Second Sat. Sampler - Women of Faith and Courage

Block 4 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver

This information is taken from an article at the John Fitzpatrick Kennedy Historical Site.

Eunice Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on July 10, 1921, the fifth child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. Although underweight, frail, and susceptible to illness as a child, Eunice displayed great energy that was rivaled only by her intelligence and precocious nature. Mrs. Kennedy recalled her daughter’s “highly conscientious demeanor” and noted that Eunice mimicked her older brothers, acting as a leader among her younger siblings. Considered by her mother to be the most sensitive, religiously devout, and mature of the Kennedy children, Eunice developed a particularly close bond with her older sister, Rosemary, who had intellectual disabilities. This connection helped foster a lifelong dedication to empowering those who may have otherwise been marginalized by society. Through her work in politics, government, and social activism, Eunice Kennedy Shriver improved the lives of millions of people around the world.

Political Involvement

Born in 1921, the year after women first received the right to vote in federal elections, Eunice Kennedy Shriver never ran for political office. However, she took on pivotal roles in the campaigns of her brothers John, Robert, and Edward, and husband, Sargent – much as her mother had done with her own father and sons.

Eunice, and the rest of the Kennedy family, recruited and coordinated volunteer hostesses for the tea parties crucial to John’s 1952 senate campaign. Eunice also organized an elegant reception for 1,500 Irish Catholics to enlist their support, days before the upcoming election. In later campaigns for her brothers and husband, Eunice spent months traveling the country to deliver speeches at luncheons, retirement homes, colleges, fundraisers, and on radio and television programs. The hectic pace of the campaign suited Eunice’s acutely competitive drive. Eunice, who had been competing athletically since her youth, recalled, “I was twenty-four before I knew I didn’t have to win something every day.” After John’s successful 1960 campaign for the presidency, Eunice required hospitalization for fatigue and exhaustion, prompting her mother to write “I have known few people in the world to match her for initiative and energy and drive. […] She [Eunice] thinks I have a lot of energy, but she amazes me.” Around this time, Eunice was diagnosed with Addison’s disease.

Service and Activism

In 1946, Eunice began work as the executive secretary to the Juvenile Delinquency Committee at the Department of Justice. There, she demonstrated strong compassion for underprivileged youth. She created policy to prevent teenagers from dropping out of high school by teaching them trades and vocational skills. Later, she worked as a social worker at a women’s prison in North Carolina. She then joined her sisters Patricia and Jean in Chicago, where she worked with survivors of sexual abuse and teenage mothers who were under the care of the state. During those years, Eunice attended graduate school for social work at the University of Chicago and also met Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. , whom she married in 1953.

In 1958, Eunice and Sargent traveled across the country to meet leading philanthropists, researchers, and academics in an effort to improve the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which was established in memory of Eunice’s oldest brother, Joe Jr., who was killed in WWII. With Rosemary in mind, Eunice eventually decided that the foundation should shift its focus to concentrate on funding research for children with intellectual disabilities. She spearheaded many of its initiatives over the decades that followed. During the Kennedy Administration, Eunice lobbied her older brother and his advisers to create a national committee on intellectual disabilities. She also suggested developing an organization similar to a domestic version of the Peace Corps to help those most in need. When her husband served as the ambassador to France from 1968-1970, Eunice taught a weekly class to 140 intellectually disabled children in Paris as part of an effort to educate the French citizenry about intellectual disabilities and compel its leaders to take action.

The Special Olympics

In 1961, Eunice started a summer camp for children with intellectual disabilities on the lawn of her Maryland estate. One year later, she decided that the Kennedy family should publicly acknowledge Rosemary’s condition for the first time, leading Eunice to write an essay in the Saturday Evening Post, a very popular weekly magazine. Though the wording of this article is now outdated, the article was an important contribution to disability literature. She addressed the prejudices of the general public surrounding people with intellectual disabilities and urged funding for medical research, job training, and group homes. Eunice wrote, “Like diabetes, deafness, polio, or any other misfortune, [intellectual disabilities] can happen in any family. It has happened in the families of the poor and rich, of governors, senators, Nobel prizewinners, doctors, lawyers, writers, men of genius, presidents of corporations – the President of the United States.”

Through Eunice’s encouragement and the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation’s funding, the first Special Olympics were held in 1968 at Chicago’s Soldier Field and hosted 1,000 athletes from 26 states and Canada. Today, the Special Olympics furthers Eunice’s mission of empowering those with intellectual disabilities and fostering competitiveness and athleticism on a worldwide scale. In 2019, nearly 115,000 Special Olympics sports competitions were hosted around the world, with more than 5.7 million athletes from 200 countries.

