Wednesday, August 19, 2026

August 2026 Work Day Recap

 Many highlights from our August Sew Days.  

  • Show and Tell was great with 46 quilts and numerous other items for agencies in need!  Take a look at the blog in a few days!  Click here to see PHOTOS.
  • Quilt Auction Results: Contributions submitted by Hope Quilters raised $3215.  Results attached.  All results are available on their respective websites if you're interested. 
  • We had another bunch of quilts from The Iowa Quilt Block that needed binding.  Thanks to those who helped with this.  I think it was around 40 quilt so quite an accomplishment.  And Sleep in Heavenly Peace will be getting some fun quilts for new beds.  
  • We are continuing to make wheelchair blankets and walker bags.  Care Ministry has full shelves at the moment so we are storing them for now.  They are a more popular item in the colder months though.
  • Retreat is next month.  This means an additional day to sew as well as a focus on your personal project and fellowship rather than mission projects.
A reminder that our retreat is next month instead of our normal Sew Days.  This means September 10-12 will be a time for fellowship and working on your own projects.  Another outlet for sewing is the Dress a Girl organization.  They are much like Hope Quilters, in that they use their skills and donations to meet many needs as they come up.  A summary of their work, and the idea for our Community Service option at retreat:

Dresses for little girls, shorts for little boys, and hats, scarves, and mittens for children on those cold winter days.  These are all the things that Dress a Girl makes and donates locally in the community and around the world.  It takes many hands to fulfill their goals to keep children warm and secure and to bring a smile to their faces.  For our September Hope Quilters Retreat, let’s bring in donations of blanket fleece that can be used to make hats for children in our area.  These hats are donated to local schools to distribute in their classrooms and on their bus routes.  If a child doesn’t have a hat, they can’t go outside for recess and many a bus driver keeps a supply of hats on their buses to give to children who either don’t have one or forgot theirs at home.

An On With Life update:  We just used the Turning Twenty quilt pattern and a variety of greens, teals, yellows and oranges that go with their logo, and donated several quilts to them.  This note and picture are from a Thank You we received:  "They look so beautiful in the rooms and add so much color and warmth to the space.  I cannot thank you and your quilting group enough!"


Great to see so many Hope Quilters in attendance, laughing, sewing, planning, and oooo-ing and awwww-ing over the quilt show and tell.  Be thinking of retreat and planning on what you want to be working on.  We may have to share tables or bring some of our own...but you gals will do whatever it takes to sew together for three days!

Happy Sewing!

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

July 2026 Work Day Recap

Just a brief update this month, as many were gone enjoying summer fun.  Many quilts came in and were distributed to Agape, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, The Iowa Quilt Block for LSI, Hope Ministries and Child Serve.  A big thank you to those who helped out with delivering quilts! 

The Iowa Quilt Block has asked if we would partner with them in finishing quilts for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  They have 20-30 shop samples that need binding.  We'll be working on helping out in this area, and there will be some at the August meeting to do some binding.

Even thought the number of members may be low, it's always astounding how the abundance of quilts never changes!  Keep up the good work!  Go look at the PHOTOS!

Until August, try to stay cool!   


Wednesday, June 17, 2026

June 2026 Work Day Recap

There is much thankfulness for everyone's participation this month!  It was a bit of a hectic weekend, as time was spent getting prepared for the new Hope Quilters space in a different and even better closet! 

Because of the move, the opportunity arose to clean out some old stuff, solve the mismatched bin/lid problem, look in all the bins, and do some sorting and purging.  During that time, many forgotten treasures and some old projects that just need to get finished were found.  (Remember the 500 donated quilt tops?!)

There were many who helped, others who offered and then were just happy to stay out of the way.  Everyone jumping in, so enthusiastically to help, no matter what is asked, is greatly appreciated.  Every one of you are all so valuable to this ministry and to each other.

Show and Tell was amazing as always.  There were 46 donations.  Be sure to take a look on the PHOTOS blog page.   Clearly, some of you are embracing the scrappy quilt challenge, by the looks of all the beautiful and unique scrappy quilts that came in!  Look for more focused projects to come. (We still have 3 bins of scraps to get through!!)

Let's all give thanks and praise to the Lord for our new space, and for being so blessed with every single one of these quilting sisters in Christ!  This ministry would not be the success that it is without all of you.

Happy stitching!

