Dear Stella: A Quilt Stitched with Friendship, Hope and Love
The story behind the Friendship Star quilt being raffled in support of the Manitoba Rett Syndrome Association.
In 2025, Joy, Stella’s grandmother, offered to make a quilt that we could raffle the following year to raise funds for the Manitoba Rett Syndrome Association. We immediately knew it would be special.
When Joy later shared the journal notes she had kept while creating the quilt, we realized that this was not only the story of a beautiful handmade quilt. It was a story about Stella, the meaning of friendship, and the many people whose kindness helped bring the quilt to life.
It Began with Stella
Joy’s quilting story began shortly after she retired and the pandemic started. She taught herself how to sew by making robes from bedsheets for medical staff. From there, she decided that if she could sew those, she could probably sew anything. Naturally, she began making quilts.
Her very first quilt was for her granddaughter Stella, who lives with Rett syndrome. Joy admits that she ordered entirely the wrong fabric online and did not research how to make the difficult design she had imagined. She borrowed a frame, quilted it by hand, and finished it in time for Christmas.
As she stitched, she thought about Stella, the colours in the fabric, their family, and how long the pandemic shutdowns might last. Unfortunately, that first quilt barely survived its first machine wash. The quilt may not have lasted, but the love behind it certainly did.
Years later, Joy decided she wanted to make another special quilt for Stella and for the Rett syndrome community. She offered to donate it to MRSA so it could be raffled in 2026. Stella’s mom, Jessica, brought the idea to us, and we were thrilled.
Joy, however, went from feeling excited to feeling, in her words, “a bit panicked.”
Finding the Right Design
Joy spent weeks poring over quilting books given to her by her friend Jean, an exceptional quilter. She also exchanged many messages with her friends, who sent pattern ideas, offered advice, and regularly asked about her progress, or lack of it.
She knew she wanted the quilt to include butterflies. Butterflies are often used as a symbol of Rett syndrome and represent hope and transformation. Joy also wanted the fabric to have a bit of a teenage feel because Stella is now officially a teenager.
Eventually, she found the sweetest fabric and ordered it from a quilt shop in Brandon, Manitoba. While placing the order, she noticed the name of the company that had made it: Dear Stella.
It felt as though the fabric was meant for her granddaughter.
When the fabric arrived, however, none of the patterns Joy had been considering seemed right. The beautiful material sat folded on her desk through Christmas. January passed into February while the collection of patterns and the pile of quilting books continued to grow.
Then Valentine’s Day arrived, and Joy found herself thinking about friendship.
Joy says Stella always receives so many valentines. Stella loves school. She rides her bike through the halls of Bison Drive School and connects with people wherever she goes.
Joy remembers picking her up one afternoon when a boy called from the school doors, “Stella! Hey, Stella! Hi, Stella!” Stella acknowledged him with what her grandmother describes as “the smile of a rock star,” and they continued to the car.
As Joy wrote in her journal, “Friendship takes so many forms. Where would we be without it?”
These moments and the many friendships surrounding Stella helped Joy recognize the meaning that had been missing from the quilt’s design.
Around that same time, Joy travelled to Camrose, Alberta, to say goodbye to a dear longtime friend who was ill. During the journey, she thought about the gift of friendship and how old friends can pick up the thread of their connection even when years have passed between visits.
Before returning home, Joy visited her friend Dianne. Their conversations about colour, fabric, and design helped Joy begin thinking about the quilt again.
The Friendship Star
Once home, Joy began reading about star block patterns, and suddenly the design came together.
Stella’s name means “star,” and, as her grandmother says, she certainly receives the star treatment at school.
Historically, Friendship Star blocks were often given as keepsakes to friends who were parting. A block might later be sewn into a quilt, becoming a practical and beautiful reminder of someone far away. It offered warmth, comfort, and a lasting connection.
Joy knew she had found the right pattern. The next day, she sewed the first of many Friendship Star blocks.
A Quilt Created Through Friendship
Friends helped Joy throughout the project, from choosing the fabric and finding the design to completing the final stitches.
One of those friends is the Artistic Director of Prairie Theatre Exchange and a friend from Joy’s high school years. Knowing she was an experienced quilter, Joy asked if she could recommend someone to complete the quilt using a long arm machine. Joy wanted the finished quilt to be as polished and beautiful as possible.
She did not hesitate. She offered to do the long arm quilting herself, at no cost, and even provided the batting.
How fitting that a Friendship Star quilt created for Stella would bring about so many acts of friendship, generosity, and kindness.
More Than a Quilt
This quilt began with Joy’s love for her granddaughter, but its meaning reaches much further.
It represents the family members, friends, neighbours, educators, medical professionals, researchers, advocates, industry partners, and community members who support people living with Rett syndrome and the families who love them.
In Joy’s words, they are all stars. They help shine a light on Rett syndrome while guiding, encouraging, and supporting our community.
MRSA would like to thank Joy for the extraordinary amount of time, thought, and love she put into creating this quilt. We would also like to thank everyone who shared their ideas, skills, time, and encouragement along the way.
The Friendship Star quilt will be raffled throughout September and October in support of the Manitoba Rett Syndrome Association. Every ticket purchased helps us continue raising awareness of Rett syndrome and supporting families in Manitoba.
Tickets are:
1 for $5
4 for $10
10 for $20
The draw will take place on October 29, 2026, at 8:00 p.m.
By purchasing a ticket, you are not only entering for the chance to take home a beautiful handmade quilt. You are becoming part of the friendship, care, and community stitched into every block.
As Joy wrote at the end of her journal, “Let us continue to shine, guide, and support each other.”
Shine on.
Purchase Raffle Tickets
Purchase tickets online through Rafflebox or scan the QR code below. LGCA 9677-RF-52470
