December 2022 Work Day Recap

What a wonderful way to end the year!  We had a great turnout. A Soup Luncheon was held on Saturday.  It was so nice to take time to slow down, dine and visit!  And such good food as well.  Thanks to all who contributed.  Several gals shared crafty Christmas gifts.  Reindeer, coasters, earrings, cookies.....this group is so creative and generous!

At the end of the year, it's fun to look back on the year's events and activities.  It's amazing to see all that we've accomplished and the fun that we've had.  There have been successes to celebrate but some tough times as well where we've had to lean on one another.  It's wonderful to have this group of women to lean on!

Donations

There were 32 quilts shared at Show and Tell this month.  Here are the PHOTOS.  Missions group delivered these to YESS, Agape, LSI, Bidwell, Joppe, and SHP.  We also had a few more veteran quilts.   

I also wanted to share our totals for the year.  We don't have a goal or any expectations from anyone.  I believe that God provides and that if we serve joyfully many great things will happen.  I think these numbers demonstrate faithfully these two aforementioned beliefs.  We've been blessed with several donations of fabric.  It's always fun to work with nice fabrics but quality fabric also ensures that quilts will last for the recipients.  Having outlets that will take any fabric we can't use is also a blessing, both for us and for them.  Some people are just thankful that we can find a good home for something that was once loved by them.  And who would have thought that this group is also doing a good service for local pet shelters?  No fabric, thread, or batting goes to waste!  And drumroll please.........my counts show 354 quilts/items shared with agencies.  There were also 55 dog beds made from scraps and 191 pillowcases donated to our friends at The Iowa Quilt Block for Ryan's Case for Smiles.  And we're still collecting them but I know we've had 7 quilts already made from the blocks you all made at the Couples and Friends event.  These are going to Veterans that we are aware of.  

Events

This year we organized a sewing event where we invited spouses, family, or friends to sew with us.  It was helpful to have others come to see what we do.  It was a lively night of sewing, eating, and conversation. Many thought this would be a good event to have again. 

We also held a 2022 Challenge, for everyone to try something new this year.  There were no rules, just the opportunity to try something new and share it with others.  Hopefully, the encouragement of others in the group helped you to keep going and possibly master new skills or complete something that you've been trying to get done.  Regardless of what your challenge was, the Show and Tell at our Soup luncheon was wonderful.  Many were very proud of their accomplishments and the new skills learned.  Others were just happy to get some things done.   

We agreed that we should do the Challenge again in 2023 to be thinking about something you'd like to try or get done.  Use this group to help you out with knowledge or encouragement!

Some Business Tidbits:

• A reminder of January Retreat days:  January 26, 27, and 28.  You will be hearing more from about this retreat as we get closer to the time.
• Hope Waukee calendar is where you can find dates and times for our get-togethers.

All of us at Hope Quilters certainly hope that these memories of this past year are happy
and warm and bring much joy to you as you remember them.  Wishing all of you safe
travels and healthy get-togethers as you move through this season of Advent, 
waiting on Christmas and experiencing the meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

November 2022 Work Day Recap

What a great weekend to be inside and quilting with so many of your Christian sisters❤   Many of you must have had the same idea as we had a huge turnout!  The room was packed.  Besides the 10 tables in the room, we also use an entire flat of additional tables.  Crowded?  No.  More people kept the room warmer. LOL 😁  

We welcomed several newcomers!  I think they all got a good impression of us except for maybe our one visitor who we locked out of the building with her stuff inside.  Oops!  Turned out okay so hopefully she'll give us another chance.  Love to see new faces as they always bring fresh ideas and energy to the group.  

Show and Tell was quite impressive again.  We turned in around 30 items to our various mission partners.  Be sure to check out the blog update in a few days to see all the photos.