Extra Bonus!  Scrappy Quilt Pattern










2.5" squares for the 9 patch
1.5" black strips
1.5" white strips
3" triangle corner

Thursday, May 14, 2026

May 2026 Work Day Recap

 Another great weekend quilting with friends!

This Recap will be short but oh, so sweet!  Donations were sorted through, ladies happily sewing away, joys and concerns were shared and support given to those experiencing some difficult life circumstances, and one unlucky, pesky fly was "uninvited" to the party.  😄

It's fun to look through donations.  Seems like several people were cleaning out and we benefited from some fabric, books, magazines, specialty rulers, etc.  

Show and Tell was fun.  Very exciting to see that scrappy blocks are turning up in finished quilts!  Hoping those creators loved their adventure into scrappiness!  There were 40 lovely quilts.  Photos of the quilts can be found here.  Big thanks for those delivering quilts to Agape, LSI, SHP, Child Serve and Hope Ministries.

Around seven ladies volunteered to package meals last week, for Meals from the Heartland!  Much fun was had and the total meal goal for the event surpassed expectations.  Many will be fed simply by giving a couple hours out of a week.  God is good.


Until next month, happy sewing!

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

April 2026 Work Day Recap

It was a very pleasant weekend of quilting with friends!  So inspiring to see the Word project hanging in the Atrium.  Thanks to Linda for coordinating this project and getting us all involved.  Make sure you get a chance to check this out in person.

image.png

Despite the small number of people, we still had an awesome Show and Tell.  Twenty-nine quilts were finished for groups including Child Serve, Agape, LSI and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  We save out a couple of quilts for the upcoming bible camp auctions.

Check out the PHOTOS page for all the quilts turned in this month.

Several joys and concerns were shared.  This isn't just a quilting group, it is a safe place to share the blessings and the struggles that this gift of life produces.  Don't hesitate to reach out to your quilting sisters when you could use a little help of any kind.

RETREAT DETAILS
Date: April 23, 24 and 25.
Start times 8:30am on 23rd
                  9am on 24th
                  7:30 on 25th  
Location: Hope Waukee, Room 134

We need to get all supplies out of the closet in Room 130 before 9am when preschool starts so if you can help on Thursday AM it will be appreciated.

Remember:
  • This is time for you to work on your own projects and fellowship with other quilters.  You are welcome to work on mission quilts if you choose.  All supplies will be available but we are not collecting finished quilts or doing any sort of meeting.
  • Come and go as your schedule and interests allow.  End times are based on how long people want to stay so if you plan to come later in the afternoon check with someone to make sure they are still at the church.
  • No meals are planned but there will be coffee available and feel free to bring snacks to share.  You can use the fridge to keep lunch cold and there are several places close by for takeout.
  • Cleanup on Saturday takes a while due to everything we need to get back into the closet.  Irons need time to cool down and cutting boards are the first thing that go back against the wall so be considerate and don't plan on needing the cutting and ironing supplies late into the day on Saturday.  You don't need to be out of the church at any time but there needs to be 4 or 5 people to clean up so plan accordingly.    
All these April showers not only produce May flowers...but also many beautiful quilts as one is stuck inside!  😄  Enjoy your sewing days!

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

March 2026 Work Day Recap

Great weekend of sewing as always.  Abundant fellowship and laughter, as well. Donations always bring lots of smiles as the swarm of interested quilters glance through the pile for something they can snatch up to use in a new creation!

We had 29 quilts at Show and Tell.  PHOTO PAGE.  Linn Vande Berg was our guest speaker, sharing information about their chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  We have partnered with this group since 2019, making quilts and book pillows to give to those receiving a new bed.  If you have not volunteered for a bed build day, don't hesitate to sign up and try it!  Minimal time commitment and a lot of fun if done with friends.  You can also check the website for other volunteer opportunities with this group and also, spread the word about this group.  They do so much good in our local community but they are not as well known. 

Just a reminder that we're still looking for help making scrappy fabric in order to use up our smaller scraps.  This endeavor started when our bins were quite low on yardage and we seem to have turned that situation around, or should we say, God has provided again!  However, using small scraps to make attractive quilt tops actually challenges you to work on several helpful skills.  It can be a lesson in design, color selection and even math.  Finding a way to use what you have is a great quilting life lesson. 

