Pictured during an afternoon of quilt tying are, from left to right, Joyce Rolf, Karen Vette, Mary Strauch, Nancy Ohrt, Mary Ann Ohrt, Carol Sundermann, Julia Snyder and Maddie Sundermann. (Photo by B. Clinkingbeard)
By Beverly Clinkingbeard
No one quite remembers when Sew Day began or why, but it is an ongoing ministry of the ladies (men occasionally give good help) of the Lutheran Church Women (LCW) of St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Westboro, Missouri. It is a congregation (dedicated July 4, 1886) in the heart of farm country. The founders were farmers from Germany and today rest in the cemetery of the church yard as their great or great-great-grandchildren carry on the ministry of St. John’s. There is a deep love for their farms and community.
Maybe Sew Day at St. John’s began with an orphanage ministry of the Lutherans. Not only was there food to grow and preserve for the orphanage, but quilts to make. There were two World Wars, refugees, famine and other world disasters that left people’s lives in shambles. The ladies made quilts well – knowing it is difficult to sleep unless warm or with a soft surface. The canning of food ceased, but quilt making continued.
To prepare for Sew Day, those who sew pre-fabricate quilt tops at home and twice a year – February and August – two days are set aside for assembly. A backer, a filler, and the top are pinned and ready for hemming on the sewing machine. Next, the quilt joins the pile for tying. That is a slower process and what doesn’t get tied on Sew Day is tied following the monthly LCW Bible study or tied at home.
As the quilts are tied, they are placed in an empty apple box (thank you to local grocery) – seven quilts to a box. This year, there are 17 boxes. Once a year, a truck comes to an appointed area and the Sew Day boxes join other quilt-makers’ quilts for a trip to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) warehouse for global distribution. There are also quilts set aside for homeless shelters, for women and children needs, tornado, home fire and uninvited misfortunes locally.
It is open invitation for Sew Day. The need to know how to sew is not a requirement. Sometimes grandchildren, nieces or nephews come to help. When they are bored of pulling pins, carrying quilts to the next work station, or other errands, they can play with toys and read books in the Sunday school rooms or play on the playground. Volunteers are free to “come as time permits and go when they need.”
Yes, Sew Day involves more than one day and probably should be plural, Sew Days. But “Sew Day” it is and a church tradition that has now moved through generations. As in days of old, the quilts are stitched with love and well-being for the recipients wherever and whoever they are.
Sew Day 2023 is Wednesday, August 2, and Thursday, August 3, at 9:00 a.m. or when you arrive. All are welcome at St. John’s Lutheran Church, located at 22186 State Highway B, Westboro. For more information, call 660-984-5572.