• finished quilts: 27 (YESS, Bidwell, LSI, SHP)  
• 1 auction quilt,
• 5 bags and wheelchair blankets for Care Ministry
• 5 finished veteran quilts  (Be sure to show these pics to your guest who helped make the blocks.  They will enjoy seeing the finished product that resulted from their efforts!)
• 12 dog bags of scraps😁😂

Some have asked about the December meeting.  We will be meeting at our regular time/date next month.  However, we are going to plan some fellowship events to celebrate the past year as well as the Christmas season.  All the sewing supplies will be available but feel free to bring last-minute Christmas gifts to work on if you need to.  Additionally, Saturday will involve an extended group discussion as we have the normal Devotion and Show and Tell.  But we will also go into sharing your experiences and the results of this year's challenge.  Whether you have something to show or just want to share what you got out of the challenge it will be fun to see and hear about the work you've done on your own.  

It was suggested we do another Challenge in 2023 so let's talk about how this should work for the upcoming year.   

As always, keep sewing, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

October Work Day Recap

Don’t want to jinx the weather because it’s been FANTASTIC outside, but I wonder if everyone was enjoying this possible last grasp of gorgeous weather creating a lower number of attendance?  LOL

We had another large donation from the Iowa Quilt Block, which is totally amazing.  Please give Shelly a huge THANK YOU if you stop into the store!  The ideas were a’poppin’ and ladies were putting together possible future quilts as we organized it all.  And also a big THANK YOU to everyone who answered the call to come help sort and organize it all on Friday.  This group of women are always so giving of their time (and talents and friendship), it’s what makes this group pretty darned special.

Discussions included topics on Retreats, sizes of batting and quilts fitting on long arms, and signing up for Meals from the Heartland to help benefit Florida after the hurricane if one felt led to do so.  https://mealsfromtheheartland.org/

A reminder was given that we will use December Show and Tell to share members' experiences from the 2022 Challenge.

Drum roll please…QUILT PROJECTS TOTALS!

2 – Veterans quilts
8 – Agape quilts
10 – LSI quilts
5 – Joppa blankets
4 – Sleep in Heavenly Peace quilts
2 – Bidwell quilts
5 – Auction quilts
11 – Wheelchair Bags
1 – Wheelchair lap quilt

Simply. Amazing. God is SO good!  Here are the PHOTOS!

Keep up the amazing work and enjoy the rest of this lovely fall weather!

September 2022 Work Day Recap

Attendance on Friday was a bit smaller group than on Saturday. Still, the ladies that managed to dodge the raindrops (and then downpours!) on Saturday enjoyed a good day of sewing and catching up with one another on all the important stuff in life!

There was a discussion about Blank Hospital could use some Flannel Sheets made for NICU preemie cribs.  Should be an email coming later with more details.

Show and Tell was lots of fun, and always inspiring!  We had 27 quilts, 2 pillowcases, and one wheelchair lap quilt turned in!  PHOTOS on the Blog! 

Care Ministry 1
Agape - 8
LSI - 10 
Auction - 2
Joppa - 4
YESS - 3

The only reminder is for the upcoming Retreat, on September 22, 23, and 24.  You know the drill, get your machines and your projects ready to go!  An email about details will be forthcoming.

Many thanks to the gals who helped get those quilts sorted and counted and delivered!  It takes a dedicated team to get these quilts to the organizations and eventually the people who so desperately need them, and we've got a special group of quilters who step right up to help out!  

August 2022 Work Day Recap

What a beautiful weekend spent with friends.  Saturday we honored Cathy Frueh's daughter-in-law, Chelsea, who passed away from metastatic melanoma at the age of 28, married for six months.  Good stories, beautiful family photos, and yummy food made for a very festive day.  If you're reading this blog, Chelsea's legacy would be to encourage you to see a dermatologist yearly for skin check-ups!  JUST DO IT!

(It may also be beneficial to take time right now to encourage everyone to see their doctor regularly, as our members prayed this weekend for two women facing cancer diagnoses.  You are so very precious, please take care of YOU!)

