'Never had this happen before': Woman searching for special quilt believed to be stolen

A cherished gift from grandmother to grandson has gone missing, and it's believed to have been stolen.

The Tangled Threads Quilt Guild based in Neepawa, Man. hosted a quilt show, the 25th anniversary edition, on Nov. 25 and 26.

The president of the guild, Lane Englund, decided to hang three quilts she made outside of the Knox Presbyterian Church, where the event was being held, to help showcase the show.

Of the quilts on display, there was an alphabet dinosaur design that she made for her grandson, who is now 21, when he was little. She said he graciously lent it to her to show off for the weekend.

Unfortunately, it wasn't before long that the dinosaur quilt went missing.

"Someone definitely saw it at 11:15 a.m. and it was gone by 11:25 a.m.," said Englund.

She said people started searching for it, but it couldn't be found.

"The other two quilts that were on the line, I would have given to anybody who asked for them, but not that one."

She doesn't think the quilt just blew away, as it was hanging off both sides of the clothes line. She also pointed out that each clothes pin holding the quilt in place was put back onto the clothes line.

Englund says it's upsetting and frustrating to know the quilt was stolen, considering she has hung quilts outside for shows in the past.

An alphabet dinosaur quilt that Lane Englund had made for her grandson when he was little. It is believed to have been stolen from a quilt show in Neepawa. Dec. 9, 2022. (Source: Lane Englund)

"We have been at the church on Worldwide Quilting Day, which is a Saturday in mid to late-March, and we've hung quilts over the line at the church. We've hung quilts on the fence at the church. We've laid quilts on the lawn at the church. We've had quilts hanging on our veranda and our balconies and our fences at home, and we've never had this happen before."

In the hopes of finding it, members of the guild put out a call on Facebook, asking everyone to share the information online. Englund has also put up posters around town, including in front of schools, and has taken an ad out in the newspaper.

Englund isn't sure why someone would steal the quilt, but if it was because they are cold this winter, she has a solution.

"(The guild) has volunteered to make a quilt if there is somebody that needs one, so I have put that word out as widely as I can."

She hopes the quilt is eventually returned and said she appreciates the support from the community to help find it.