The Quilter’s Cabin
A one time fund raiser for Pioneer Land in the form of a quilt for auction
during the annual Pork Chop dinner in 2006 traveled along into 2007 with another
quilt for auction and again in 2008 with yet another for a quilt raffle.
A group of women, met in the Pioneer Land school house in January and
February of 2006 three times a week and finished the first quilt in a month. All
were hooked and The Pioneer Land Quilters were born. A unanimous
decision was made to do another quilt and work on quilting demonstrations during
the LaPorte County Fair. Word was sent to quilt guilds in LaPorte County to ask
if they would consider making a top as a group project and send it to the
quilters for hand quilting then on to auction. These guilds have all
individually united in the Pioneer Land project. The rest, as they say, is
history.
Ten to twelve women met at a home in Kingsbury, In and quilted toward the
first annual Pioneer Land Auction held in 2007. The quilters kidded with the
Pioneer Land Development Committee to have the next building be a quilt cabin
and were amazed that it was taken under advisement. A small group made a trip to
Shipshewana to look at cabins, found one they really liked and reported back to
the committee. The dream was a reality!
Pioneer Land at the LaPorte County Fair grounds is a central location for the
quilters who come in from all directions of LaPorte County. The LaPorte County
Farm Bureau generously offered the use of their Milk Cabin to the quilters who
happily accepted.
The first Pioneer Land auction included all hand crafted items and was a huge
success. The quilt portion of the auction brought extremely generous final bids
and ultimately contributed to a existing designated fund for a quilt cabin.
The quilters cabin was delivered in 2007.
A lot of hard work was yet to come, and it was the combined dedication and
hard work of all that completed that work.
A concrete section was poured on which the cabin would be placed; the roof
was raised and locked into place; the front porch opening was made larger to
accommodate folks coming up the steps; a wonderful handicap ramp was
constructed, installed and stained to match the cabin ; new wiring was
installed; new inside and outside lighting was installed; extra wood working
completed to hide all of the wiring; a corner cabinet was made and installed;
the inside floor was stained; the quilters moved in with treadle sewing machine
and quilting frames; the blacksmith shop designed and made quilt hangers for the
dowels to hold quilts; and last but certainly not the least the landscaping was
done. People contributed extra soil, fertilizer, annuals, perennials, vines,
rocks, garden objects and hot hard work. It was not unusual to come to the cabin
any time and find someone transplanting something that they had too much of in
their personal gardens. These plantings were done 3 days before the 2007 LaPorte
County Fair and looked as though it had been there forever. It was a wonderful
experience to be included in. The 2007 auction was more successful than the
previous year and finished paying for the quilting cabin.
The Pioneer Land quilters remain a dedicated core group of 10-12 with new
quilters occasionally joining in the fun and work. The quilters take the
quilting frame, dress in the 1830 period and are available for quilting
demonstrations at local festivals or events. This is a service free of charge in
order to promote the Pioneer Land Project.
Through the continual generosity of many people, 100% of the funds raised
through the quilt portion of the auction are added to the general fund toward
new buildings and/or the maintenance of the existing
structures.