 

So besides the Fiesta, we sorted a generous donation of fabric!  It's always fun to look through new fabrics for inspiration!

Show and Tell never disappoints!  Be sure to take a look at the blog to see all the PHOTOS.  We turned in 24 quilts, 10 pillowcases, 1 walker bag, and 3 dog beds!   We also donated several cotton fabrics to the Dress a Girl Around the World local chapter.  As you know, several of our quilts also go to Bible Camp Quilt Auctions. TOur donations to the Riverside Auction brought $810 for the camp!  We usually get the Okoboji results in September and I'll also share them when they come in.

The Patriotic tops made at the Couples/Friends event are starting to come together.  The recent donation included a lot of patriotic fabric which will be great for pulling the blocks and rows together with sashing and borders. Here is one that was started.  The sashing pulls the different blocks and rows together and the blue flag board will set it all off!

All in all, it was a very fun, productive, special time with the group this August.  Have a great week and month ahead!

 July 2022:  Photos uploaded!

June 2022 Work Day Recap

Another well-attended Hope Quilters meeting is in the books!  Besides looking at all the beautiful creations during Show and Tell, or relaxing in the rhythms of all the sewing machines at work...this group is also about sharing fellowship and friendship together.  June's meeting seemed like an especially emotional time of sharing.  There were some extreme highs and lows shared. It's a testament to the loving members of this group that others feel comfortable sharing and looking to the group for their support through prayer and fellowship!  The Hope sermon on Saturday night given by Pastor Jeremy was so on point for what transpired in our Praise and Concerns time together.  Give a listen if you have a chance.  Appropriate title:  The Power of We

Now, let's take you on a tour around the room Hope Quilters meet in and help you envision what could be seen at our last meeting.  Can you imagine you are sitting at the front of a circle of couches and then a couple more rows of scattered chairs of people behind the back couch?  But the whole couch to the right has absolutely nobody sitting on it.  Why you ask?  BECAUSE IT WAS PACKED FULL OF QUILTS! 😁.  OK, a pic would have been better but you get the idea.  Another way to put it into perspective:

• 24 quilts LSI, YESS, Bidwell Riverside, Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• 12 walker bags to Care Ministry
• 2 dog beds

If you were there you may have noticed that there was a large stack of pillowcases for Shelley at The Iowa Quilt Block.  A reminder that these will be going to https://caseforsmiles.org/  You have surpassed my challenge to you.  We've completed at least 133 that I know about and I know others are in progress.  

A Reminder that next month is our Couples and Friend's Event on Friday, July 8th.  There are still fabric kits available at Hope if you'd like to get them ahead of time. Feel free to use your own patriotic fabrics if you prefer.  Should be a very enjoyable and entertaining evening!

So another great weekend of fellowship.  I pray it strengthens and encourages you until we can meet again.  Look for the great pictures and a summary on the blog soon!

 

Piece,

Jody

May 2022 Work Day Recap

Well, thought we'd have low numbers this weekend as the weather has finally cooperated with dry weather and more normal spring temps.  But you are faithful ❤.  We had a great group this weekend!  (No guilt for anyone who chooses to enjoy the beautiful weekend elsewhere!  We love all who support us in person and in spirit!)

The call-out to focus on pillowcases this weekend for The Iowa Quilt Block and our friend, Shelley's challenge to make pillowcases for Ryan's Case for Smiles. Shelley's goal was 500 from her customers.  You took this challenge head-on and many people sewed pillowcases all weekend.  A couple gals were busy putting pillowcase "kits" together and others just picked them up and kept sewing.  Didn't get an actual count but it wouldn't surprise me if we've started on nearly 50 pillowcases!   

