by Dennis Dalman
Anyone who walks into the lobby of Heritage Hall in St. Joseph is bound to be stunned by the sight of three dazzling homemade quilts that hang there.
Heritage Hall is attached to the St. Joseph Catholic Church.
The eye-catching quilts were made by members of the St. Joseph Parish Quilt Group to be auctioned off, with many other quilts, to raise funds for any needs the Catholic parish may have. The auction takes place every summer during the St. Joseph Parish Fourth of July celebration. The St. Joseph Quilt Group started in 1986.
The quilts on display at Heritage Hall are just three of the nearly 40 quilts made over a year’s time by the women in the quilt group.
Inside Heritage Hall, the first quilt one sees is so radiantly colorful it has the same shimmering brilliance of stained-glass windows. Entitled “Prism,” the king-sized quilt was pieced together by Ilene Schmitt.
Another quilt is a children’s quilt entitled “Cuddle Bunny.” Its soft pastel colors are so soothing and relaxing, the quilt could cause a viewer to nod off into a drowsy sleep. “Cuddle Bunny” was pieced together by Delrose Fischer, chair of the quilt group, who has been with the group since its inception in 1986.
The third quilt is a red-and-white stunner – a quilt that was made to honor the St. John’s Johnnies football team. It’s 98-inches x 85-inches and contains 42 panels, each with a transferred color photo of the Johnnies team active on the playing field or celebrating victories. The quilt was pieced together by Delrose Fischer.
In Heritage Hall on May 7, a married couple and their 5-year-old grandson paused to ponder and admire the football quilt. The couple were there waiting for a church service to begin. They were JoEllen and Joel Fasching of Winsted with grandson Marvin of St. Joseph.
Joel pointed to a photo of a man on the center panel of the quilt and said to Marvin, “Look! There’s Gary, your great uncle!”
Hugging his soft stuffed toy and peering up at the quilt panel photo, Marvin pointed, then let out a squeal of delight.
The man depicted on the quilt, shown cheering with his players, was none other than Gary Fasching, head coach of the St. John’s Johnnies and the brother of Joel Fasching.
To see and learn more about the quilts, visit the following website starting in June: churchstjoseph.com.
JoEllen and Joel Fasching of Winsted and their grandson Marvin of St. Joseph stand before the St. John Johnnies’ Football Quilt on display at Heritage Hall May 7 in St. Joseph. The quilt is just one of many made by the St. Joseph Parish Quilt Group to be auctioned off soon. Joel Fasching is the brother of Johnnies head football coach, Gary Fasching, who is shown in the middle panel of the quilt.
The center panel of the Johnnies Football Quilt shows the team’s head coach, Gary Fasching, cheering. He is in the center of the top middle panel, wearing a gray shirt. His autograph is directly under that panel.
