Marci sighs, scanning the room as she tucks the last scraps of fabric into their bins. Other quilters do the same, chatting about ideas for their next project.
A trace of nostalgia flickers in her eyes. For over 40 years, Marci has been part of the quilt world — mastering techniques, refining her efficiency and meeting each challenge with creativity and care. Her quilting career— teaching, writing and traveling the world seemed to be going places but then inexplicably slowed down. She didn’t understand why God would give her these talents but not expect her to continue with her efforts.
Fast forward a few years – Marci now partners with Marisol Health Northern Colorado, a Catholic Charities health clinic in Fort Collins that delivers women’s health care, counseling and family support services, encompassing gynecological, prenatal, delivery and postpartum care. Each quilt, stitched with love, dedication and prayer, is given to a mother as a reminder that she is valued, loved and seen as a child of God.
After her father passed away in 2022, Marci felt called to do something new with her love of fabric. Drawing inspiration from her parents’ lives of generosity, in 2023 she launched YES Quilts whose mission is to enfold the woman who is challenged with an unplanned pregnancy into a caring, loving and comforting acceptance. Through the making and gifting of a quilt, quilters, care providers and other community members come together to provide this unique support to say YES, or “You’re Each Special.”
That’s why the partnership with Marisol Health Northern Colorado means so much.
With a background in mathematics and engineering, Marci has always had a knack for figuring out an easier way to achieve similar, if not better results for quilting. Over the years, she has written and published 11 quilting books and developed several tools to help others save time and materials with better precision. Because her career was not as intense when her parents and in-laws faced declining health, Marci was able to choose to help care for them. For five years, she poured her time and energy into service which brought about a quieter, more reflective season that reshaped her perspective.
“When you’re serving others, you realize what really matters.” Sharing the care of her parents with her siblings, the bonds in their family grew stronger. With greater understanding of the talents that they each had been given, they learned to love even more.
To start her ministry, she purchased a long arm quilting machine and acquired 13 quilts from the Longmont Quilt Guild with the inheritance from her parents. YES Quilts is passionate about connecting generous quilters with life-affirming clinics that meet these women where they are and when they so desperately need a hug.
“Every quilt is a quilted hug with a message. It tells her that she’s not alone — that someone cares.”
Her ministry soon grew beyond donation. Marci began teaching others to quilt, partnering with groups such as RamCatholic — the Catholic student organization for Colorado State University students at St. John XXIII Catholic Church in Fort Collins. Over a series of sessions, new quilters choose patterns, cut blocks and piece together quilt tops, which Marci and volunteers complete with her long arm machine. After only two semesters, students made and donated seven quilts with six more in progress, despite their busy schedules.
For Marci, YES Quilts is about more than fabric and thread. It’s about creating community and wrapping others in love, one stitch at a time. On several occasions, quilters have told her how they have always wanted to help but didn’t know how to get involved. Some have shared their stories of having been there, in that desperate situation and how this gesture would have made a difference for them.
“I am always so honored to present the quilts as a very special gift to our new patients as they begin their journey into motherhood,” said Patty, our receptionist at Marisol Health Northern Colorado. “May it bring them joy and comfort and remind them of the love and support surrounding them at this special time.”
Looking back, Marci now knows that God’s plan was for her to be able to choose to serve her parents. Had her career continued to grow, she would not have had that opportunity. Now Marci’s legacy grows in every quilt that is donated, every student she teaches and every mother who feels the warmth of being seen, loved and cherished.
Visit YESquilts.org to learn more about this growing ministry. Please pray for the success of the program and, if you are interested in participating as a quilter, as an organization serving pregnant women or with monetary support, please contact her at marci@yesquilts.org.