In recognition of her tireless efforts to improve and enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, Eunice was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and received a papal knighthood from Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. She died on August 11, 2009 at the age of 88.  

"You are the stars and the world is watching you. By your presence you send a message to every village, every city, every nation. A message of hope. A message of victory: "The right to play on any playing field? You have earned it. The right to study in any school? You have earned it. The right to hold a job? You have earned it. The right to be anyone's neighbor? You have earned it." The days of segregation and separation are over!"
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Charge to the Athletes at the Opening Ceremonies of the International Summer Special Olympics Games, South Bend, Indiana, August 2, 1987

For this block you will need:

3) 4" red squares

2) 4" brown squares

5) 4" background squares

6) 3 1/2" background squares

Draw a diagonal line on the back of each of the 4" background squares.  

Match one of these with the 4" red and 4" brown squares making sure the outside edges are aligned and the right sides are together.

Sew 1/4 inch on both sides of the drawn line.

Cut on the line.  

Square the blocks to measure 3 1/2 inches. Trim the excess points of the seams and press.

Refer to the photo below to arrange the half- square triangle patches to complete the block.

We are cutting finishing kits for the quilt. The kits are priced at $69.95 and will include everything to complete the quilt top and the binding.  

July Mystery Quilt

 The July mystery kits are ready.  We added borders which will be  available while supplies last.

This pattern uses the 2 1/2 inch strips really well.  There is hardly any waste so cut carefully.

We will be using fabric from the "Nicholas" collection for Riley Blake Designs to complete the August mystery quilt. It's has a great vintage vibe.

You can never have too many Christmas Quilts - spread the cheer!

Have a great holiday weekend.  We will be closing at noon on Saturday to attend a family reunion.  We will also be closed on Monday to celebrate the holiday.

Second Sat. Sampler - Women of faith and courage

 Block 3 -Harriet Tubman

I would guess that many of you are aware of the story of the underground railroad and the role that different quilt designs played in identifying the safe houses along the way. With that in mind, we have decided to highlight Harriet Tubman for block three of Women of Faith and Courage.

Wikipedia states:

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known collectively as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.

Born into slavery in Dorchester county, Maryland,Tubman was beaten and whipped by various enslavers as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate overseer threw a heavy metal weight, intending to hit another slave, but hit her instead. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she ascribed to premonitions from God. These experiences, combined with her Methodist upbringing, led her to become devoutly religious.

In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger". After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide escapees farther north into Canada, and helped newly freed people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She was active in the women's suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier. She became an icon of courage and freedom.

The first time she crossed the state line into Pennsylvania she described a feeling of relief and awe. She recalled the experience years later, saying,

"When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven."

Harriet once said "There was one of two things I had a right to - liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other".

For this block you will need:

1) 6-inch pink print square
1) 6-inch background square
1) 2 1/2 x 30-inch background strip
1) 2 1/2 x 10-inch blue strip
1) 4 1/2 -inch brown print square
1) 4 1/2 x 22-inch red print strip

Draw two diagonal lines (an X) on the back of the 6-inch background square.  Place this with the 6-inch pink square, making sure the right sides are together and the outside edges are aligned.  Sew 1/4 inch on both sides of the drawn lines.  Cut on the lines and through the center vertically and horizontally.  Square the resulting half-square triangles to measure 2 1/2 inches. Clip the excess seams and press toward the pink.

Cut 4) 2 1/2 inch squares from the blue strip.

Cut 12) 2 1/2 inch squares from the 2 1/2 inch background strip. Draw a diagonal line on the back of eight of these squares.

Use four 2 1/2 inch background squares, a blue square and 2) half-square triangle squares to create the unit shown below. (Create 4.)

Cut 4) 4 1/2 inch squares from the red strip.

Place a 2 1/2 inch background square on a corner of a 4 1/2 inch red square making sure the right sides are together and the outside edges are aligned. The drawn line should run edge to edge of the red square.

Sew on the drawn line.  Trim 1/4 inch from the sewn line.  Repeat on another corner to create the unit shown below. (Create 4.)

Assemble the components to create the block as pictured below.

We have begun cutting finishing kits. We plan to have some available by the end of next week.  The finishing kits will be $69.95.  They will include all the fabric to finish the top as well as the binding.

Happy Sewing!

