JOPLIN — Following up with a group of ladies we introduced to you a few weeks ago - the Quilting Ladies of Joplin, which formed in 1967. They range in age from 72 to 92 and meet every Tuesday at the Bethel Lutheran church for friendship, fellowship and quilting.
Shortly after we reported about several senior citizens who donated quilts to displaced passengers following the deadly Amtrak derailment - a friend of 93-year-old Mary Ann Cote of Seeley Lake reached out to us at MTN News.
Mary Ann is a prolific quilter who recently moved to Washington to be closer to family, and wanted to donate her stockpile of fabric and supplies to the quilting ladies in Joplin. On Tuesday, reporter Tom Wylie surprised the eight ladies at the church where they meet every Tuesday with a special delivery that they now plan to put to good use.
“All of the stuff that comes in, you just can’t believe it,” 79-year old quilter Jean Johnson told us in September. “We come in and all of the tables are full with stuff for quilts. When we started out, we just had rags and rags and they were the ugliest quilts I ever saw. But now we’re pretty lucky we have nice stuff and can make really nice quilts.”
The Joplin ladies make about eight quilts every week, and about 500 per year. They give them away for free wherever there is a need, and fabric donations are always appreciated. If you would like to help, click here to contact Bethel Lutheran Church in Joplin.
