Wednesday, July 5, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Young quilter inspired to enter Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
What mother wouldn’t be
delighted to have her 10-year-
old son have a positive,
healthy male role model?
Erin Langan of Elmhurst,
Illinois discovered after com-
ing to the Sisters Outdoor
Quilt Show (SOQS) last
summer with her son Ben,
that Ben had met such a role
model while at the Quilt
Show.
Ben had the opportunity to
meet Rob Appell at the 2016
SOQS and was so inspired by
him that he decided to enter
a quilt in this year’s show.
Rather than enter his quilt in
the Next Generation category
for young people, Ben opted
to enter his “Boy Quilter v
1.0” in the Made by Men
exhibit. The quilt is priced for
sale at $400.
When informed by the
Quilt Show office of Ben’s
story and seeing his photo,
Appell responded, “You have
made my day. What a fantas-
tic quilt from this awesome
young man. I just love that I
get to inspire others to be cre-
ative. Sure hope I get to meet
Ben this summer.”
Not only is Appell a
good role model for a boy
interested in quilting, he is
also dedicated to the envi-
ronment and loves the ocean.
He is viewed as a high-
energy inspiration to those
in the world of quilting, who
uses his passion and talent
for quilting to help spread
awareness and to make a
difference.
In 2014, his quilt, “And
the Flag was Still There,”
was featured at SOQS in
the national touring exhibit
“Quilted in Honor.” The
exhibit, created by Island
Batik Fabrics, was intended
to raise funds for Operation
Homefront, an organization
that assists veterans.
Well, I am a man who
loves to sew and
I’m proud of it.
— Rob Appell
In 2015, Appell requested
permission to bring that quilt
back to the SOQS, when
he was featured as the 2016
Inspirational Instructor. He
certainly inspired young
Langan.
In the last year, Appell
started a GoFundMe cam-
paign to purchase back the
PHOTO PROVIDED
Ben Langan of Elmhurst, Illinois with his quilt “Boy Quilter v 1.0,” entered
in the Made by Men exhibit.
and creativity and have a
desire to teach, so I want to
share my passion with you
… Where creativity meets
caffeine. Welcome to Man
Sewing.”
His description of himself
sounds like a good résumé for
a role model.
“I’m a guy with boundless
energy and enthusiasm for
life and creativity. I love God,
my wife, son and daughter. I
enjoy waking up excited each
day to see what lies ahead.
I’m happiest when I’m out-
side or in my studio. I have
been told that I inspire oth-
ers, and for that I feel very
blessed.”
We’ll take your breath away...
The Showroom
@
quilt, with all funds col-
lected going to Operation
Homefront.
Appell has said, “Once the
goal has been met, the quilt
will be back in my posses-
sion permanently, so that I
can continue to tell its story
and continue to raise aware-
ness about the mission of
Operation Homefront.”
Appell spent 15 years as
a sewing machine mechanic
after helping out in his moth-
er’s quilt shop, The Cotton
Ball, in Moro Bay, California.
He started making Hawaiian
shirts, the scraps of which he
used to make quilts, learn-
ing by trial and error, Now
after 20 years in the indus-
try, he has designed quilts
for Michael Miller Fabrics
as well as written several
books, created numerous
quilt patterns (including the
Endangered Species Quilt
Project), invented sewing and
quilting tools, and occasion-
ally services sewing machines
in his studio.
Appell has gained a large
following with his Man
Sewing tutorials “every
manly Monday.” He explains
Man Sewing by saying,
“Well, I am a man who loves
to sew and I’m proud of it.
I’m passionate about sewing
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