As quilters, we make quilts for a variety of reasons. Perhaps a friend or relative is awaiting the arrival of a new baby. A couple you know is getting married. A friend or relative is ill or infirmed and a quilt would bring them comfort. A quilt is going to be raffled to raise money for a charity. Whatever the reason, I have found quilters to be a very giving bunch!
A couple of months ago, our quilt club decided to make quilts for children in our county who have been removed from their homes and placed into foster care. The reasons for removal vary widely. But, for most of them, one thing is the same, they leave that house with little or nothing. Some children leave with only the clothes on their backs. In cases of a drug riddled house, the child is bathed and their clothes must be disposed of due to drug contamination.
A Sherriff’s deputy must accompany the DHR worker to the home when a child is to be removed. So, our quilt club decided to make quilts to give to the county Sherriff’s Department. Each child who is removed will receive a quilt to keep for their very own.
A DHR worker shared the need for tote bags or satchels as well. That way, the child has a way to keep his or her things together. So, our group will make quilts with matching totes. If the quilt is gender specific, we’ll tie a pink or blue ribbon on the handle so that the deputy can know in an instant which tote to take.
Our quilt club had a Sit and Sew day recently to work on our donation quilts. It was a great time of uninterrupted sewing and wonderful fellowship. Some used patterns downloaded from the website of an organization called quiltsforkids.org. They have several free patterns available and give suggestions as to size and amount of quilting, etc. Some used their own patterns, and others bought cheater’s cloth (quilted material that only needs binding sewn on). No matter how the quilts and totes get made, they will bring comfort to children in the near future.
The featured quilt for this post is the one I worked on at the Sit and Sew day. It features Doc McStuffins themed fabric and four-patch units. I still need to quilt it, and then, I’ll use the same teal border fabric for the binding.
I thought this fabric will make a fun boys quilt.
Giving quilts to children in foster care is just one way to help children. There is a myriad of ways to bring comfort and happiness to a child in need. The PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) of your local hospital is another great place to donate quilts for children. The gift of a quilt is a blessing to the maker as well as the recipient!
The tip I’d like to share with you today is a very handy one.
Slip an old, worn cutting mat under your sewing machine. It protects your surface and it already has a ruler on it so you can measure your units and blocks as you go.
Here’s my sewing area with my old mat. It works great! I can pin units together right at my sewing station and measure them to make sure my piecing is accurate! My pressing board is just the right size to fit next to me for easy pressing of seams.
Today has been a good day for sewing and sharing.
Perhaps you have a charity that you make quilts for. Share your charity ideas in the comments below.
Remember, March 31st is the last day that you can get any of my PDF quilt patterns for 10% off! Just use the coupon code “grandma”. Visit my shop today! You might just find the perfect pattern for your next charity quilt!
Happy quilting!
Diane