Tuesday, February 13, 2024

February 2024 Work Day Recap

What a beautiful weekend for sewing and fellowship!  The sun was out but the temperatures were cold so what better way to spend several hours than playing with fabric and laughing with friends.  The focus was on our new service project.  We've been asked to make altar cloths for churches in Ghana.  Our donation of quilt tops is going to come in handy as they will be a bright and colorful start to this project.

The details of the project are that we're going to try and finish 125 to 150 small quilt tops that will be sent to Ghana to be used as altar cloths in their new churches.  These people are hungry to learn about Jesus, traveling for many miles on foot to church services.  Lutheran Church of Hope is working to build even more churches in Ghana and our quilts will be a spot of brightness on the altar of these churches.

So our job, quilt and bind 125 to 150 quilt tops!  And you gals are jumping in enthusiastically!  A couple gals quickly put 20 of these quilts on their long arms and they were at Hope Quilters this weekend ready for binding and labels.  Mary Helen and I put binding and backs together with quilt tops for others to work on.  Another couple of gals helped some people pin their first quilts.  We turned in 4 completed altar cloths this month but people took home several more to complete so I can't wait to see the results in March!

It wasn't all altar cloths this weekend.  Show and Tell once again demonstrated your talent and love of quilting.  Be sure to take a look at the PHOTOS.  Your quilts will be delivered to Families Forward, LSI, Door of Faith, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and Agape.  I kept two for the auction.  You are also being prolific with the reading pillows.  I have inquired at MIssions if there are other agencies who would benefit from these.  We know how well they are appreciated at Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  What a great use of our fabric scraps!

Missing out on our January monthly meeting due to a snowstorm only made our finished projects pile that much higher!  See you next month!

Monday, December 11, 2023

December 2023 Work Day Recap

 As we close out the year I want to thank you all for your wonderful servant hearts.  This post includes the December meeting highlights and a summary of the year past and a glimpse into the year ahead.  We were blessed with several new faces this year.  It's great to see the enthusiasm of new quilters.  Also thankful to see confidence growing in many of you that you are now becoming THE HELPER!  Some of you just crank out quilts, loving what you are doing (when do some of you sleep??).  Others of you just step in and do whatever is needed to support the activity of the day.  You are all loved and valued for your servant hearts, and a prayer for peace, comfort, and inspiration be upon you in this Christmas season and into the New Year. 

An unexpectedly large crowd showed up this weekend, but then again, you gals never disappoint!  You showed up in force to finish projects and help stuff the book pillows.  An HQ member and her hubby have been doing these pillows pretty exclusively but we all pitched in today to help, finishing 50 pillows!  They are so simple and fun to pick out fabrics, sew, and finish.  We will continue these and will start to look for other outlets for the book pillows in the new year ahead.

Twenty-nine quilts were turned in to Missions for delivery to LSI, Yess, Hawthorne Hills, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Primary Healthcare, Hope Ministries, and the NICU at Blank.  

As we concluded the 2023 Panel challenge there were several cool ideas shared in Show and Tell.  Take a look at the photo page on the blog.

2024 Challenge:  Everyone who wants to participate can join the challenge!  We'll get lots of practice with Half-Square triangles, made into blocks that will go into a quilt at the end of the year.  Using up lots of our pre-cut tubs that could use some thinning out.  Contact Jody for pattern instructions if interested.

Here is the final count of our donations for the year.  We couldn't do this without the regular support of Alyssa, Micheal, and Nicole at Hope Waukee, Creative Arts ministry, Missions ministry (batting), and our favorite local quilt shop, The Iowa Quilt Block.  It is a delight to be blessed with donations from friends, family, and random others who've heard about us at Hope or just through connections you have at work, on social media, and more.  Those who need to offload the burden of unused fabrics find comfort in a group that they know can put them to good use.  Of course, there are also all of you donating your time, talents, some of your own funds, and likely your stash to make sure we have what we need to keep doing what we love to do.  This year we had some big donations of machines from people who just wanted to know that their things were being used.  This generated enough funds that we could buy our own batting a couple of times.  You are a blessing to this world, Praise the Lord! 

 2023 Contribution List

Hope Ministries                                                                       10
Families Forward (Hawthorne Hill/Bidwell Riverside)          63
YESS                                                                                       30
LSI                                                                                           55
PHC                                                                                           3
Bible Camp Auctions                                                              19
JOPPA                                                                                     13
Care Ministry                                                                          13
Agape                                                                                      23
Blank NICU                                                                            19
Missions trips                                                                          17
Lutheran World Relief                                                              2
SHP (Sleep in Heavenly Peace)                                              50

That's 317 quilts!   The quilts that went to the auctions helped raise $4515 for camp programs and scholarships.

