The Amish Sense of Community - A Time of Reflection #AmishCommunity #Amishquilts #Quiltshop

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]So, hi friends. Long time no see. Some of you have been wondering where I am.

[00:00:05]Well, here's where I'm at.

[00:00:08]I'm at the Superior Hiking Trail here on the northshore of Lake Superior, Minnesota. And my goal was to take my hike up on a section that I've been trying to get accomplished for years now. This is uh the spur uh trail that leads up to Bean and Bear Lakes. And uh it's what I've been wanting to do for a long long time. And I've been waiting a good year to do it. I waited till after I finished the quilt show and sale um about a week and a half ago to come up here. LD and I took a nice nice drive to um actually camp for a few days or a week um as well as um do a little hiking for me. And here's the story.

[00:01:02]Got all the way up here, got all comfortable and set and a wildfire broke out. And it's at the point right now where parts of the trail are being closed down. the Superior Hiking Trail.

[00:01:15]Our campground is getting close to being under an evacuation order. I know. And um the highway back to Duth, which is our route home, has been closed due to the um the operation taking place to put these fires out. There's a big fire down there in Two Harbors, Minnesota. And it's sad. It's very sad. I'm out here on the trail just because I want to get a look at it and I know better. I'm going to go back in a minute or two. I have a little video that I've been putting together for uh for y'all to um learn a little more about some of my favorite Amish ladies. But in the meantime, I thought I'd start it this way.

[00:02:04]So, let's go up. Let's go up and see what we can find just for a little bit.

[00:02:09]I know. I know it's dangerous or silly, but you know, I've waited a long time.

[00:02:19]Oh my gosh.

[00:02:23]Oh my gosh. Look, there's superior.

[00:02:26]She's beautiful.

[00:02:28]My heart is broken, but so be it. And I'm going to hike up to the top of this ridge and take a good look around before turning back and meeting LD at the car. Um, my hunch is we need to get back to our campground to start preparations for evacuation.

[00:02:52]And um in the meantime, I have a video I've been working on for you for Sunday for tomorrow. And I'm going to put it out uh about 3, maybe a little later, 5:00. Hopefully I'll have Wi-Fi or a hot spot I can connect to. And in the meantime, uh think of us. Um we'll be back for more of the usual next week Sunday. I'm hoping to get over and look at some more quilts. But until then, enjoy some of my introspect into the girls.

[00:03:25]Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us this week. LD, the dogs, the cat, and I are all on a little vacation. Um, since that quilt show and sale a week and a half ago really took a lot out of us, we thought we'd head to the northshore of Lake Superior and enjoy some quiet time.

[00:03:49]And I'm going to be able to get out on the trails and hike a little bit, too.

[00:03:54]But I want to get over to Fanny's and talk to her a little bit about um her new found old love of quilting and why it did come to uh back to her in the end.

[00:04:09]You know, she was told by her doctor that it was time for her to slow down and her family agreed and even she knew her back was hurting a while ago. We, if you remember, we visited her and she was trying to mix up a concoction to make her feel better. When it didn't work, the depression set in.

[00:04:31]Over the past 25 years that I've known Fanny, um, I've known her strictly as a gardener. I had no idea that she was the master quilter that, uh, we have, uh, come to know. And I can tell you that at 89, her hands told the story of every season she'd spent kneeling in the dirt and coaxing the stubborn um soil into producing beautiful flowers for uh resale. Her flower gardens are perennials and she digs them uh for her customers. And that's how I knew Fanny.

[00:05:13]Uh this past spring, um it turned out that Fanny was told that this would be her last season uh in the gardens. Her doctor uh highly highly recommended she um relaxed, lay back a bit, and not uh work her body so hard. After all, she's 89 and her children are an ingredients.

[00:05:38]Um, she finally decided that she would scale back. She allowed it to happen and she realized that her days in that garden were pretty much over.

[00:05:53]She really really is an artist and it shows in her gardens. And so, uh, Fanny was falling into a depression, uh, when I went in that day to ask her about a quilt I saw. Um, a quilt someone told me was Fannies. And from there, uh, the story goes.

[00:06:24]And if you remember, it started with um the 195 star Fann's own creation from over 40, 50, maybe 60 years ago, maybe longer, 70 years ago. Um she went into that bedroom and that was on her bed and she said she would like to sell it. Um she needed to make some money. I spotted the quilt and my heart raced. Um, and the rest is really actually is history.

[00:06:55]It was hard for her to sell it, but the monies that she earned from it and the connection she and I made um is actually uh legendary. Her children tell me that they had prayed for something. Fanny told me she had prayed for something like this to happen. An opportunity to go back to something she loved to work with collar before her gardens. Fanny had created quilts, beautiful quilts, stunning quilts.