There's around 5 kits using scrappy blocks that have been put together.  More kits will be available next month from recent fabric contributions.  Keep those scrappy fabric contributions coming!  Whether you are using your own leftovers or pulling from the bins where collected scraps from our other bins have been sorted, it's always fun to be challenged on new ideas and skills.  There are a few scrappy patterns/ideas available if you want to give it a whirl.  And if sewing scraps isn't your thing, maybe you could take a kit and put together a quilt top.

Retreat is coming up!!!  Make sure you have it on your calendar for April 23, 24 and 25.  Hope to see many of you there!

Sunday, February 15, 2026

 February 2026

It was a beautiful weekend, both outside and inside.  The room was buzzing with sewing machines and visiting.  Welcome to Jenny and Char, new quilters who stopped by and I think they'll be back. Thanks so much for making them feel welcome!

Our Sleep in Heavenly Peace speaker was not able to attend due to some family health issues.  So say a prayer for Jim!  Marty is still planning on a bed build session on March 28th.  Be sure to let her know if you are interested and she'll get you the details.

Our other speakers were Deb Carlson and Lisa Hansen.  Deb is the leader of the quilt group Hands of Hope Sewing Ministry at New Hope Church in Adel.  Lisa's husband works at Sheepgate and made them aware that the bed quilts at the men's facility in Colfax were aged and worn.  This quilt group has taken it upon themselves to find new bed quilts for each bed.  This is a new quilting group and rather small.  Some of you can remember the start of our quilt group where we operated with no money and not very many supplies.  But that desire to quilt and to serve others kept us working hard to help others.  Deb and Lisa are working with many local churches and quilt groups to find help with this project.  

Show and tell was fabulous as always.  39 quilts will be distributed to Waypoint Resources, SHP, LSI, Agape and Hope's Care Ministry.    Thanks for the extra hands and feet in showing, folding and bagging quilts and then delivering!  Check out the photo tab for pictures of them all.

Monday, January 12, 2026

January 2026 Work Day Recap

It was a wonderful spirit-filled weekend at Hope Quilters.  Two speakers inspired us with the work that they do and the faith journey that led them to cross our path.  Barbara, from LSI, told us about the programs at LSI and how our quilts are used in each one.  What a blessing it was to hear how our quilts provide a little bit of comfort and love in the work that LSI does.  And Kim Ogle's involvement with Will Keeps and the road she has traveled to help his organization with these bed quilts is a wonderful story of what happens when you let God lead you.  We are very thankful to be helping her in this mission.  For those coming to retreat, we will have one more bed quilt that we can work on if you haven't gotten involved yet.  We can share more of both of these stories for anyone who missed it.

We spent a little time talking about some scrappy block design options.  Examples were shown of some foundation piecing for a scrappy quilt.  Some quicks bags of scraps and some foundation pieces were put together so people could try this technique.  There were mixed opinions on how much "fun" this was.  We are going to continue to try different block techniques and talk about design options for these scrappy quilts.  We do have lots of scraps that we want to use.  While the bins have filled up more due to several donations in the past months, we still have a variety of fabrics rather than lots of yardage of a few fabrics which means scrappy quilt patterns will suit us better.   We'll keep up with design discussions on making patterns more scrappy.

Some topics worth mentioning:
  • We have had several quilt tops donated.  That means they need backing and need to get on the list to be quilted.  We're looking for people to "Adopt a quilt top" which means taking on the task of finding and making a back and getting the name on the long arm list.  
  • There are still a box full of those small donated quilt tops that we were using for the altar cloth project.  The remaining ones we're using kid prints so we can make them for many of our agencies.  And they are a good size to practice quilting on your domestic machine!  If you are interested in trying quilting let us know and we can buddy you up with someone to walk along side you as you learn.  
  • The bins are very disorganized with all the new fabrics as well as the scrap projects.  There are LOTS of cool children's fabrics.  We have many children's' agencies needing twin, lap and baby quilts.  Let's dig into these fun fabrics!  Big pieces of lots of children's fabrics of the Turning Twenty quilt can be as neat as an I Spy quilt.  
The blog URL is hopequilters.blogspot.com.  For those who haven't checked it out yet, please do. This is becoming the best place to get information about our group.  If you search for it on your phone's internet, and after you click on the link for the blog, usually you click on the three dots at the top right, and in the drop down it should offer "Add to Home Screen", and then it will be right there on your phone!  We're working on putting an active calendar page on the website to help with all those questions like "are we meeting this weekend" or "are we going to cancel because of the snow", etc.  I really want to have a place to post our speakers and field trips too.  Possibly establishing a monthly design talk as well and get back to having topics of interest.  Having this readily available is easier in digital format than on paper.  So check it out and become familiar with the blog site.  There is a lot of old stuff there but the main page and the photo's page are the key tabs.  Ideas and suggestions on improving the blog site are always welcome.  We don't really intend it to be for blogging but it was established a long time ago and is free so we're making it work for us.