June mystery quilt

 It's time for the June mystery quilt.  So sorry we were not able to accept all of the requests for this one.

We did the sample quilt from the "Ride the Range" collection.  Oh my stars, we are so happy with the way it turned out.

Hope you love it!

We will be using Jelly Rolls from the Mon Cheri collection by Lila Tueller for Riley Blake Designs for the July Mystery Quilt.  Sign up soon.

We will be closed July 3rd & 4th to spend time with the family for the holiday.

Thanks so much for your support!

Happy Quilting

Second Sat. Sampler - Women of Faith and Courage

 Block Two - Corrie ten Boom

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna “Corrie” ten Boom was born April 15, 1892, in Harrlem, Netherlands. She was the youngest child of Casper ten Boom and Johanna Arnolda nee Luitingh. Her father was a watchmaker. Corrie participated in the family business and became a watchmaker herself. In fact, in 1922 she became the first woman to be licensed as a watchmaker in the Netherlands. She lived courageously as she sought to better the lives of so many at the peril of losing her own.

 

The following information is cited from Wikipedia

Corrie and her family were Calvinist Christians in the Dutch Reformed Church, and their faith inspired them to serve their society, which they did by offering shelter, food and money to those who were in need. Some important tenets of their faith included the fact that the Jews were precious to God and that all people are created equal – powerful motivation for the selfless rescue work she would later become involved in.

Corrie and her sister Betsie opened their home to Jewish refugees and members of the resistance movement, and as a result, they were sought after by the Gestapo and its Dutch counterpart. The refugee work which ten Boom and her sister did became known by the Dutch Resistance, which sent an architect to the ten Boom home to build a secret room for the Jews who were in hiding. Thus the Ten Booms created "The Hiding Place". The secret room was in Corrie's bedroom behind a false wall and would hold 6 people. A ventilation system was installed for the occupants. A buzzer could be heard in the house to warn the refugees to get into the room as quickly as possible during security sweeps through the neighborhood. 

Corrie soon became part of the Dutch underground resistance and oversaw a network of smuggling Jews to safe places. All in all, it is estimated that around 800 Jews were saved by Ten Boom's efforts.

On 28 February 1944, a Dutch informant told the Nazis about the ten Booms' work, and the Nazis arrested the entire Ten Boom family. They were sent to Scheveningen Prison when Resistance materials and extra ration cards were found at the home.

Though the Gestapo soon released most of the 30 people they had captured that day, Corrie, Betsie, and their father Casper were held in prison. Casper died ten days later.

Corrie and Betsie were sent from Scheveningen to Herzogenbusch, a political concentration camp (also known as Kamp Vught), and finally to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, a women's labor camp in Germany. There, they held worship services after the hard days at work by using a Bible that they had managed to smuggle in.  While they were imprisoned at Ravensbruck, Betsie and her sister began to discuss plans for founding a place of healing after the war. Betsie's health continued to deteriorate, and she died on 16 December 1944 at the age of 59. Before she died, she told Corrie, "There is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still." Twelve days later, Corrie was released. Afterward, she was told that her release was because of a clerical error and that a week later, all the women in her age group were sent to the gas chambers.

After the war, Ten Boom returned to the Netherlands to set up a rehabilitation center in Bloemendaal. She returned to Germany in 1946 and met with and forgave two Germans who had been employed at Ravensbrück, one of whom had been particularly cruel to Betsie. Ten Boom went on to travel the world as a public speaker, appearing in more than 60 countries. She authored many books during this period.

Ten Boom told the story of her family members and their World War II work in her bestselling book, The Hiding Place.  In 1977, the 85-year-old Corrie migrated to Placentia, California. In 1978, she suffered two strokes, the first rendered her unable to speak, and the second resulted in paralysis. She died on her 91st birthday, 15 April 1983, after suffering a third stroke. Ten Boom was buried in Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California.

"The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation."  

Corrie ten Boom

For this block you will need:

2) 5 1/2" background squares
2) 5 1/2" brown floral squares
1) 4 1/2" blue print square
1) 2 1/2 x 21" background
1) 2 1/2 x 21" blue print  

Sewing:

Four patch units

Sew the 2 1/2" blue and background strips together along the length of the strips.  

Press toward the blue print.

Cut 8) 2 1/2" sections from this strip. Sew in sets of 2 to create 4) 4-patch units.

Quarter-square triangle units

Draw a diagonal line on the back of both 5 1/2" background squares.

Place each one with a 5 1/2" brown print square making sure the right sides are together and the outside edges are aligned.

