The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-09-06
SPRING ISLAND RAGBAG
CHAMPAIGN |sA SUCCESS

! Few people have any idea what a
wealth of good material there is
stored away in closets, attics and rag
bags of America.
| When the Spring Island school
closed last spring, the Junior Red
Cross auxiliary met and planned to
continue work during the summer.
They had less than SIS in their treas
ury so they began by asking the
mothers for contributions of cast off
clothing, bed and table linen, calico
and wool scraps, old neckties, in
fact anything they wished to get rid
of or were willing to contribute. Small
bundles began to come in first, then
large ones, and finally whole rag bags
were brought. The Rapidam division
also sent scrapes from their cutting
rooms.
Everything was utilized. Quilt
material was sorted out and cut into
pieces of four different sizes, the
smallest being three inches by three
inches, then carpet rags were cut
from what remained, the refuse going
into the paper rag bag. Material no,
suitable for quilt pieces was cut into
gun wipes, mouth swabs or carpet
rags, and all white refuse was snipp
ed for comfort pillows.
The results was amazing. For the
months of May, June and August they
turned into the committee the fol-
lowing: 181 dozen mouth swabs, 74A
dozen gun wipes, II scrub cloths
knitted from carpet rags, the champ
ion knitter was Victor Paulson who
made record of IL; s children's
quilts SO by AZ, five of which were
pieccd on both sides; 3 pieced COM
forters II by so, one pieced on both
sides. handkerchiefs. Is tray cloths,
Is napkins, Z wash cloths, so pieces
old linen, 5 pounds snippings, IL
pounds wooden scraps. Only seven
children were in regular attendance
at the weekly meetings. The smaller
ones knit afghan squares, one being
made by five year old girl.
The only new material purchased
out of their origna SIS was a few
spools of thread, three bats for quilts
and cretonne to make eight bedside
bags The old neckties and the silk
scraps were made into 20 blocks 10
by Is of crazy patchwork and put to-
gether into beautiful silk quilt For
this new wadding and lining was pur-
chased out of another fund of which
shall speak later Only six children
did any of the work on the silk blocks,
five girls and one boy. Sigel Soren-
sons two daughters, Esther and Lydia
led with nine between them. Rhein-
art Blossoms daughter Clara came.
next with four. Ellen Holden, the
head of the juniors, made three in
spite of sickness and death in the
family, and having to prepare for. con-
frmation. Miss Mary Hynson was
not member of the Juniors but made
two blocks besides helping in other
ways and two beautiful blocks We're
worked by Lawrence Wadell. This
quilt brought $31.
The fifth full sized quilt is the most
interesting Of all and has netted in
the cash. 1t is called the Spring
Island Liberty Album quilt Among
the earlier contributions were
twenty five pieced blocks in red
and white and sent in by Mrs ]. F.
Dwiggins who had pieced them in
her childhood but never made them
up. They were the old Album
pattern and the Juniors con-
ceived the idea Of selling name space
on them after getting them together.
Blue blocks, each with white star
in the center were alternated with
the album blocks. The quilt was
lined and wadded, then the fun be-
gan. Now the finished product con-
tains the history of Spring Island
past and present and the names of
most of the present inhabitants, while
the treasury of the, auxiliary is richer
by s46.40. Silk quilt, .$31; album 81.
so; ice cream and candy, $10.79, paper
rags twenty cents, total $92.68; ex-
nancac 60 ~ net oain egg 60