Laura Boehnke, former employee and quilt tester for American Patchwork and Quilting magazine, died Monday, July 24 at home of unknown causes. Since most of you are quilters and are likely familiar with Laura’s work, I thought you’d like to know. Her funeral is Saturday, July 29, 10:30 am at St, Johns Lutheran east of Garner.
You will be so missed by so many of us. Our condolences to Bill and their 4 boys.
These are hard days, indeed. If I’m feeling stunned and spun around, I can only imagine how you’re feeling. Sending love, and prayers. Thinking this is a good time and a hard time for me to be starting a meditation practice. Finding a “quiet mind” is difficult, but sending healing thoughts is not.
Sorry to hear of Laura. Always looked forward to changes.
Oh so sad. I loved her tester quilts for American Patchwork; sometimes I liked them better than the originals!! Thoughts and prayers to all of those who knew her. Diane in Central Ohio
Oh my goodness. I am extremely sorry to hear this news. I only “know” Laura through her amazing work in APQ – I did not know she was a former employee. Condolences to you on the loss of your friend Mary. I am thinking of you during this difficult time and wishing you strength and peace in the days ahead.
I am so sorry to hear this. I have long admired her work. My condolences to her family, friends , and the quilting community.
So sad. She was so young.
I always enjoyed seeing her samples in AmPwrk. Sending warm thoughts to her family and her huge quilting family as she will be so missed.
So sorry to hear this sad news! I love seeing her work in American Patchwork . My sympathies to you and her family.
Oh no. Sorry to hear. Thank you for sharing
Yes, very sad news. I always enjoyed her contributions to American Quilting.
I am so sorry to hear this. I knew Laura Boehnke only through her outstanding work for APQ. Very often her test quilts were more to my liking than the featured quilt. I send my deepest sympathy to all of you from Garner and Country Threads.
I follow your blog each time you post. I regret until this day that a visit to Country Threads was never marked as complete on my “Bucket List”. I retired around the same time you retired and closed the shop.
So sorry to read this…I loved her version of the quilts featured in APQ.. Condolences to the family and thanks to you for sharing.
Your news is so sad. She looked to be quite young. I did not follow her in AQ but now I will look for her articles in past magazines. This has not been a good summer so far for you Mary. Sure hope it perks up.
So very sad, prayers for her family & friends
Thank you for telling us about Laura. I will pass this along to my quilting friends. We will miss all her lovely work.
What apalling news! How tragic! I will miss her work in APQ. Condolences to you and to all Laura’s family and friends.
OHHow sad, have followed her for years. I am saddened and send condolenses to her family. She was too young to pass.
Oh how sad for her family. I loved all her alternate color schemes. She will be missed.
Such sad news. My thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.
So sad to hear, what a wonderful talent she had. My deepest sympathy to her friends and family
My condolences to her family. Her beautiful interpretation of fabric and color will be missed. Sad news.
Such sad news….prayers for her family.
So sad to hear this. She will be sorely missed 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
So sad to hear the news of Laura, my heartfelt condolences to you and her family! I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. Life is precious!
So sorry to hear about this. I always enjoyed seeing her work in American Patchwork and Quilting. She will be missed.
So sad to hear, she was amazing–when I was Program Chair at my former quilt guild, Laura came and gave a presentation, she was such a kind and giving person. Loved her work and eye for color!
WOW. I’ve always loved her work and marveled with the alternate ways she came up with to use a pattern.
Oh my!!! That is so sad! She will be so missed by the quilting world and her family. Sending prayers to her family.
Oh, this is so sad! I remembered when she worked with you and then the magazine. I always wished I had her ability to”see” alternatives beyond the first creation.
Keeping you all tucked safely into my thoughts and prayers.
My condolences. She had my dream jobs, first, working with you, then with the Better Homes and Garden’s family of magazines. I know that she leaves a large hole in the universe for her family and friends.
So sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed Laura change of colors in the quilt magazine. Sending healing thoughts and prayers.
Connie and Mary,
Laura always credited the start of her career in the quilting world to the two of you and your shop. Thanks for cultivating her incredible talent at an early stage. Her loss to those who knew and loved her is immeasurable. My heart aches. Jennifer
Jennifer – Laura was always so generous in her thanks to Country Threads but she was the creative mind all on her own. Can’t imagine how much you’ll miss her talent at the magazine! I hope you’ll make mention of her passing in a future issue. I am so so sad to think she is gone. Thanks for your comment.
Jennifer – sorry, I know you’re at Martingale – meant to say – they will miss her at the magazine.
I am so saddened to hear this. I was fortunate enough to hear her speak once, and she was wonderful.
She always had great taste in changing up fabrics. She will truly be missed. 🙏🏻
I am sorry to read this news and I am sorry that you have lost a friend. I always liked her work in APQ magazine. She had a talent for changing patterns and colors.
So sorry to hear this. I remember her waiting on me at the shop and always looked forward to seeing how she would change the fabric colors. She was a sweetheart.
sending lots of quilty hugs and prayers for you and for laura’s family and friends. i always enjoyed seeing her renditions of the quilts. she had a fabric talent that so many people don’t have – the ability to see a pattern in a different fabric line or genre. take care of you, patti in florida
Prayers for her family!
I am sure sorry to hear about Laura. He last son can’t be very old. I met her once when some of us were up at a retreat and she was having her sale. Such a nice person.
Also sorry to hear about your dog problems. Jack Russells are usually pretty high maintenance dogs. So cute though. Hang in there it will work out. Love you Katie
Maybe you could provide an address so we could send a sympathy card to her husband and sons?
