KC Cares: Sewing solidarity

Pioneer Women Quilting has a storefront at 206 S. 5th St. in Leavenworth. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

In a bright storefront in downtown Leavenworth, Pioneer Women Quilting is working to help stitch the community together. The basic idea? Take donated fabric and make it into beautiful and useful works of art that keep people warm.

Pat Crowson and Karen Auxier got it started about two years ago, but everyone in their group has been sewing much longer than that.
Most of the fabric in their store comes in via donations, but they never know what they’re going to get. Sometimes, it’s pretty slow. Other times, someone might stop by with 80 pounds of material.

Crowson and Auxier have pitched in some of their own money to buy plainer fabrics to pair with the patterned ones people often donate, so the patchwork will come together nicely in the quilts.

Volunteer Sheila Eye shows off one of the quilts for sale at Pioneer Women Quilting. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

Even during the slower times, they’re always working on quilts with the two longarm quilting machines in the shop. The quilts they make come in all different proportions, from lap-sized, to some that would cover a queen-size bed.

Sometimes people even bring in partially completed quilts to donate. Pioneer Women Quilting volunteers are able to finish those and either sell or donate finished pieces.

And if you’re not a quilter, you can also commission them to make a quilt for a fee. Across the board from commissioned, sold, and donated quilts, they’ll make about 200 of them in a year.

Although their focus is on quilting, they’ll take donations for related items such as buttons, patterns, embroidery floss, or yarn. What doesn’t become part of their quilts goes onto their shop floor to sell at steep discounts, which helps keep the lights on.

Volunteers Chris White and Pat Crowson look at some donated fabric together at Pioneer Women Quilting in Leavenworth. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

They’ll even take gently used sewing machines. Periodically, they have someone come in who can service sewing machines so that people don’t have to bring their machines too far for repairs.

When they receive certain fabrics or other items they can’t use, they share those with others in the community. That can be folks who make sleeping bags for homeless people or the local high school’s sewing and theater classes.

Their community connection doesn’t stop there. Their lap quilts go to local nursing homes, receiving blankets to the Sparrow Women’s Clinic, and Christmas stockings to Meals on Wheels recipients via the Council on Aging.

Although she doesn’t usually meet people who receive the donated quilts, volunteer Sheila Eye enjoys just knowing the group has made a difference.

“I feel like it’s a huge impact. You plant a seed, but you don’t always see the tree grow or bloom to bear fruit,” Eye says.

Pioneer Women Quilting has a storefront at 206 S. 5th St. in Leavenworth. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

They’ve partnered with 11Worth Station BrewHouse numerous times by donating completed quilts to auction off in support of various other groups, such as dementia charity The Deeper Window Association.

“I really think that we’re not just a brick-and-mortar store. In the last nine months, we have really branched out into the community by way of these other organizations. So everybody’s working together. It’s pretty cool,” Eye says. “I’ve been in town almost 20 years, and this is the most excited I’ve been about a community working together and coming together for the good of all.”

That spirit extends to the two commercial quilt shops in Leavenworth, too.

“Sometimes, quilt shops butt heads, but we do not. We work as a team,” Auxier says.

They often refer customers to each other, depending on what the person needs.

It’s not all serious business. Having a fun atmosphere in addition to doing something they love, has kept many of the volunteers returning.

“I come here for the adult conversation, because I live with cats, and they don’t really care,” volunteer Chris White says.

Currently, Pioneer Women Quilting has about 12 volunteers, but they’re always happy to have more to sew and help out in the store. Though, you do need to have some sewing knowledge.

Pioneer Women Quilting, located at 206 S. 5th St. in Leavenworth, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays during the summer. To volunteer, send a message to them via their Facebook page.