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Heritage quilt displays Baker’s roots

Feb 2, 2024 | News

Project took more than 80 hours to complete.

By Rich Wicks | Panora Times

Connie Baker of Panora found a unique way to preserve family history, through a mix of technologies old and new.

“My mom passed away in November of 2017, and she had seven siblings,” she said. “They were all of Danish heritage, and my grandparents came from Denmark on ships with their families when they were young. I got started going through my mom’s old pictures. I actually found my grandparents’ wedding picture from 1912.”

That’s when Baker came up with the idea of creating a heritage quilt. She has been quilting for 35 years and found a way to incorporate many of the photos into a quilt. Beginning in the spring of 2018, she started working on her project.

“I just started getting some of the pictures rounded up, and then I had them enlarged to 8 by 10 size,” Baker said. “Then I ran them through my printer with this special cotton fabric that my husband found on the internet. It prints on the cotton, and you peel the back off of it, and you can sew it right onto your quilt.”

The product she used is called “inkjet printing cotton sheets,” which Baker said comes in 8.5 by 11 inch sheets. She added that, if the care instructions are followed, the photo quilt can be laundered just as with any other quilt. Baker was pleased with the crispness of the photos on her completed quilt.

“Even though I had to enlarge some of the photos, it was amazing how well they turned out. They weren’t grainy or anything,” Baker said.

According to Baker, the entire project took more than 80 hours to complete.

“It turned out really nice. I was really happy with it,” she said. “Every summer, we have a reunion with all of my cousins. I had taken it to one of the reunions right after I had made it, and everybody loved it.”

Because of the overwhelming positive reaction to her heritage quilt, Baker decided to tackle an even larger project.

“This February, I decided to surprise my 12 cousins and make some more of those for the reunion,” Baker said.

Recalling the scale of the project, Baker said, “I worked on the additional 12 from February until I finished them in the third week of May, and I was working on them pretty steady almost every day.”

As a result of all that hard work, Baker was able to surprise her cousins at the family reunion in early June.

“I was very busy, but it was worth it,” she said. “I made them all cry when I pulled them out.”

 

KAREN KAY KRAFT PIERCE

Feb 2, 2024 | Obituaries

1941-2024

Karen Kay Kraft Pierce, 82, beloved daughter of Dwight and Elvina (Petersen) Kraft, was born on Oct. 11, 1941, in Carroll. She peacefully passed away on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Taylor House in Des Moines.

Karen attended the Gardner Store country school in Audubon County for grades K-9 before graduating from Audubon High School in 1960. She was a loving mother to her two sons, Tim and Jon.

For 36 years, Karen dedicated her time and compassion as a certified nursing assistant at Guthrie County Hospital. She also selflessly volunteered for six years, driving the hospital van. Karen found immense joy in supporting her grandson’s activities and cherishing precious moments with her two great-grandsons. Showing her love through cooking meals for her family was one of her greatest joys. Family gatherings were always a delight, especially the fond memories of Christmas Eve at Grandma’s house, where they often played poker and Grandma seemed to win every year.

Karen held her family and friends dear to her heart. She possessed a selfless nature, always putting the needs of others before her own. Karen was known for her willingness to lend a helping hand to anyone who asked, and even to those who didn’t. She respected the privacy of others and was a patient teacher, whether it was guiding someone in the kitchen or imparting her knowledge on patient care at the hospital. Her absence will be deeply felt, but her legacy of compassion and service will continue to inspire.

Left to cherish her memory are her two sons, Tim (Christi) Pierce of Grimes, and Jon Pierce of West Des Moines; her grandson, Nathan (Amy) Pierce of Grimes; her two great-grandsons, Bennett (3) and Cameron (1); her sister, Connie (Randy) Steffen of Griswold; her niece, April Steffen (Tony Sorensen); her nephew, Blaine (Julie) Steffen; as well as great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins. Karen was preceded in death by her parents, Dwight and Elvina Kraft.

Karen’s wishes were to be cremated. A private family graveside service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Guthrie County Hospital Foundation.

 

The Best of Guthrie County

Feb 2, 2024 | Publisher's Column

Many of you are quite familiar with our company’s Best of Des Moines poll that readers of CITYVIEW magazine have participated in for more than a quarter of a century. If you are not, check out the results in this month’s CITYVIEW (which will be available next week on racks in Guthrie County — while they last) or online at www.dmcityview.com. CITYVIEW’s Best of Des Moines certificates are proudly displayed in stores, restaurants, bars and offices, and the recognition provides an incredibly positive impact to the people, places, businesses and events that are deemed the winners. 

This year’s Best of Des Moines poll consisted of 271 questions with a whopping 22,969 votes — the most ever in the history of the poll. I have learned a lot in administering this poll and the related event that we have now hosted for 16 years.

A few years ago, we implemented a similar effort with our 14 Iowa Living magazines called Residents’ Choice polls. Those polls are gaining traction now, too, and I expect them to continue to be game-changers for all involved.

The bottom line is that people want to know who local residents feel are the “best” in a variety of categories. It is a fun competition. Even so, whenever we do these types of reader polls, I have to stress that these are not our opinions but are the results of the votes of our readers. That is an important distinction. 

Well, if a readers’ poll works in Des Moines and it works in the suburbs and the nearby communities, why wouldn’t it work in Guthrie County? It will, and that’s why I am excited to launch the Best of Guthrie County poll. This is our inaugural effort, and the poll will certainly change in future years. Meanwhile, we came up with 82 categories for you to vote in. Best pizza. Best pastor. Best park. You get the idea. Simply fill in the blanks in one category or all 82. The poll will be promoted in our publications, emails, social media and mailers to encourage widespread participation. I hope you take the time to vote and to also share the link with your family, neighbors, co-workers and anyone in Guthrie County and encourage them to do the same.

We make it incredibly easy. You can choose to vote in just one category, or you can vote in all 82. But just like the political elections, once you submit your choices, you can’t go back. In case you are wondering, we catch the cheaters who try to vote more than once and throw those votes out, so don’t even try. Click here for the poll rules and the link to vote. 

I thank you in advance for voting and for helping us to recognize the people, places, businesses and events that make Guthrie County so great. 

Thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

Click Here to Vote