[00:07:27]And now that her days in the garden were limited, Fanny recognized, as I did, that there was a time that she could go back now to working on her quilts. At first, she didn't believe I could sell her quilts, her quilt tops, most importantly, her own creations. At first, she wasn't certain I could do that. Um, but then one after another on a weekly basis, we began to sell her tops. I thank so many of you for the purchase of her tops.

[00:08:04]From George to Virginia to Ramona and Robbie and Wanda.

[00:08:14]I thank all of you for the purchase of her quilt tops. She has a new sense of purpose in her life. And I noticed immediately that her step was a little lighter, her eyes were a little brighter, and her attention to detail was back.

[00:08:39]In the beginning, we spent a lot of time talking about um where the fabric came from. If you remember from some of those uh early videos with Fanny, um she mentioned over and over again that they were the fabric came from uh one from her sister Amanda and two from um uh another Amish woman that had passed and left everything to her. And Fanny had so much fabric and so knowing that the fabric was going to be used for quilts got her interest. You know she is quite a mathematician. She has decided that rather than use the old patterns, she would create her own patterns from memories of her past and that in itself is an heirloom piece. Fanny showed pieces of uh blue fabric and white fabric and reds, pinks, yellows, you name it. and I encouraged her to move forward with any design she wanted.

[00:09:43]Again, I thank so many of you for the purchase of Fanny's Quilt Tops. Uh she is extraordinary and is so full of happiness now. And I'd like to show you some of the tops that Fanny went ahead and created in in this video. She is showing um some great excitement. Her movements are faster.

[00:10:08]Her uh laughter is quick and her happiness shows as it does with the rest of her family.

[00:10:17]I have never felt a connection with a woman uh other than a relative like I have with Fanny. It's awesome. And so this first piece is her pink work of art.

[00:10:32]You know, Fanny told me that she thought her her hands were finished. She said I I thought that I was not going to be able to create anything beautiful again.

[00:10:44]She said, but it turns out she told me the Lord just wanted me to grow something that doesn't wither when the frost hits. Here is a beautiful quilt.

[00:10:54]And you know, I think that every piece of this quilt was put together with love and excitement, as with all of Fann's quilts. Thank you to those of you once again who bought her quilt tops and are um working to create a finished quilt or have sent them off to your long arm quilters. This is that beautiful red star in celebration of Americana. It was the second piece she did. Her first piece of course was the red, white, and blue star. Um, which she did call Americana. And if you remember the video, she mentions uh remembering the day World War II ended. Can you imagine?

[00:11:41]Can you imagine uh a little girl remembering that? She wasn't um she wasn't in an Amish school. she wasn't in an English school and remembers hearing church bells ringing and people singing.

[00:11:54]This beautiful Americana quilt um is going to be an heirloom on its own as it's made by a woman who remembers the end of World War II. Unbelievable. The next quilt is Fann's very own answer to the flower garden, and she calls it the flower garden. It's beautiful in shades of green with that black zigzag um brick brack I call it border and the beautiful flowers in the center, the flower vases with some intricate pieces put together. Um and again these are all fabrics that are coming from her sister or uh from other Amish uh ladies that have left fabric to her. This incredible incredible Boston common quilt. Here you're seeing it finished um pieced entirely with um scraps that were left to Fanny uh and then quilted painstakingly by a group of ladies uh at a quilting bee that we attended.

[00:13:03]I want to say that at 89 years old, Fanny isn't retired. Nope. She's in full bloom again and she's stitching a legacy that's just as colorful and resilient as the garden she left behind. And really, it's like she's leaving another garden for all of us to enjoy.

[00:13:46]I guess I would say or be the first to say that this quilt um was not an attention grabber from the start, but um a gentleman uh admired it from the very beginning and kept it in his memory. Uh to the point where he finally asked me, "Where did that quilt go? That quilt top go and how do I get it?" So, we went back to Fanny's and um she had the quilt uh in a beautiful cedar chest and um it's from a while ago. She didn't just make it. And look at the beauty of this.

[00:14:20]I can't wait to see it finished quilted uh finished being quilted. It is um an understated quilt, if I can say that.

[00:14:32]This next piece is a really wonderful uh representation of the happiness and joy that Fanny now feels with bright colors and spinning wheels in the center, green borders, and every kind of different block and style. Um, and there she is just kind of sneaking around the corner on it. And because she's so darn cute, we're going to let this one slip by.

[00:15:02]Thank you, Fanny. Everything you have done is magical. I can't wait to get back next week to say hello and see what else you've created while I've been gone.

[00:15:17]As I stepped out onto the front porch, the afternoon sun hit the garden and it was beautiful. It lit the entire area and painted a picture perfect scene of serenity stillness, a oldworld, oldfashioned times that have long passed.

[00:15:40]For a moment, the world felt silently still.

[00:15:44]Fannie's garden is a living tapestry, just like her beautiful quilts.

