A friendship quilt has made strangers friends.
But the 1930s Mid-Missouri group that stitched and signed the 52-name blocks remains a mystery.
Marian Martin, of Fortuna, discovered the set of feedsack-cloth blocks while volunteering at the Salvation Army store.
They sat in her closet for the next three years until this spring when she met Jo Warnke, of Stover, at a quilt auction.
As Warnke shared her involvement with the quilt auction through the annual Festival of Sharing, Martin realized she and her mother, Anna Martin, could quilt the found blocks and donate to the auction.
Now, the mystery friendship quilt is whole, finished with a prairie-point edge, and will be part of the festival's quilt shows prior to the Oct. 15 volunteer event and quilt auction.
The big question remains: Who made the blocks?
Martin and Warnke are seeking that answer, contacting people with the same last name and asking different organizations around the area.
Because the blocks were made in 1938 and arrived at the Salvation Army in 2012, they have lost decades and a broad area to be covered.
"We hope we can find someone who knows someone on this quilt," Martin said. "It could have come from anywhere."
In the center of the quilt is a block that says "Lest we forget." Martin and Warnke seek to remember what has been lost.
Surnames on the quilt include Adams, Brock, Bryant, Crawford, Darmerson, Divers, Dixon, Edison, Elker, Foster, Garoutte, Graham, Highfill, Hill, Knavel, Leach, Ling, Miller, Nicks, Rachison, Skelton, Tranthom, Warner and Wasson.
"We're really hoping to find what its story is," Martin said.
The mysterious friendship quilt will be auctioned with another 200 quilted items at the 35th annual Festival of Sharing beginning at noon Oct. 15 at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia. The quilt auction alone will raise up to $32,000 toward worldwide relief efforts through Church World Service.
"That sounds great to me," Martin said. This is the first time for her to participate in the Festival of Sharing, though she has helped many times with other charity events through the Mennonite community. "It's like ripples in a pond."
Before then, the quilt can be viewed 2-4 p.m. Sept. 21 at Friendship Baptist Church, Kansas City; 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 24 at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, St. Louis; or 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 1 at Wesley United Methodist Church, Sedalia. Every $10 raised from the viewing entry fees will purchase an emergency blanket through Church World Service for people in need across the world.
Warnke has volunteered with the Festival of Sharing for 11 years, the last eight with the quilt auction. Each donated quilt has an information sheet.
This bed-sized quilt will be called "Found Friendship."
Call 573-377-2374 or email to [email protected] for more information.
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