Submitted by Dianne McD.
I subscribe to the quilting publication called Quiltfolk. It’s a beautiful magazine full of photos of quilts and quilters. I especially enjoy it because there are no advertisements in the magazine. It’s issued quarterly, and each magazine focuses on one of our country’s states and the quilters that live there.
Way back in October, I got my Issue No. 24 which was all about South Dakota. Because the last three months were extraordinarily busy for me, I just recently got around to looking at it. On page 9, there was the editorial letter that was written this time by Lauren DeLuca, who is one of Quiltfolk’s writers and copy editor. On page 8, there was a photo of her standing next to a fence with a smaller quilt hanging from one of the rails.
The caption for the photo read, “Lauren DeLuca wearing her Black Hills Gold jewelry, beside her son’s baby quilt (2021), pieced by Karen Sandberg and quilted by Teresa Koster.” How great that two of our own MPS members got acknowledged in this magazine that is sent all over the country, and probably beyond! Of course, I wanted to know the story behind this quilt, so I reached out to Karen. How did a quilt that was made in Oregon show up in a magazine about South Dakota?
Lauren and her parents have deep roots in South Dakota because their ancestors settled there after immigrating to the United States. Lauren visited her grandparents there for many years.
Well, as it turns out, Lauren’s mother has been Karen’s hairdresser for a very long time–since way back when she was in beauty school. Karen says she is like a daughter to her. When she found out her hairdresser’s daughter was having (or had) a baby, Karen did what many of us do. She made a quilt for the baby. And she hired Teresa to quilt it. (You can click on the photo on the left to get a larger view where you can appreciate the piecing, quilting, and adorable baby boy sitting on top of the quilt.)
When Karen made the quilt, I’m sure she had no idea that it would someday turn up in the Quiltfolk magazine. She might not have known Lauren worked for the magazine. But making something special for others and/or occasions is what quilters do. And those quilts always touch the lives of the recipients.
The path this quilt took to show up in the 24th issue of Quiltfolk is amazing to me. When you see Karen or Teresa, be sure to congratulate them. Or you can leave a comment below. I’m sure they’ll see it.
How great to have a quilt show up in Quiltfolk! Congrats to Karen and Teresa
What a wonderful tribute to kindness of Karen to have made this and the expertise of Teresa’s quilting. Such a great honor! Congrats both of you.
So happy to see this story and call you both not only fellow quilters but dear friends.
One never knows how a quilt will touch and comfort others. Thank you Dianne for being attentive. And how nice that Karen and Teresa were acknowledged for their skill and kindness. Fun story!
What an amazing story. Such a sweet and lovely quilt with a beautifully quilted pattern. It reminds me of that adage: “ Like the ripples from a stone tossed into the pond from the water’s edge, the effects of our choices extend infinitely outward.” Go Karen, Go Teresa!
Congratulations to Karen and Teresa who both deserve this type of recognition. Thank you Dianne for sharing this story.
What a lovely story! Thanks for connecting the dots, Dianne! Karen-great baby quilt. Teresa-great quilting.