[00:15:52]Everything that surrounds her home speaks to the beauty that Fanny sees.

[00:16:01]Please enjoy these gentle scenes from Fanny's yard.

[00:16:06]From the homemade greenhouse to the flower growing in the cracks to the incredible blooming flowers off to the side of the house.

[00:16:21]It all reflects Fanny and makes me um happy to know that she too is going to be happy again.

[00:17:05]As I look uh around the greenhouse here at Ida's, I I think of the first time I met her and how she uh was in her bakery and uh told me that she had some quilts that I could look at. Uh but first I needed to take her to the bank. Could I drive her to the bank? If you go back and look at some of those older videos, you'll see where of course I took her to the bank. It was my opportunity to travel in the car with her. Here's her beautiful greenhouse. And as you know, Ida after 40 years on Earth, Ida has married and moved away uh left with her husband for Canton, Ohio. But Ida has many skills and this is one of them. The piecing of this beautiful unique quilt, a truly Amish quilt intended for purchase by the Amish uh to be quilted by the Amish and then given to their daughters as part of their wedding uh gifts. three quilts for every daughter if you remember. Um this beautiful unique quilt is um being finished for one of you. And then again we have the wave on wave. It took my breath away.

[00:18:16]The wave on wave is a a beautiful quilt that looks like water. It looks like the tide coming and going. It looks like the most incredible piece of stitchery that I've ever seen. Here we have one that has been finished and beautifully quilted by the ladies. Um, this one is also sold and uh will be picked up by its new owner. But Ida was actually selling all of these quilts uh out of her home. I didn't know it until I met her that day in her bakery. you know, uh, additionally, uh, Ida has the, uh, greenhouse, the bakery, her quilt making, um, but she was also a school teacher. She taught the children with, um, developmental disabilities and so was a perfect candidate, uh, a perfect person to marry or to wed Willie, who, um, was the father of two young boys, left a widow. Here you have a beautiful quilt pattern that was done by uh Ida and um placed out for quilting. This one sold quite a while ago from um one of the shops in the area that I discovered.

[00:19:39]This is um again a true Amish quilt can be used on an Amish bed. Um do you remember this quilt? Does anyone remember this quilt? Aside from George, of course. Uh this was um quite a inspiration for me the first time I saw it and I could not believe I was so fortunate to see this beautiful quilt.

[00:20:04]The back is quilted as beautifully as the front. You could use both sides.

[00:20:09]We're going to miss Ida. She was so full of um of life. Um, but she's gone to a real good place there in Ohio, uh, where they'll really benefit from her knowledge and her experience and her love and her approach to life. You know, Ida's mother also uh, does quilting and has put out one of the most beautiful quilts we've ever sold on this channel.

[00:20:37]Um, and it is her um, scrappy quilt with many, many different things going on in it. Um, Sadie is her mom and she did this quilt. I I don't know what the name of it was. I don't remember. Um, I know that it went uh to a beautiful family and we're creating another one for them.

[00:20:58]Um, Satie is working on it now. Once it's completed, it'll be quilted by Amish ladies as well. I hope that Ida gets back in time to get a look at this quilt uh at the next quilt before it goes out to uh its new owner. I'm so happy to have met this family. I'm so happy to have known Ida and uh and now I know Willie as well.

[00:21:27]I'm glad that someone as kind as Ida will be going off to help raise the six remaining children in Willy's family.

[00:21:38]Um, she is definitely uh uh an asset and uh will be a wonderful mother to them.

[00:21:46]Do you remember this quilt? Do you remember the day that Ida pulled it out of a closet in her lower level and said, "This is called the Randlay. this beautiful quilt uh I overlooked the first time. I didn't take it the first time and when I went back, she showed it to me again and I I couldn't believe what I was seeing here. This quilt top uh was sent out for quilting and uh has sold. All of the quilts you're seeing today have sold um uh already, but they are representative of all of these ladies we're we're visiting right now. This beautiful randlay has that applique on the corners. Beautiful borders.

[00:22:33]It's been made in not only the shades of blue, but in shades of red, in shades of green, and um it's been done in a shade of teal. And we have another one out there right now being completed. But it's all thanks to Ida. Thank you to Ida for showing us this beautiful piece. And then there is again this incredible teal and green wave on wave. If you remember, I wanted to show you the backside of it. Look at the piecing on this particular quilt. Look the sewing that's been done on this quilt. It's incredible. It's a beautiful, beautiful piece. This one was sent to the Netherlands and uh I know the owner there is uh as excited about the quilt as we all are. I have an opportunity to um bring you additional um wave on waves because Ida has shared her pattern with some of the greats. One of them is Naomi. Um also Emma tells me she will be able to do these patterns as well.

[00:23:42]We'll talk about it when I get back from this vacation.

