Placing of the finished blocks. From left back: Millissa Masters, Linda Labenz, Cathy Howell and Jean Fry; Seated: Cindy Santoro, Donna Wiznowski. From back right: Linda Shaver, Erma Taylor, Jackie Droncheff, Shirley Cushing and Jan Johnson; Seated Edna DeFord
Millissa Masters
By working on this project PCQ also honor all of our veterans who have served our country. This is the story of how this project began.
Last September this project was brought to us by one of our PCQ members, Jan Johnson; the Kansas City Star Newspaper 2014 Block of the Month Quilt which honors those who served in WWI. The quilt, Where Poppies Grow, was inspired by the preserved correspondence and photos of Almo O’Kell, a WWI patriot who died January 12, 1919 in Koblenz, Germany. This correspondence tells a rich history of Almo’s duty as a medic with Field Hospital No. 3 and the First Division under General John J. Pershing. The quilt Where Poppies Grow—Remembering Almo, was designed by Almo’s great granddaughter Danniele Bohannon of Mary Quilt Design and Janice Britz of Bee Merry Farms in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Great War.
As part of the centennial observance of the start of World War I, The Kansas City Star and the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City are offering an opportunity for quilters from around the nation to submit completed versions of Where Poppies Grow—Remembering Almo. Accepted entries will go on exhibit at the museum in June 2015.
Well, the PC Quilters got excited about the challenge of choosing the right fabrics, the precise piecing of the twelve blocks and borders, accurately appliquéing the many leaves, star and shield to each block and the quilting that would turn this design into a PCQ interpretation of this memorable quilt. This project took 24 quilters three months and 60 hours on the long arm in the Fiber Arts Room to complete. Our talented PCQ ladies who helped bring this project to fruition are Pan Branfuhr, Jonnie Chandler, Donna Cousino, Shirley Cushing, Edna DeFord, Jackie Droncheff, Jean Fry, Cathy Howell, Nancy Hoth, Diane Johnson, Heidi Johnson, Jan Johnson, Linda Labenz, Kim Lagerstrom, Millissa Masters, Helen Phillips, Cindy Santoro, Margaret Sharp, Linda Shaver, Michele Smith, Sherry Southgate, Erma Taylor, Rosemary Vanasco, Carol Vandervort, Nancy Wilson, Carol Winston and Donna Wisnoski.
After many months of both serious and humorous stitching we presented a beautiful, completed quilt at our PCQ Spring Luncheon. We have submitted the quilt to the National WWI Museum to hopefully be accepted for their June 2015 exhibit.