Soo Line: Sew Nice! Quilts and Other Items Stitched by Edler and Glessner Stand Out at Iowa State Fair

Soo Line By Soo Greiman

The quilt Pat Edler worked on for more than a year looked stunning as it hung on display alongside other colorful entries in the Varied Industries Building during the Iowa State Fair.

In fact, nearly all the entries displayed in the huge Sewing and Needlecraft room on the building’s second floor had been sewn, knitted, tatted or quilted by women, men and children from around the state.

“Having saved scraps from other sewing projects I’d done over the years, I decided in 2025 I was finally going to get around to making something with them, and a quilt seemed like a great idea,” Edler said with a hearty laugh.

With fabric scraps and remnants she’d saved for years, Edler began paper-piecing squares together using instructions from the book Paper-Piecing Stained Glass Garden Stars.

It took time, patience and determination, but the seamstress finally finished the quilt. Not quite queen-bed size, the finished piece can also serve as a dramatic wall hanging.

Her next step was taking the project to another local — and incredibly talented — quilter, Peggy Belton. Using her long-arm quilting machine, Belton quilted the layers together after pillow-soft batting and backing fabric were added.

“I know it does have mistakes in it, but after the idea of taking it to the Iowa State Fair got in my head, I couldn’t shake it,” Edler admitted. “Since I enjoyed doing it, I figured, what the heck, it’s going to get entered.”

But Edler didn’t enter the quilt expecting a ribbon.

“My reason for taking it was different from other competitors,” she said. “My one and only goal was to see it displayed on the wall with the others, NOT to receive a ribbon.”

Following the judging, Edler was over the moon simply seeing her quilt hanging alongside the others entered in its class.

Now retired from her work as a pet groomer at Hudson Veterinary Clinic, the mother of four and grandmother of 11 was delighted with how her quilt fared at the fair.

For years, the Canadian-born, now U.S. citizen has sewn clothing, curtains, craft projects and specialty items for others. When explaining how she developed her love of sewing, Pat credits her grade 7 home economics teacher back in Canada with being an inspirational mentor.

“These days, I am more into sewing functional items like purses, aprons and oven mitts,” she said. “But now I can honestly say I made a quilt that went to the State Fair.”

For the Second Year, Glessner’s Entries Find Success at State Fair

After years of admiring the many beautiful items entered in the Sewing and Needlecraft competition at the Iowa State Fair, Twilla Glessner decided in 2025, “just for fun,” to enter two items she’d made.

“Since my husband, Tom, and I make an annual trip to the Iowa State Fair, we always enjoy looking at the beautiful sewn projects that individuals bring to the second floor of the Varied Industries Building,” she explained.

Twilla does all her sewing at the couple’s home on West Shaulis Road in Cedar Falls. Last year, she entered two pieces at the State Fair, and both won ribbons.

This year, she decided to expand her entries to eight pieces. One of her quilts and two other articles she sewed received ribbons in the statewide competition.

Appreciative of the awards she took home, Glessner offered another thought about the massive Sewing and Needlecraft competition.

“While getting ribbons is nice, what is so impressive to me is how all the volunteers at the fair do such a wonderful job organizing and displaying so many treasures,” she said.

Sharing a little of her own sewing history, Twilla said her mom made clothes for both her and her sister when they were young.

“Besides that, Mom also made matching outfits for me and my best friend, LuAnn,” she said.

Later, Twilla and her friend gratefully accepted quilts made by LuAnn’s grandmother using scraps left over from the outfits Twilla’s mother had sewn.

Twilla’s own high school graduation gift from her parents was, she admits, fantastic: a Sears Kenmore sewing machine.

“I went through seasons of sewing while working full time and raising my family, but when I retired in 2019, I rediscovered my love for sewing and started a small business doing craft shows, mainly in the fall,” she said.

Her daughter, Carisa, also lets Twilla display some of her creations at The Hive in Hudson.

Now, another generation is on her mind.

“My seven grandkids are getting older, so now I realize I better start working on the tradition of quilt-making started by my mom,” Twilla said. “She gifted over 30 quilts to family and friends on her 90th birthday.”

Offering one final thought, Twilla reflected on why handmade creations continue to hold such an appeal.

“I believe more and more that people are finding joy in creating projects, whether that be sewing, knitting, crocheting, diamond art — the list goes on and on,” she said. “For me, I just want to keep challenging myself with sewing, both mentally and physically.”