted.



Size:  96 inches by 86 inches

Donor:  Anonymous


Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Throw Quilt: "Stars" Kansas?

Colors:  Purple, pink and blue fabrics.

Stars Quilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Hand Quilted.

Size:  39 inches by 54 inches




Donor:  Anonymous
Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Queen Quilt: Bear Paws in Stars - Kansas Relief Sale

Queen size quilt, 88 inches by 108, in Red and White fabrics. 

Bear Paws in StarsQuilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Hand Quilted.



Donor:  Anonymous

Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Squares Fenced - Throw Quilt Minnesota / North Dakota

Colors:  Various batik fabrics with blue/green Outside Boarder and Backing

Size:  63 inches by 43 inches

Donor:  Ladybug Quilters of Bloomington, MN

Machine Quilted






































Live Auctioned:

Date of Auction:

Four Patch Squared and then on Point. Goshen, Indiana

Colors:  Bold batiks with gold sashing and purple backing.

Size: 80 inches by 62 inches

Donor:  Ladybug Quilters

Machine Quilted

























Live Auctioned: Goshen, IN

Date of Auction:   2023

Friday, February 7, 2020

Bargello - Throw Nampa, Idaho

LJP especially thanks Valerie and Phil for this special quilt.  Yes, Val is currently addressing cancer and she finds the art of quilting brings therapy including that of a great Quilting and Faith community.  At a quilt retreat Val shared this quilt with me (Marlys) for auction at a Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale.

In shades of gray, taupe and ecru.

Quilt made, quilted and donated by Valerie Kvamme of Nisswa, Minnesota.

Size:  60 inches by 60 inches




Location of Auction:  Nampa, Idaho

Throw: Denim - 9 patch in boarders: - Idaho

Colors:  12 inch Blue Denim blocks with Floral Blocks.
           Brushed Flannel Backing in Gold plaid.

Size:  60 inches x 60 inches

Made by Marlys Wiens, Edina, MN

Machine Quilted by:  Jane Motzko, Browerville, MN



Location:  Nampa, ID

Table Topper: "Hearts in Stars" Idaho


Fabrics:  Pastels in yellow, green, pink and blue  fabrics.

Hearts in Stars Quilt originally was Auctioned for the MCC Cause from the Minnesota Mennonite Relief Sale and has been "ReGifted" additional funds for the MCC Cause  and has never been used.

Hand Quilted.

Size:  33 inches by 33 inches

Donor:  Anonymous



Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction:  

Aunt Gracie Twin Size Nampa, Idaho


Colors:   Variety of Aunt Gracie fabrics in white boarders.

Machine Quilted.

Size:  84 inches by 64  inches

Donor:  Valerie and Phil Kvamme of Nisswa, Minnesota
  (They generously donate the quilts that Val makes as therapy while in Cancer Treatment)




Information:
Live Auctioned at:  TBD
Date of Auction: