Although I had the opportunity to donate two quilts to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale last year, as a relative new comer to the Mennonites, this weekend was the first time I got to experience a relief sale first hand. I LOVED it. Right here in Harrisburg at the Farm Show Complex the Pennsylvania Relief Sale gathered everyone from Amish and Old Order Mennonites to MC USA and Brethren in Christ for hundreds of quilts, fantastic food, cheap vintage fabric, and lots of hand made and fair traded goods for sale. How could you not love that? I bought cheese, doughnuts, and soup, got some gifts at from the Ten Thousand Villages booth, and ate awesome food from Lao eggrolls to PA Dutch sausage, all of which was fabulous, but I spent most of my time enthralled at the quilt auction. Really, I could have watched all day.
With over 300 quilts up for auction, choosing a favorite was a real challenge, but here are some of my top choices. (If I did have to choose just one this would be my favorite, but it sold before I could get a photo of it. It’s hard to see on the website, but it’s darling appliqued birds nuzzling on a branch)
Auction in Progress
Cross Stitched Star by the Millwood Mennonite Sewing Circle
Double Wedding Ring by Rebecca Sharp
Ellen's Stars
Pieced by Ellen Ressler, Quilted by Mae Stoltzfus
Can you believe that those nine patches are pieced? Incredible!
Hershey Heritage Whole Cloth Quilt by Mt. Joy Mennonite Sewing Circle
Incredible Quilting
Grandmothers Flower Garden, maker unidentified
Some fabulous feed sack fabrics
Spring Bouquets
Pieced by Rose Wiebe Haury
Appliqued by Helena Dueck
Quilted by MCC Volunteers
Incredible Tiny Applique
Vintage Feed Sack Delectable Mountain by Janet Runion Patton
Tiny Piecing
Vintage Dresden Plates
Vintage Rail Fence
Vintage Triangles (HSTs never go out of style, do they?)
I know, lots of photos, but really, there were just so many fantastic quilts! Best of all, the money from all of the quilts, food, etc goes to Mennonite Central Committee and the wonderful work that they do. Want to check out a sale yourself? You can find one near you here.
