Click the button to see what each quilt and item sold for at the 2025 Ewalu Quilt Auction. Use “Control + F” to search for any name or word. Question can be directed to Steph Boeding, event director, at steph@ewalu.org.
Thank you for a wonderful Quilt Auction!
We had a beautiful day for the 2025 Live Auction on September 20! Those prayers to keep the rain away were answered 😉 We had a wonderful event with 127 items auctioned, plus lots of great items in the Country Store and delicious baked goods for sale in the Canteen! THANK YOU to all our volunteers, quilt and item donors, and to those who brought baked goodies for the Canteen.
Here are the 2025 Live Auction People’s Choice Winners:
1. Item 65, “Carpenter’s Apprentice,” King quilt made and donated by Barb Pitt, Waverly, IA – won for $2,000 (top auction price this year)
2 (TIE). Item 45, “Magic Pinwheel,” Queen quilt made and donated by Mary Lou Billhorn, Readlyn, IA – won for $900
2 (TIE). Item 99, “Diamond Shades of Blue,” King quilt donated by Zion Lutheran Church, Dysart, IA – won for $900
Our Online Auction had nearly 150 items. The Online People’s Choice Award went to Item 226, “Flowers in Gray and Orange,” a queen-size quilt with 2 matching pillowcases, made and donated by Bev Schrader of Davenport, IA.
Preliminary totals from both auctions: just over $54,000 gross, with more to add in from the Country Store and Canteen. We THANK YOU all for another wonderful event that raises funds to support the ministry at Ewalu ❤️ To see what each quilt and item sold for at both auctions, please click the button for the “2025 Quilt Auction Report” above, and use “Control-F” to search for any word or name in the document.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2026
Donations of quilts and hand-crafted items are due to camp by Friday, August 21. (Even sooner is greatly appreciated!)
The 2025 Ewalu Quilt Auction will have its live event on Saturday, September 19, at Camp Ewalu. The Online Auction will begin Monday, Sept. 14, and end Sunday, Sept. 20.
This year’s quilt donations:
Shepherd of the Hills Ministries
A long-standing tradition of Ewalu’s Quilt Auction is the opportunity to donate quilts to Lutheran-affiliated ministries that serve others. This year, bidders can purchase a quilt and donate it to Shepherd of the Hills Ministries in St. Olaf, Iowa. For many years, Ewalu quilts were donated to Lutheran Services in Iowa’s Bremwood facility in Waverly, Iowa, until the facility closed its youth treatment program in 2023. In 2024, quilts were donated to LSI’s Refugee and Early Childhood programs in the LSI Waterloo office.
SOTH assists those struggling with housing, domestic situations, fostering, natural disasters, aftermath of a fire, medical challenges and more, and gives assistance for utility bills and rent. The SOTH thrift store at 100 W. Hill St., Saint Olaf (pictured above), is open to the public M-F, 9 a.m.- noon and 1-4 p.m. If a crisis family is in need of anything, they get to shop in the store for free and can get 5 items per person in the family each month.
Helping children is a huge focus for SOTH, serving hundreds of kids with Back to School backpacks full of supplies, plus their Coats for Kids and Christmas for Kids programs. SOTH runs on donations only. Their annual Hog Roast is coming up October 5, which supports their Crisis Fund. Contact Heather Hageman at 563-783-2409 or shephill@neitel.net for more information.
Typically, 30-40 quilts are donated from bidders at Ewalu’s Quilt Auction to charity each year! Handmade quilts are wonderful gifts of comfort for people in need.
There are many twin-sized quilts on this year’s quilt auction that would be great donations to Shepherd of the Hills Ministries, but any quilt you win can be donated. We will make sure it gets to the ministry in St. Olaf, Iowa, where they will distribute quilts to folks in need!
Thank you for giving twice — first by bidding to support Ewalu, and second by giving away the quilt you purchased.
About Ewalu’s Quilt Auction
Held annually for more than 35 years with the help and support of congregations, quilters, and volunteers, more than 300 quilts are donated to the camp, plus numerous hand-crafted items are given to raise additional funds. These funds support projects and capital improvements that the camp cannot achieve through the annual operating budget.
Join us for live music, a short worship service, and more than 300 quilts and quality hand-crafted items displayed for review (NOTE: Due to the renovation of Cedar Lodge beginning in August, we are working on an alternate plan to display quilts and items that will be up for bids in the Online Auction.) A free-will lunch is served at noon, and the live auction starts at 1:00 p.m. It is a day to celebrate and support the incredible ministry that occurs at Camp Ewalu!
Supporting This Event
This event would not be possible without the generosity of quilters and crafters throughout eastern Iowa. Additional support comes through congregations, quilt/fabric shops, Thrivent Financial grants, local businesses and organizations in areas like In-lieu-of-quilt gifts, advertising, event supplies, and more!
Quilters & Crafters: Please consider making a quilt or item for the auction. To provide variety and interest in the auction, we also auction other hand-made items, especially wooden items such as wooden bowls. Though over 300 items are donated for the auction, we can only put about 120 to 130 items in the live auction. All other items are either put up for bids in the Online Auction (including top-quality items!), or priced and sold in the “Country Store” on the day of the live auction: Sept. 20, 2025. If you are unable to donate a completed item, we also accept quilt tops, squares, pieces, batting, and other quilt or craft supplies for the Country Store.
In lieu of quilts: If you are unable to donate a quilt or craft item, there are still ways to help! You can make a monetary gift in lieu of donating an item; donate baked goods, plants and fresh produce for the food stand; or volunteer to demonstrate your craft trade at the event. We also rely on volunteers for operating the food stand and Country Store.
THANK YOU!
There’s an amazing story unfolding here through the ministry of Camp Ewalu. It’s the story of God’s love made transparent through Christ and demonstrated through the generosity of many supporters like you. Thank you for the many creative ways that you support this ministry, which reaches thousands of people each year through our summer camp program and retreat hosting. We look forward to working with you as we come together for this year’s Quilt Auction!
PHOTOS FROM 2025 LIVE AUCTION
CONTACT
Questions about the Ewalu Quilt Auction can be directed to Steph Boeding, steph@ewalu.org