The Kickstarter.com project is officially launched

     Check out kickstarter.com to see The Friendship Quilt.  This is very exciting.  I am telling anyone and everyone about this, please do the same.  The sooner I can get to this on a full-time basis, the sooner it will be completed.  The more people that get a chance to help, the better.

Kickstarter.com

  I am working on getting some funding so that I can work on The Friendship Quilt full-time.  The project will go on kickstarter.com as soon as I finish making a short video for the project's profile.  This site helps artists, writers, etc. get funding by getting the word out about their project.  The people who help to fund the projects are just like you and me.  Those who donate funds can also get rewards for helping to fund a project.  The rewards are a thank you for the backers.  The Friendship Quilt is not there yet, but will be in the next week or so.  I'll keep you posted.  You can check out the other projects and become acquainted with kickstarter.com in the meantime.

Virginia Bretl : Found

     I got a letter from Virginia (Bretl) Reed.  I am so excited to write back to her.  She lives in California.  Does that mean a trip for me?  Wouldn't that be awesome?  It would be great to meet her face to face.  We'll see, it could just happen.

New Information

     I recently received some new information for the project.  It turns out that there is at least one member of the group who is still living, Virginia Bretl.  She lives in California, and I can't wait to correspond with her.  Please keep the information coming.  I love hearing from you. Remember, you can post your comments on here too.

Lots of Research to do

     I am starting to write about a couple of our quilters.  I have received some great information, but I still have a long way to go.  There are still quite a few quilters I haven't heard anything about.  I have a lot of research to do and I'm excited about it.  I have some follow-up to do and I have a couple of people on my list to talk to.  Keep spreading the word.

Harriet Perry

     I am getting some wonderful information about the quilters.  Keep it coming!
     I found out that Harriet Perry Gehrke had the nickname "Hab," and that everyone went to "Thanksgiving at Aunt Hab's."

Church Bulletin Insert

     I have been conversing, via email, with the bulletin creators at my church, Holy Name of Mary in Maplewood, WI.  They have given me permission to write an insert for the church bulletin.  I hope that I am able to reach a few more family members. There are a lot of Catholic churches in the immediate area, and there are a few Lutheran churches too.  The insert should be in the bulletin this coming weekend.
    

Snail Mail Questionnaires

     I sent out three more questionnaires, by snail mail.  Some are having a hard time printing the questionnaire off of the website.  If you are having trouble, email me and I will gladly send you the questionnaire in the mail.  I am trying to figure out what the problem is so that I can make it easier. Any ideas?  Let me know.
     It is so great to hear from family members.  Everyone who has contacted me has been very helpful. I am enjoying the stories and can't wait to hear more.  I am working on a family tree since, it seems that, a lot of these ladies are related.  Keep the information coming, and come back to visit the site again.  I hope to be adding more information soon.  You can add comments in the comments section below each post.  I would love to hear from you.

Ione Schmitz

    I received information from Dianne Cavender, daughter of Ione (Schmitz) Payette.  Unfortunately, Ione passed away in 2008, but the information I received is wonderful.  Dianne informed me that she will be asking her siblings to send stories to me.  It turns out that Ione, Carol, and Doris Schmitz are sisters, and Helen Rose is their Aunt.  Dianne had not heard of the quilt until a cousin sent her a copy of the article I wrote for the Door County Advocate.  Upon reading her letter, I realized that this is going to be an emotional journey for those who are sharing their stories and for me as well.  I am hoping that I will be able to find at least one of these twenty- four ladies who is still with us.  It seems that I have missed some of them by two years or less.
     I have adjusted the form on the 'questionnaire' tab.  It was not printing well, I think I have it fixed now.  Remember to keep visiting, I will update the site as I receive new information.

Getting the Word Out

     The site is up and running.  I will add to it as items come in.  Right now I'm focusing on letting people know that this site is here.  I am hoping that once people start finding this site, they will help to spread the word too. If you know of someone who is not exactly computer savvy or doesn't have access please give them my information.  I would love to be swamped with vitals and stories, and I don't want any of the ladies left out.  I know that there are some wonderful stories, just waiting to be told.  I have a few more pictures to download onto the pictures page.  Right now there are pictures of the individual quilt squares and a picture of the whole quilt as well.  Keep checking back, there will be more to see as this adventure progresses.

The Friendship Quilt

     In the fall of 2010, the Forestville, (Wisconsin) library received a very special gift.  A quilt top was found by Marge Miller of Portage, Wisconsin.  The quilt was very unique and she new she had found a treasure.  She sent the quilt top to our local library so it could be displayed in the place where it was made.  After all this time, the quilt found it's way home.  I was lucky enough to be contacted with this information, and wrote an article for our local paper, The Door County Advocate.  While writing this article, I realized that this was much more than a quilt.  I imagined that there must be many wonderful stories about the ladies who created it.  I also wanted to know more about the quilt itself.  Why was it made, are there others, and why wasn't it finished?  I decided to write a book about the quilters and the quilt.  This will take a lot of research and I can't wait to get started.  The ladies names are listed, and I will be adding lots of pictures.  If you, or someone you know knows anything about this quilt or any of the quilters, please forward them to this site.  I can't wait to hear all the stories and to find out about the rich history surrounding this quilt. Visit the site often to see how this project progresses.