Over two thousand years ago, a young couple was getting ready for their life to be turned upside down. The birth of their God-given son was imminent. On the road to an unfamiliar place with a deranged King hunting them, life was not easy. No family to help, no room for them in local hotels, nothing but what they could carry on their donkey. In their own season of Advent, they had to get ready. On a cold winter’s night, Jesus was born, and his mother wrapped him snuggly with strips of cloth tied together. But let’s face reality, it was not an ideal birthing experience.
God At Work
For over 50 years, a dedicated group of women have been sewing bits of cloth together into warm, cozy quilts. For decades, the quilts have been donated to LeSueur County families. If Jesus had been born in rural New Prague, there’s no doubt his family would have received one of these quilts before he was born. Mostly likely sewn by the Holy Trinity Sewing Group and hand-delivered by Holy Trinity’s Santa Anonymous Angel, LuAnn Leach.
LuAnn is instrumental in bridging the gap between Holy Trinity and Le Sueur County families with her years of service to Santa Anonymous. (Read “More Than Just A Tree” to learn more.) Years ago, God was at work as LuAnn and Carol Fehler crossed paths at the Holy Trinity Christmas Tea. Carol inquired if LuAnn could help get the quilts to families who need them. This year, LuAnn collected 25 quilts from the Holy Trinity Sewing Group, and 50 fleece blankets created by members of Holy Trinity. LuAnn and Carol make quite the team as LuAnn replies, “Carol introduced me to another quilt group, New Prague Prairie Quilters Club, and they donated 25 quilts to Santa Anonymous. My car is packed with quilts!”
Over the years, LuAnn has heard countless stories from parents who without Santa Anonymous, would not have had presents under their tree. One of her favorite stories is from a mom of three teenage sons who wrote a thank you about her sons’ favorite gift.
A quilt. Yes, even teenage boys appreciate quilts made with love.
A quilt. Yes, even teenage boys appreciate quilts made with love.
Due to the pandemic, quilters were not meeting and in 2020, the Santa Anonymous program limited quilts to one per family. This year, the Santa Anonymous program is serving 228 family units. Le Sueur County Santa Anonymous Coordinator Cindy W. reports that the Santa Anonymous program is 100% volunteer run and she is thankful for not only the volunteers like LuAnn, but also all of the area churches that make quilts and blankets for families at Christmas. “This year, every child who wants a blanket or quilt is able to receive one,” Cindy reports.
Traditions Don’t Fade
Ironically, only two members of the Sewing Group are members of Holy Trinity. “We have three Carols, a Lois and a Julie,” laughs Sewing Group coordinator, Carol Fehler. “Only Lois [Newman] and I are actual members.”
Lois recalls, “My husband, Lennie, and I joined Holy Trinity soon after the church moved to its current building [in 1978]. The sewing group existed, and I started sewing with the group soon after becoming a member.”
Old Holy Trinity Church directories show remnants of past members and events, such as the Used-A-Bit Sale and Antique Show with Carol’s familiar face as the common thread. Together with Lois and fellow Sewing Group members Carol Janish, Carol Jones and Julie Latzke, they meet for two hours twice a month to create quilts with donated fabric. Carol F. cuts fabric into 5” squares in her home and returns them to the next meeting. Carol Janish also works on the quilts outside of the Sewing Group meetings. Carol Fehler admires Carol Janish’s ability to piece random squares into beautiful patterns. “She has such an eye for color! I could never do that part,” Carol F. states. Carol Janish brings the completed quilt top to the meeting, and other members take it from there. Each member has their role, and they make as many quilts as possible. Lois states, “We never know how many quilts we’ll make in a year. There’s never a set goal. We just make as many as we can do.”
When asked why she quilts, Carol answers “because people need them. It’s always been a tradition at Holy Trinity.” In fact, Carol not only sews with the Sewing Group at Holy Trinity, she sews with the Prairie Quilters based out of Friedens Lutheran Church once a month, and recently started attending a group that meets at the Prior Lake Library once a week. “It’s fun to get together with people and do your various crafts.” Carol is excited that the annual Prairie Quilters Club Quilt Show will be at Holy Trinity in April. “The entire church will be filled with quilts. Some of them are so beautiful they look like works of art!” she exclaims.
As both Carol and Lois explain, as they get older, they can’t move like they did as younger quilters. Lois chuckles at a small wall hanging in the Holy Trinity quilt closet, “Old quilters never die. They just go to pieces.” Arthritic fingers and spines make quilting difficult, no matter how much they enjoy it. “There’s only five of us left”, Lois explains. “At some point, someone else has to take over.”
Faithfully, the Sewing Group keeps the tradition going and gets ready for another year of sewing donated scraps of fabric into beautiful quilts fit for a King. The Holy Trinity Sewing Group invites anyone interested in learning to quilt to their meetings on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month at 9 am. No skill necessary! Fabric donations are always appreciated.Thank you, Holy Trinity Sewing Group, for working behind the scenes to share God’s love for all people from one generation to the next!
Written by Karen Taylor, HTLC Communications Manager
November 22, 2022