She did a lot of quilt samples for magazines, didn’t she? A very talented lady. Not very old. So sorry to hear this. Prayers for her family.
Such sad news! I met her in 2007, I think, at Quilt Market in Minneapolis. She was so sweet. I remember I told her how much I love her “alternate colorway” samples in American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. She was very talented & will definitely be missed by many. Prayers for her family. So sad!
That is sad news about Laura. She was very talented. I only knew of her from reading the quilt magazine. She opened up more options with color and placement. I do hope your days are slowly mending with the farm and animals. You are in our thoughts here in Texas.
I am so sorry to hear of her passing. I so enjoyed her makeover of the quilts from the magazine. Condolences to her family.
This is so sad…so sorry to hear that Laura has passed away. I always loved seeing her alternative colors of quilts in the magazine. A big loss for sure!
So sorry. My sympathy to her family. She will be missed. Loved the color changes she came up with in the quilts.
Loved her work. So sorry to hear that.
That is sad news. I looked for color changes for a quilt that was displayed in a quilting article in many magazines. She did beautiful work and her color selections great. I didn’t realize she lived in IA either.
Praying for comfort for her husband and family and her many friends and followers.
Thanks for sharing this news.
This is when I hate being grown-up – too young, so loved and so very much talent that she shared w/ the world. Tragic!
I’m sorry to hear of your loss of a colleague and friend.
So sorry for the family’s loss…….and loss to the quilting community. I have your “Country Threads” shop book in which she has a quilt and an article, so I know she got her “start” with you two. I have always enjoyed her part in the magazine in each issue and well as Quilt Sampler.
OMG how sad , the quilting world has lost a wonderful quilter and friend. My heart and prayers to her family. Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. I am at a loss for more words.
Oh no, how very sad! So many of us will miss her and the quilting talents she shared. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for her family and loved ones. Love and prayers of sympathy and hope to all of them. ❤️
Mary, I don’t think I knew who Laura was, however, you didn’t need to suffer this loss on top of your other problems. “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away”. May you and her family and other friends find comfort in the good memories you all have of her. Heartfelt hugs, hang in there.
Felicia – did you ever buy a copy of the Quilt magazine American Patchwork and Quilting? Laura was their test quilter for many years. Another sad note – one of my goats, Charlene, died yesterday. Will it never end?
Such a loss. I’ve always loved Laura’s fabric choices and turned to those before reading the articles! I’m so sorry that I never passed that on to her. Hopefully, I will learn from this because often tomorrow doesn’t come.
I, too, would like somewhere to send a card to her family. Possibly we could send them to you, Mary, and you could deliver them for us.
Such a sad loss. Family, be at peace.
Gosh, Mary. So sorry to hear this. Prayers for peace.
So sorry for your loss, Connie and Mary. She was way too young. As one writer said, often tomorrow doesn’t come and we should make the most of every moment. I’m thinking of you, Mary, and your problems with your dogs and now your poor goat! I’m praying that things will start getting better now. Enough is enough! You need a break and hopefully the light will shine through at the end of this tunnel.
Janice in MA
Janice – thanks for those kind thoughts – not everyone has been so thoughtful!
I’m so sorry to hear of this loss. She was a gifted quilter and I loved her choice of fabrics for the tester quilts. I will miss her contribution to this magazine.
Bev
I am so shocked. Laura has been there for so long, her work has been so inspiring. My condolences to her family.
I loved Laura’s work– what a talent for working with fabric and new colorways..I am so so sorry for what you are going through with Hazel and now the loss of one of your goats.. it does seem like it will never end for you….my sympathy Luara’s family……
I’m so sorry to hear about Laura. She had a wonderful talent in choosing colors. What beautiful work she did! My sympathy to her family. I’m sorry to hear about Charlene. This has been some year in Iowa and Wisconsin. Things can only get better from now on.
I have been praying for Laura, her family and her boys. I have included you and your quilt family having to deal with, yet another, sad incident. Hope all gets better for you. You deserve it. Someone recently told me to buy a lotto ticket and my luck will change. Too many surgeries. On another note, if you can do a search on your PC, look up Ceasar Millan = The Dog Whisper – he recently had an episode on what you described with a dog like Hazel. Partly due to jeasously and the breed. The dog had to be removed from the enviroment and put with other dogs for correction and go to therapy temporarily. Hope this helps you. I have had nothing to do during my recovery but watch TV. He also has books or check with your library Hope this helps you. My prayers are still with you and all having to deal with you r current loss. Just received my current APQ.
“Be still and know I am your God”. I know you know this Mary, He will give you the strength to cope with all of these losses. However, it is hard to lose dear friends and pets. Big hugs and prayers.
Mary please know you’re in my thoughts everyday as I go to check your posts. The weather you’ve been hit with was so devastating.. your sweet dogs are breaking your heart in two. The loss of a wonderful friend…and now the passing of Charlene. You must feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders I have no magical words to say. Just know there are a lot of friends who care so deeply about you. May your happiness return to your heart soon ♥️
So sorry to hear about your dear friend. You have had such a difficult summer. From your pet problems to your losses in the barn and loss of friends. I have enjoyed your blogs. Don’t loose faith in society. There is mean and sick people in the world. God doesnt give us more than we can handle. Please let us know how the situation with your pups are. I enjoy hearing from you. You are always joyful and you uplift my day.
I was so sorry to see of Laura’s passing in APQ magazine. For years I wanted to grow up to be just like her.