Sew 1/4 inch on each side of the drawn line.

Cut on the line and press toward the brown.

Place two half-square triangles together making sure the right sides are together, the seams run parallel, and the outside edges are aligned as much as possible.  (Make sure the brown and the background fabrics are facing each other.)

Draw a diagonal line perpendicular to the the seams.

Sew 1/4 inch on each side of the drawn line.

Cut on the line.  Square to 4 1/2 inches and press.

Refer to the photo below to arrange the components to complete the block.

Happy quilting!

May mystery quilt

 The May mystery is done and the kits are ready.

We put this one through the "wash and dry" cycle to complete the vintage crinkled look.  Love the way it turned out. 

The June mystery will use fat quarter bundles.  You can choose from  "Ride the Range" or "Big game".

Call us at 801-465-9133 to reserve a spot.

Thanks!

Second Sat. Sampler - Women of Faith and Courage

We are excited to begin another quilting journey with you.  Thanks so much for participating.  As we were considering this year's sampler quilt Becky couldn't get the idea of Women of Faith and Courage out of her mind.  She finally went with the idea and began designing the quilt.  

The women whose stories inspire this quilt display exceptional traits.  They are wise, dependable, thrifty, energetic and unselfish.  They are faithful wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.  The commonality they all share is their faith and courage.  

The women we have chosen to highlight are a small sampling of the many women whose examples are meaningful to us.  There are sure to be many others who may be more significant to you and your circumstances.  Please feel free to honor those who have the most influence for you personally.

Our hope is to have a meaningful quilting experience as we enjoy learning about the contributions of women who have made all of our lives more purposeful and inspiring.  

Let the journey begin!

Block One - Martha Washington

Martha Dandridge Curtis Washington was born June 2, 1731 on Chestnut Grove plantation in New Kent County, Virginia.  She was the oldest of eight children.  She was not formally educated but learned housekeeping, religion, music, dancing, needlework (including quilting) as well as reading and writing.  

Religion played an important role throughout her life.  She spent an hour a day reading the Bible and praying.  

She was first married to Daniel Parke Curtis.  They had four children, two of which lived past age 5.  At age 26, she was left a very wealthy widow with two small children.  

Martha married George Washington January 6, 1759.  They had no children together but continued to raise her two children and several nieces, nephews and grand children.

When George Washington became commander of the American Military forces, Martha spent time in the military camps with George, risking the possibility of being kidnapped and even killed by British forces during the war.

During the war, Martha copied letters, knitted socks for soldiers, visited hospitals and helped assemble a group of women to raise money to buy shirts and other supplies for the soldiers.  

She became the first First Lady when George became president of the United States April 30, 1789.  

George died December 14, 1799, leaving Martha a widow once again.  

Martha is recognized for her bravery with which she met the deaths of all of her children and two husbands.  She is an example of personal courage in the harsh days of revolution and a fragile new nation.

Martha died of a severe fever May 22, 1802 at Mount Vernon Virginia.

For this block you will need:

2) 6" blue squares
2) 6" background squares
2) 3" x 6" blue rectangle
2) 3" x 6" blue floral rectangles
2) 3" x 6" background rectangles
1) 2 1/2 " x 21" background strip

Draw two diagonal lines on the back of both 6" background squares.

Match these with the 6" blue squares making sure the right sides are together and the outside edges are aligned.  Sew 1/4 on both sides of the drawn lines.

 

Cut the squares in half - vertically and horizontally, as well as on the diagonal lines.  This will yield eight half-square triangles from each set.

Trim each half-square triangle to 2 1/2 inches. We find the Quilt in a Day square up ruler a very helpful tool for this step.  

Trim the points at the end of the seams to eliminate bulk.

Press open.

Repeat with the other set of 6" blue and background to create a total of 16 half-square triangles.

Match a 3" x 6" background rectangle with a 3" x 6" blue rectangle.  Draw two diagonal lines from the bottom center to the top corners.  

Sew 1/4 inch on both sides of the drawn lines.  

Cut the rectangles in half vertically and on the diagonal lines.  This will yield four half-square triangles.  Trim the half square triangles to measure 2 1/2 inches and trim the excess points.

Repeat this process matching a blue floral rectangle with the dark blue rectangle. 

The final set will match a blue floral rectangle with a background rectangle.

Cut 8) 2 1/2" squares from the 2 1/2" background strip.

You are now ready to assemble the block.  Refer to the block photo below as a placement guide.

Happy quilting!