[Quick Thumbnail View] [Detailed Thumbnail View] The 2009 Quilt Gallery The 2009 Quilt Gallery has begun, with over 230 quilts now online, with pictures. These and more will be auctioned off at the sale! Donating something for the Quilt Auction? Get those quilts turned in before the deadline (April 6) to make sure your quilt is featured here! Print out your Quilt or Non-Quilt Registration Forms here.

The Quilt Auction

The Quilt Auction -- a sale favorite -- features over 250 beautiful hand made quilts, wall quilts, afghans, comforters and other quilt-related items. The quilt auction tradition is one very special way that Mennonite women and men of Kansas use their abilities to provide resources for those in need throughout our world.

Viewing of displayed quilts begins at 4pm Friday, April 17, when reserved seats for the auction also go on sale. Individuals are limited to eight reserved seat tickets. The quilt auction begins Saturday, April 18, at 8:45am, continuing into mid-afternoon in the Meadowlark Building.

A picture Quilt Gallery of the quilts is be available for viewing here.

Quilt Auction is accepting Visa and Discover cards.

Quilter's Corner

While taking in the Quilt Auction, don't forget to stop by Quilters' Corner and stock up on your quilting supplies. The booth is complete with fabrics, quilt tops, magazines and more.

Quilters' Corner, located in the Meadowlark Building, generated over $13,857.13 in donations last year.

Items being offered include finished and unfinished tops, quilt blocks, old or damaged quilts, and linens (such as dresser scarves, pillowcases, tablecloths, chenille bedspreads, doilies, potholders, aprons, and cloth sacks). Also available are quilters' equipment, quilt books, magazines, buttons, wooden spools, patterns, and fabric (including denim, corduroy, flannel and wool).

Quilter's Corner would welcome your donated quilt related items throughout the year. The used/unused/unfinished items no longer needed in your quilt/sewing or linen closet can be used to feed the hungry.

Donations of quilt-related items are accepted at participating Mennonite Church, or to the MCC Central States office, 121 E. 30th St., North Newton, prior to the sale. For more information contact Rachel Easter, 620-327-3069 (measter@cox.net) or Trish Brenneman, 620-327-4700 (jbrenneman@cox.net).

Can you volunteer to help run the booth? A Quilter's Corner Volunteer Form is here, and includes contact information at the bottom for the Quilter's Corner Committee.

MCC Quilt projects generate funds and awareness for MCC programs

Over the past several year's, special quilts were created to travel to North American Relief Sales to help generate funds and raise awareness for various Mennonite Central Committee programs.

The quilt block project started in 2009 is the "Basket Block" to help feed the millions around the world who do not have enough to eat. Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church Children's Midweek accepted the challenge and created a "Basket Block" quilt for the 41st Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale. According to Susan Nafziger and Megan Duerksen, Alexanderwohl Children's Midweek Coordinators, each child in grades 1-6 designed a quilt block with a picture of food on it. The hand-drawn pictures ranged from a loaf of bread to watermelon to cake. All of these blocks were sewn together and then tied into a comforter.

The comforter is scheduled to appear at the General Auction to garner donations to enable MCC to respond quickly to requests for food where needed most and to help many produce their own food. After appearing at the General Auction, it will be auctioned at the Quilt Auction on Saturday, April 18.

Other quilt block projects include:

• The Good Shepherd Quilt, $23,000 for MCC children's programs
• 2006 Heart Block Quilt, $70,000 for MCC Global Family
• 2008 House Block quilt, $112,540 to rebuild homes in Bangladesh.

Quilt auction featured in the March 2009 Country Women magazine

The Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale Quilt auction is featured in the March 2009 Country Woman magazine published by Reiman Publications.

Becky Blough, KMRS publicity chair, was contacted by the magazine prior to the 2008 sale about the possibility of featuring the sale and the quilt auction in an issue of Country Woman. Ruth Vogt and Pat Miller, co-chairs of the Quilt Committee, answered a list of around 40 questions about the sale and auction. The answers along with pictures from the 2008 sale were submitted to the magazine shortly after the sale. Vogt received confirmation in June of 2008 that an article about the sale was schedule for publication in early 2009.

"We are so grateful to Country Woman for introducing our Relief Sale Quilt Auction to their readership here in the United States and also in Canada," said Blough. "It is such an honor."