 Additionally, we share donations with others who will use what we can't use.

  • Many Hands Thrift:  This store's mission is similar to ours as proceeds go to support local missions.  
  • Lutheran World Relief:   Another Lutheran organization that makes quilts that are distributed in times of distress throughout the world welcomes most anything we can provide them.
  • Dress a Girl Around the World who makes dresses for girls throughout the world
  • My Brother's Keeper who makes blankets for the homeless.
  • Animal Rescues: 39 beds made from fabric donations and filled with scraps.

It really feels so good to review the blessings we've been given and what we can share with others in need.  Looking forward to whatever the new year puts in front of us.  Here's to our journey together♥️

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

November 2023 Work Day Recap

What a pleasant weekend spent with friends!  The crowd was a little smaller than normal but those present were fully engaged!  Loved seeing you gals dig into the blankets for JOPPA.  We ended up with 11 warm blankets to deliver.  This cleared out several donations that have been made recently and a few bins we've had on the shelves.  Additional flannel was given to other groups for making quilts for Lutheran World Relief and more blankets for the homeless.  And of course, there is never any waste as the scraps and older, thinner fabric went for stuffing for the reading pillows!

39 quilts and blankets were shared at Show and Tell.  Be sure to take a look at the blog's PHOTO section in a few days to see them all.  Congratulations to a couple of gals for finishing and contributing your first service quilts!  It's fun to see you learn and become more comfortable in your quilting.  It's been very inspiring to the group to watch your enthusiasm.  

Thanks to those who took some of the older kits!  We've made a good dent in those.  In December we are going to look at some of the other bins that have been stagnant for a while.  It's always fun to see what's been hiding in the closet!  Who knows what your creative minds might be inspired to try next๐Ÿ’“.

A special volunteer day for our group was spent building beds (and also friendships ๐Ÿ˜ƒ) in October, at an event for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  A small time-commitment, approximately 2.5 hours spent, and children from our local area will have an actual bed to sleep on this month!  If anyone wants to find ways to help out, go to their website for more details on how you can get involved.






Happy Thanksgiving and...don't eat too much turkey!

Monday, October 16, 2023

October 2023 Work Day Recap

For having nothing special on our agenda for the weekend, it turned out to be another high-activity and hugely productive couple of Sew Days.  It's easy to assume that "productive" indicates quilt output.  While that certainly is not false (64 since the last meeting), it's also a time of building additional relationships amongst the group.  We had two newcomers who walked in cautiously optimistic but left feeling excited about coming back.  Several felt comfortable sharing some of their rawest pain in their request for prayers.  Others were thankful for answered prayers.  This group is not just about making quilts.  It's so much more.  

We were also productive in gathering, sorting, and sharing several different donations this month.  While we are blessed to get these donations, many find peace seeing their loved items being loved by someone else.  And there were 27 people attending over the weekend.  It was so good seeing so many faces!

Discussed at the meeting: 

·  Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build

·  Longarm in use!

·  2024 Meeting and Retreat dates

Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bed Build October 21

This year, the group decided to volunteer to make beds for  Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  This is an organization that we make quilts and reading pillows for.  We also wanted to learn more about the organization and volunteer in another way.  So this fall we will be meeting on October 21 to make beds.  Check out Sleep in Heavenly Peace's website, if you are interested in getting involved in providing beds for the hundreds of children who have no comfortable place to lay their heads at night. 

Long-arm Quilting Machine

The group has been blessed with a long-arm machine that a member has set up in her home.  She is being very generous and has offered to let anyone who wants to try out long-arm quilting to come join her in her sewing room!  This is one of those opportunities to "build additional relationships amongst the group!"  Don't hesitate to take her up on her offer!

2024 dates

Hard to believe but we are already thinking about next year.  Here are the dates for next year, to put on your calendar.  They will also be in the sidebar of the blog.  Remember, we meet on the 2nd Saturday and the Friday before (it's not always the 2nd Friday).  The retreat dates are included as well. 

Monthly Meetings and Retreat Dates 2024:

January 12 and 13

January 25, 26, 27  Retreat

Feb 9 and 10

Mar  8 and 9

Apr 12 and 13

Apr 25, 26, 27  Retreat

May 10 and 11

June 7 and 8

July 12 and 13

Aug 9 and 10

Sept 12, 13, 14 Retreat

Oct 11 and 12

Nov 8 and 9

Dec 13 and 14

Thank you for checking out the blog, and as we like to say, "Go forth and sew!"

PS-Don't forget to go look at the PHOTOS page!