A Challenge has been issued to all Hope Quilters to see if we can make 100 pillowcases for Shelley.  Her goal was 500 by the end of the year so let's help her surpass that goal!!!!  Feel free to take your pillowcases to The Iowa Quilt Block or bring them back to Hope Quilters.  Shelley is offering a gift certificate for every 10 you make so feel free to drop them off yourself.  Otherwise, bring them to Hope Quilters and we'll continue to turn them in.  I'd love to have a count of what we made so let me know how many you made if you are taking them to The Quilt Block directly.  Also, please read the guidelines about washing the fabrics!

It wasn't all pillowcases this weekend.  Show and Tell was awesome as usual.  Check out the blog for pictures of all the quilts.  We donated to Door of Faith, YESS, Bidwell Riverside, and YESS as well as the Okoboji and Riverside Quilt Auctions.   A total of 32 quilts.  You gals are awesome!  There is also a new page on the blog entitled, "HQ History Corner".  

We got a generous donation again passed along from The Iowa Quilt block and some from Meredith.  Love the enjoyment seen on faces as people "shop" through the "new" items.  

A big THANK YOU to those who helped deliver all the finished items to Hope Missions, Many Hands Thrift, ARL, etc.  This is a big help so no one gets the burden of being the lone delivery person.

The devotion this month about God's Peace was especially helpful.  Trust in the Lord.  Keep following, keep praying, and keep loving!  It's not any more complicated than that..  Rest, my sisters. 

April 2022 Work Day Recap

Well, we started on Friday with some flurries but we ended on Saturday with a beautiful 60-degree afternoon.  Aren't you tired of that saying "if you don't like the weather in Iowa, just wait a couple hours".......I think we should instead be saying something like "Hope Quilters can turn a bad start into a beautiful outcome" 😁❤

Some of the 2022 Sewing Challenges were either shown or project discussed.  It's been really fun seeing what everyone is trying out that is new to them!  Questions are asked, advice is given...it's been a great way to connect and share in the process!

Show and Tell photos can be found HERE.  Some really neat quilts were donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Door of Faith, Primary Health Care, and the Care Ministry at Hope.  We also had a couple of quilts set aside for the bible camp auctions.   

FYI: For those of you wanting to work on smaller quilts.  Let's change our focus to quilts for small children?  We want to slow down on the wheelchair blankets for now but we have many children's mission partners to share with.  We also have a fun collection of kids' prints.  

This year, we will host a new event called Couples and Friends Sewing Night it will be on July 8th.  This will be a night to bring a friend, sister, spouse, boyfriend, etc. to come to sew with you.  Some may be interested in taking up quilting.  Others may just wonder what the heck you do at these quilting weekends.  Others may just wonder who these ladies you hang out with all the time are, LOL!  You'll be the teacher and will guide your guest as they make a block or two to add to the group patriotic quilt.     

Don't forget that our second retreat of the year is only two weeks away!

Dates: April 21, 22, 23 (9am - 10pm T&F, 8 to 3 Sat)                       

Whether Easter has you traveling to see relatives or cooking for the family, all of us at Hope Quilt Ministry wish everyone a blessed Holy Week.  Happy Easter to you all!

March 2022 Work Day Recap

It was a perfect weekend for the last of the really cold weather (let's all choose to believe that will be true!😄)  Perfect two days to stay inside and sew with friends as they sure weren't days anyone wanted to be outside.  We had an awesome turnout!  TWENTY-ONE gals in attendance over the two days!!!  Reminiscent of the olden days and a wonderful sign of good things to come!

A beautiful devotion was shared, reminding us of the different ways a quilt can be a comfort.  Show and Tell was great as always so be sure to check out the PHOTOS!  We had many quilts and designated them to go to Bidwell Riverside and the Afghan Refugee Support Group.  You gals are getting creative with the Wheelchair blankets.  We also had ten Walker Bags this time.  The Care Ministry really appreciates this.  As always, the local Animal Rescue's thank you for turning those fabric and batting scraps into comfy beds.  We also had a box full of sewing supplies and non-quilting fabric taken to Many Hands Thrift Store.  This is a thrift store that turns its profits over to mission work.  They align so nicely with our own mission and they say the fabric and sewing supplies really sell well.

