Building Quilts, Building Lives!

“Children learn more by what you ARE than what you TEACH.”

W.E.B. Du Bois

Yesterday was a day I’ve been waiting for the past year.

Of course, I have looked forward to spending this week with family, and following up our time together with all of the fun and quilty hubbub of the Minnesota Quilt Show.

But there is more – so much more to this trip.

Destination?  St. Paul and Piece by Piece.

In June of 2018 I received a letter from Carol in the mail.  The regular mail.  Hard copy.  Not email.  This let me know just how important this was going to be.  Hard copy letters just don’t happen that often any more.

Part of the letter.

Faces in photos have been obscured to protect the identity of young ladies still of minor age.

This letter has been held to the front of my fridge under a magnet for the past year and I have looked at these faces and read the words every time I opened or closed that fridge.  I was making this a destination.  I was not going to miss my chance.

in Carol’s words:

These are photos of inner city children in St. Paul, MN.  Most are in foster care.  They come twice a week to sew.  All of our machines are donated and all are old!

I thought you would enjoy these photos.  If you are ever in Minnesota, please come to meet us if you have the time. 

The program is called Piece by Piece or Institute of Learning in inner city St. Paul.  I (Carol) do most of the teaching and Granny supervises behavior. (photos of girls 18 years of age can be shown.)

Yesterday with Granny and Carol!

They have worked together at teaching these children for 15 years and going strong.

All of the machines are all metal – vintage or nearly vintage.

All of the machines have been donated, and the maintenance and care on the machines has ALSO been donated by someone happy to spend their spare time keeping the machines up and running for these girls.

I wanted to hop right in and sew on this beautiful 201!

They are making my Diamond Strings quilt from the Free Patterns tab!

I was told that Butterscotch is quite the prolific quilter! 

(Not her real name – names have been changed to protect their identity -  Carol let me know that all of these girls have come though some unimaginably  tough life experiences that no child should ever experience and are in a crisis/shelter. Quilting gives them some calm.)

Sew, Butterscotch Sew!

Oooh, Hello, beautiful 66!

I love that the girls had options -

Either to “free piece” their strings with no foundation -

Or use my favorite phone book page method!

And she is sewing on a beautiful 301!

Not only are these girls learning to quilt, but they are learning to love the beauty and function of a lovely vintage machine.  Can you feel my heart do a little happy dance?

Aunt Joy, Aunt Gail and my mama joining in!

Joy, being a new quilter, sat right down and started asking the girls questions.  I think this is a pattern that she also wants to make now that she’s seen it done!  And I think the kids got a kick out of being the TEACHER for once, instead of just the student.

A beautiful row of string piecing, ready to cut into triangles!

The hands say it all – these hands are capable of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

And they are quilting.

Granny’s current project -

These blocks were made by Granny’s daughter – a fabulous quilter.  They are left-overs from a quilt and she was just going to toss them out!  Granny snatched them from the trash and is going to use them to make bags.

The girls not only make quilts, but they have made many things that have been donated to different organizations throughout the community.  

They make mittens for the homeless out of recycled sweaters.  They make wheel chair bags and other items for those in need.  

These girls are learning to love the gift of giving as well as receiving.  It shows in their smiles, in their eyes and shines upon their countenances.  

It is a BEAUTIFUL world when we teach the children.

A bit about Granny – fascinating lady and I look forward to staying in contact!

She grew up in Mississippi along the Delta.  Her brother came up to Minnesota to go to school, and sent home pictures of the snow being taller than the cars, the sidewalks leaving a tunnel-like pathway between the street and the snow covered lawns.  She said she knew right then that she had to come up here.

She has never left! 

She learned to sew in high school, and then got a job in a clothing factory stitching at industrial machines – there has rarely been a day when she has NOT sat at a sewing machine.  

She was sitting at an industrial vintage singer – and showed us how fast and powerful it was, and all I thought was – Wow!  I could get that binding on extra fast!  And sew right through three fingers in the process!

Driving back to Maple Grove -

Not a bad shot of the city through the car window!

The cathedral I’ve driven past and remember vividly from my childhood.

I’ve never been inside yet.  Maybe next trip?

Brunch with the girls -

We are joined by cousin Marie who took great glee in telling me how she used to baby sit me and and changed my britches.  Thanks, Marie.  LOL!

It’s just been such a memorable trip.  Wonderful time with family.  Heartful of gladness for the time I was able to spend at Piece by Piece.

And today I head out to Rochester and start another week with the quilters.

Life is so very very good!

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Vintage Dresden plate quilt with dots found in Kentucky.

Pushing those boundaries keeps boring at bay!

It would have been so easy to say that we were too busy to drive all the way to St. Paul yesterday.  But I am so glad I did.  I’ll never forget it.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!