Sunday, August 20, 2023

August 2023 Work Day Recap

Despite it being summer, all of you are still willing and able to work on your mission quilts!  We even had a great turnout despite the fair and vacations.  We dropped off 22 quilts that will be delivered to  Sleep in Heavenly Peace, YESS, Bidwell Riverside, Hawthorne Hills, and LSI.  The 7 dog beds are not only another example of your service but also an indicator of your prolific work!!  And now our scraps are also being turned into book pillows.  PHOTOS here!

We had a generous financial donation this month which was perfect timing as we also needed to purchase batting.  Always a blessing that we can make our batting go further by saving those big pieces you cut off your quilts and either sew or tape them together for use in a smaller quilt.  As batting, as well as shipping continues to go up, we can do our part to use everything effectively.  It's also a wonderful feeling to know that God continues to provide for this, our biggest expense!

Word went out about some of the groups of fabric that could use some attention and you delivered!!  One member is making several patriotic quilts and another took home several to make into a cute pattern because she loves the Red/White/Blue.  A couple other members stopped by and each took the pillowcase kits and some yardage for pillowcases.  A bin of masculine prints was opened and the thought that they would make some great guy quilts was born.  Turning Twenty will be great with these big prints but we didn't have time to make any kits.  While the next month will be a retreat instead of a meeting, all the fabric and the closet will be available to us.  If you need some new inspiration, take a look at some of the bins in the closet and see what treasures you can find. 

Speaking of September, the retreat will be on September 7, 8, and 9.  The key difference is that we will add an additional day of sewing on Thursday.  A group dinner of pizza is planned for Friday night.  There won't be a Saturday meeting but if you're just coming to visit feel free to drop by anytime.  And please hold your finished quilts until October.  Look for details in the upcoming email. 

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer!

Saturday, July 15, 2023

July 2023 Work Day Recap

It was a full house this weekend at Hope Quilters.  And that was even before the invited guests showed up!  We emptied the entire flat of tables and had to organize them strategically to fit in the room.   One big happy quilting family! 

Nearly everyone started in on our special project right away.  Quilt As You Go blocks were made with scrappy, bright kids' fabrics.  Great way to use up scraps of cotton as well as batting.  Even old flannel worked.  I forgot to count how many extra guests we had but those that came had fun. It's always nice to put faces to names.  By the end of the day on  Saturday we had enough for probably 10 blankets.  Don't worry if you didn't get in on the fun.  We still have some supplies left if you want to try making one. 

From THIS...


...to THIS!

Devotions and Show and Tell contained wonderful fellowship as always.  Our Devotions contributor gal always comes up with the most appropriate devotion.  It's very inspiring to see this group feels comfortable sharing their joys and concerns with each other.  There are some powerful pray-ers in the group and we know that God answers prayers.  

We had 20 quilts to show.  PHOTOS here.  We designated them for LSI, Agape Pregnancy, Primary Health Care, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.   Our Auction quilts have been delivered and will be on display on the Camp websites.  

Okoboji: https://www.okoboji.org/2023quilts  I noticed our quilts in both the Online and Live auction sections

Riverside: https://www.riversidelbc.org/5k-and-quilt-day:  They do not have the 2023 quilts uploaded yet but you'll find them here soon.

A new endeavor has been added to the list of projects Hope Quilters are involved in.  Pocket Pillows.  As the name suggests, they are pillows that have a pocket that will hold a children's book or two.  These will be given to children who get a Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed and quilt.  

Finally, a friendly reminder of the change in our September schedule.  September 7, 8, and 9 will be a retreat instead of our normal monthly meeting.  Be sure to put this extra Thursday on your calendar so you can join us.  Hope to see you in August and at the September Retreat!

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

June 2023 Work Day Recap

Many thanks for those of you who helped get the auction quilts ready to go.  We are donating 9 quilts each to Riverside and Okoboji Quilt Auctions that will take place on August 4th.  Photos of Auction quilts will be on the blog HERE!  All the other quilts can be found HERE.

Several also got involved in putting together packets for our Family and Friends Event happening July 7.  This is going to be fun.  Everyone is welcome to join whether bringing a guest or not. The objective is to expose friends and family to what we are all about by getting them involved in a quilt project.  Who knows, we may find some new members along the way!  We'll be sewing Friday night with dinner at 6:00, however, feel free to bring your guest anytime.  

We had a great Show and Tell.  There were 31 finished quilts turned in and shared with Missions for distribution to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, LSI, Door of Faith, YESS and more will be going with the teams building houses as part of Home of Hope mission trips.  (This 31 is on top of the 18 we had for the auction!)

Thanks for those helping to deliver dog beds, auction quilts, thrift store, and missions.  And clean up was a breeze.  Thanks to stepping in and just getting it done.  But to all of you, thanks for continuing to support our mission with your quilting, and your prayers, by strengthening relationships with your fellow sisters and just all around making the world a better place because of your beautiful spirits.

Have a good summer!