[00:24:35]I want to talk about how truly impressive uh and how quickly Edna has transitioned from a self-proclaimed novice to a master of her craft. If you remember just a short year ago, she wasn't certain that she was able to make a or piece a full-size quilt. And here after a year is a picture of a quilt that she has created. It's called Prickly Pineapple. It is a labor intensive, one of the most difficult patterns a person could do and Edna has created it. It's gorgeous. It went to her cousin Clara for quilting and uh we'll be ready. Oh, we probably it'll be a while yet, but um it's going to be a masterpiece on its own or in its own right. It is sold. Um, it's it's a mindset of uh excellence and growth that Edna has. And it shows also in this uh rendition of the Alaska quilt. We call it the Emerald Alaska because it's in these beautiful shades of green and it's a tip of uh the iceberg I think for the creativity that uh Edna does have. her artistic um side is absolutely there.

[00:25:59]She says that she thinks she's going to specialize in this color, the emerald greens of the Alaska, whereas her mother Emma does the beautiful blue icy tones of the Alaska quilt. I think that one of the things about Edna's artistry is that in this remarkably short amount of time, she really has begun to master uh her quilting abilities and her piecing and her eye for color. She really sees the uh aesthetics in these quilts um in only a way that the Amish do. Here's another quilt. It's the Enigma. And this one is done by an Emma uh or I'm sorry by Edna.

[00:26:47]Emma has done one as well. We've just sold both of them recently. This one is Edna's. And look at the beauty of that.

[00:26:55]She matches her mother's skills in every way. And she is definitely her mother's daughter. I think that there's this specific beauty um to uh Edna because not only does she do the quilting, she is also running the business. she is running that quilt shop and uh for a young woman um the the fact that she is doing it all is uh is a true tribute to her. She has learned and has had a great eye for a good piece. And these are some of the quilts you're going to see. This giant Dalia was brought in by her cousin into her shop. And as you know, Emma and Edna are only accepting family members quilts. So, this beautiful blue Dalia was brought in by a one of her relatives. The star is sent over by her cousin. It's gorgeous. Look at the trim around the bottom. I am excited that the inventory, if you'll think of it in that regard, the inventory she's taking in is of such high quality. This shop is the finest shop in um Amish country. Um the next quilt is uh another beautiful beautiful uh giant Dalia with quilting that is extraordinary on it. This is uh Edna's aunt Martha Emma's sister Martha uh who has done the quilting on this. This piece uh as with all of the pieces you've seen uh have been sold has been sold. Uh this one is remarkable. It has such beautiful coloring and um a specific uh uh pattern in the quilting that uh you don't know what you really want to look at first here or I'm not sure what to compliment first. Uh from the side you can see that she is really elaborated on the on the patterns of her quilting. Uh, I think that Edna knows how to distinguish between the better pieces here in her shop and how these pieces have helped her to establish this type of a shop.

[00:29:17]She is really a great businesswoman and remember this is a young Amish girl who started just one year ago.

[00:29:29]One of the things that I particularly love about Edna is that she uh is able to navigate the needs of outsiders.

[00:29:38]That's English to tell you the truth and still she maintains her Amish values.

[00:29:44]It's a delicate social skill and it requires empathy to understand what we're looking for, what a collector is looking for without losing her own culture identity, cultural identity. it could become very e easily um a pattern of becoming more English. But Edna definitely remains true to her Amish self. The most touching part of her story is that her success doesn't distance her from her mother, from Emma.

[00:30:17]She um actually is brought closer. Look at this beautiful quilt. This quilt has sold, of course, during the uh quilt show, but it's another Dalia. And I'm starting to see a theme with these Dalia quilts. They seem to appear most heavily at Edna's shop. I think she knows these uh quilts are of top value, topnotch.

[00:30:42]And finally, this beautiful piece quilt by uh Edna's auntie Martha, who again is um Emma's sister.

[00:30:54]Thank you so much for joining me uh in this video. And uh it helped me uh realize the great value of all the ladies there. I think next time I'll do another one like this and we'll feature three more of the ladies.

[00:31:11]I take a moment to pause and watch the Amish men working in the field. The horses are um just moving through the earth as uh easy as can be. And it makes me think about where I am right now on this beautiful Northshore of Minnesota, this beautiful, beautiful country. Um right now we are holding tight. uh hoping that a wildfire that is about 8 mi from our location will be um dampened and we'll be safe. Uh we'll let you know uh in a day or two. But in the meantime, here I am with my Senna. Uh and she is always anxious to give me a good kiss.

[00:31:57]Remember, in a week, uh Memorial Day is the uh Amish Quilt Auction. Uh, and I'll be there filming and hopefully uh I'll buy a few and you can see if it's something you want. I have a few other visitors coming in for that same auction. Um, I also want to encourage you to like, comment, support me by becoming a subscriber. Don't forget to hit the notification bell and don't forget Rose be gone.