Almost two and a half years ago, Yankee Trace neighbor Molly Kara needed a hobby. She’d just had a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy after learning she carried a BRCA gene mutation that put her at a higher lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancers. When Molly was 6 years old, her mother had breast cancer. Her preventative surgery would minimize her risk, but it would also come with significant physical and emotional challenges. “I needed something to help me discover myself again,” shares Molly, who began pouring herself into quilting. “I bought a little sewing machine and found the Support Group Quilt Pattern online,” she says. “I decided I was going to make it for myself.”

 

The Support Group Quilt Pattern by designer Lori Holt honors Lori’s mother, who survived breast cancer, and has contributed to raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation for more than a decade. This quilt features images of bras and honors the supportive friends who show up in hard times. Molly taught herself how to quilt, made the Support Group Quilt, and then decided she would do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day—a 60-mile walk to raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and promote awareness to fight breast cancer. “I brought the quilt with me to Chicago in September 2023 and held it up after the race,” reports Molly, who raised more than $5,000 for the cause and met many amazing people.

 

Molly no longer uses her “little” sewing machine. She has upgraded a couple of times to keep up with her hobby. “I quilt every day,” she reveals, adding that she has traveled to Missouri for lectures and North Carolina for quilting shows, has taken quilting classes, and has met fabric designers from all over the world. She can complete a quilt in two to three days, and besides the few quilts she’s gifted close friends for baby showers, Molly keeps her work for herself. Her creative process and beautiful finished quilts, folded neatly in stacks on top of her fabric cabinet, are part of the therapy that helps her process her journey. 

 

Molly’s therapeutic hobby has inspired her love for fabrics. “It’s a whole hobby in itself,” she smiles. “I am a bit of a fabric snob. I only sew with one brand, Ruby Star Society, a fabric company of empowered women creators. Their fabric is super modern and funky and weird, and I fell in love with it and what they stand for.” Molly has met the designers, who often feature her quilts on Instagram. 

 

Losing herself in quilting is one of Molly’s greatest joys. “I like being able to see the physical process of my work,” says the wife of Ryan and mom of two young daughters, Amelia and Addison. “I can see how much work I’ve gotten done. As a parent, I can work hard and not visually see what I’ve accomplished. When I am quilting, I can just be Molly and not a mom or wife.” Molly is also proud to see her progress in committing to her health and losing 100 pounds in the past year.

 

Molly, a Beavercreek native who moved into Yankee Trace this year, welcomes anyone who wants to get together and quilt to contact her at 937-626-7129. “I would love to gather and sew together,” she expresses. And she reminds all women to stay on top of their breast health—especially those who have a family history of breast cancer.