Four Van Buren County 4-H members spent part of their summer learning to sew and quilt — and in the process, donated their finished projects to children in need through the Southeast Iowa Project Linus Chapter, according to a release from Van Buren County Extension.
Tanner Snead, Lucas Snead, Noah Westercamp, and Lailee Thomas each constructed a “3-Yard” quilt during a camp held in June. Beyond the sewing skills, the experience was designed to develop life skills including decision-making, problem-solving, patience, and perseverance — all core values of the 4-H program.
The project kicked off with a shopping trip to Dutchman’s alongside County Youth Coordinator LaTisha Scott-Snead, where members chose their own fabric. The selection process was more involved than it might seem — members had to evaluate color combinations, coordinate fabrics, and think through how directional prints would affect both the look of the finished quilt and how much material would be needed.
Back at camp, members followed a quilt pattern and carefully pieced their blocks together. As the projects progressed, some pieces needed to be trimmed down further, which drove home an important lesson — measure twice, cut once. A few miscuts happened along the way, but rather than setbacks, those moments became opportunities to work through a problem and find a solution. When a couple of members ran short on fabric, a quick return trip to Dutchman’s got things back on track.
Once the quilt tops were finished, three of the four members stepped up to quilt their projects on a long-arm quilting machine — a new experience for all of them. The final step was hand-stitching the binding, which proved to be the most challenging part of the process. Two members finished it on their own, while two received some help from their mothers. Any assistance was noted on the 4-H Exhibit Form submitted with the quilts at the Van Buren County Fair, reflecting the program’s emphasis on honesty and integrity.
Three of the four quilts were selected for State Fair consideration — a strong showing for a group that included two members completing their very first quilt. Letting go of something they had worked so hard to make was not easy, but all four chose to donate their quilts to children in need through Project Linus anyway. Scott-Snead said she could not be more proud of what each of them accomplished.
New Sew and Grow Club Coming in 2026-27
Van Buren County Extension is launching a new 4-H club for the 2026-27 program year to keep the momentum going. The Sew and Grow Club will give members six chances to work on sewing projects and five opportunities to complete quilts over the course of the year. The club is open to youth in fourth through twelfth grade.
For more information or to sign a youth up, contact LaTisha Scott-Snead at latishas@iastate.edu or 319-293-3039.
