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!
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
- 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♥️
I'll add my thanks and appreciation to yours, Cathy, for everything Hope Quilters do for others. This group has no doubt changed over the years, and yet has consistently made and donated quilts since we first organized, back in 2008 (?). I can't remember the year, but maybe Michelle T., Norma H., or Mary N., recalls. In any case, I'm very proud of what you all continue to accomplish. You are a blessing to so many!
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