Many shared their progress and lots of discussion about people's 2022 Challenges.  It was really fun hearing about the progress on some of the members' Challenges, and experiencing the excitement with them from the sense of accomplishment from the new skills being learned. 

An unexpected highlight of the weekend was watching people explore the Orphan blocks bins.  We have two bins of orphan blocks, partially completed projects, pattern samples, and panels that we've been collecting over time. Things you just don't want to throw away but it just takes someone with a vision and initiative to turn them into a quilt.  It was so fun to watch the ideas being discussed and companion fabric selected.  Blocks laid out of the floor for size and design ideas.  The adventurous and enthusiastic spirit was quite contagious!  Having a vision of something you can create is inspiring. 

Finally, we are starting to think about retreat again.  Make sure you have April 21 to 23 on your calendar.   More details to come in April!

Thanks for stopping by the blog!

February 2022 Work Day Recap

There was a really small gathering this month.  Maybe too cold for everyone??  But we had a great time discussing our challenge projects and showing progress.  You gals are on fire and really stretching yourself.  Isn't it fun to get encouragement from others and see progress on something you've set your mind to?  (Reminder of what the 2022 Fabric Challenge is:  Any member who is interested can join in.  There is no time limit for completion.  Just stretching yourself this year with a new sewing technique or a pattern that inspires but maybe looks a bit daunting...just go for it!)

We turned in 14 finished quilts, all beautiful as always! PHOTOS

There's been a small side-line donation effort going on for a refugee organization, Des Moines Refugee Support. So far there's been a couple sewing machines donated and a few sewing baskets filled with sewing notions, thank you to everyone who has pitched in to help with this donation!

And somebody must have been cleaning out their sewing rooms as we also took NINE dog beds to the shelter Furry Friends Rescue.  Yeah, keep those pups and kitties off the cold floor.

As always, it was so nice to be together.  Hope to see more of you as the weather starts to get nicer and the Covid numbers continue to decline.  Look for more news on a special Friday night outing in the near future  😀

January 2022 Work Day Recap

2022 came in with a BANG.  This photo from Saturday helps to explain:

All that was left from another HUGE donation!  Almost as many bolts on Friday and every quilter took home anywhere from one to LOTS of bolts that inspired them for new projects.  So yes, 2022 came in with a bang for Hope Quilters.  Shelly Draur and The Iowa Quilt Block are fans of our ministry.  If you don't know Shelly, Hollie, Sarah, or any of the staff at the store we strongly encourage you to stop by and say Hi and a big THANK YOU.  The quilt store is awesome!  

We had intended to clean out our bins anyway in the near future but this donation was enough to allow us to just purge the old, sending those small pieces to Many Hands for Haiti Thrift Store.  We filled up all the bins and shelves with new fabric! Awesome to see how everyone started pulling out their favorites with an eye towards certain mission partners' needs.  And for the old fabric and some of the bolts we couldn't use, we were able to bless the Thrift Store mission as well. They were so excited to receive the fabric.  While this is not a new feeling for our group, this verse from Luke, completely encapulates what took place this weekend: 

"Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands--all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."  Luke 6:38

While most were engaged in reorganizing fabric, those with sewing machines worked on some JOPPA blankets.  This past week was a reminder of how important these heavy blankets are, with temperatures dipping dangerously low.  We also turned in 33 quilts for mission partners.   2022 fabric challenge was mentioned but we didn't discuss it in detail. We'll discuss more in February.  So keep thinking about what you'd like to do to challenge yourself this year.  Think of this as an opportunity, not a task to dread.  This desired effect is individual fulfillment, not the output. 

One more reminder of the upcoming retreat.  We will be at Hope Waukee on Thursday, January 20 thru Saturday, January 22.  An email with more details will be sent as the time gets closer! 

PHOTOS page for quilts and lap blankets turned in this month!  (And the delighted faces of "shoppers"!)