We welcomed a few new quilters to the group.  Make sure you introduce yourself to them when you see them!

Finally, January Retreat is coming up on the 22nd.  All the details will be sent in an email.  

Happy Sewing!

Monday, December 15, 2025

December 2025 Work Day Recap

Many were missed this weekend due to the weather.  Friday was a whirlwind of sorting fabric.  There were 10 or 12 people with their machines but most opted for the safe choice of staying home on Saturday!  Therefore, we did a quick share of Joys and Concerns on Friday and we distributed the finished quilts as well to take that off our plate for Saturday.  There is only a glimpse of the new quilts on the Photo's tab of the Blog but it doesn't really do them justice.  Most will be distributed for Christmas through Hope Ministries and LSI so it was good to get them what we could.

    
                                         image.png

This message above was in one of the donations we received.   The three of us who sewed all day Saturday felt it was appropriate.  All the existing bins were sorted with little pieces taken out for our scraps project.  Amusingly enough, two whole tables were full of donations to sort through.  And some of you mentioned donations but were unable to make it in due to the snow.  God does answer prayers!  Can you believe it?  We ended up have many full bins on the shelves again.  They are not sorted and labeled as well as they previously were because we had to just make it all fit on Saturday when we were cleaning up.  There still is not a lot of companion yardage pieces to go with with 3 or 4 color quilts.  So scrappy designs may be the best option for us for a while.  But there are so many fun kids and teen fabrics that we should have lots of fun making quilts for that population.  Start looking for scrappy quilt patterns.  Even regular quilt patterns with big pieces will look good with a more scrappy mix of fabrics.  Let's use our imagination!

Scrappy blocks are still a good choice for using up the smaller stuff.  In January, a short design talk will be given to help you think about how to use these blocks in a quilt pattern.  The hope is that we can continue to work on these scrappy blocks and design talks to get everyone thinking creatively as well as utilizing small pieces.  Maybe we'll consider 2026 the "Year in Scraps".  We can add a blog page showing all that we made with the scraps.  What fun!   We'll talk more about it in January.

To the members of Hope Quilters, and to those who read our blog, may we all find peace during this hectic holiday season, and getting time to worship the birth of the Christ child.  

Until next year,
Merry Christmas

Monday, November 10, 2025

November 2025 Work Day Recap

November weather started to let us know on Saturday that it is actually supposed to get colder and whiter during this season.  Huge snowflakes came down, thankfully after the group had to head home earlier than expected due to water breaking through the ceiling and landing on a quilter's work table!  I think all sewing machines were spared any damage, but nothing like living in the olden days and scrambling for buckets to catch leaks in the roof!  The group did a fabulous job of adapting and getting everything put away.   

But before all that excitement, we got to have a lovely devotional that reminded us of the value of a quilt given in love at a time of need.  Then we watched the parade of so many beautiful quilts made with love that will completely fulfill the meaning of that devotional.  💖

The Friday before, we had another special guest join us!  Lesley Green from Hope Ministries, shared about the ministries that use our quilts.  The impact that having these speakers join us and share what they do and who these ministries impact, is not only broadening our awareness of the many needs in our communities, but even resulted in more offers to volunteer from our group.  

Grateful for another donation that helped create some kits and ideas for the next projects.

Next month will be our final meeting of the year.  Attendees can work on more HQ quilts, or finish up those last minute Christmas gifts. Because Christmas will be here before you know it! Until then, here is the quilt count and the PHOTOS link on the blog to see all the quilts turned in this month

Final count of quilts for November:

  • LSI - 8 quilts 
  • ChildServe -  5 quilts 
  • Hope Ministries - 20 lap quilts
  • Waypoint Resources - 3 kids lap quilts 
  • Sleep In Heavenly Peace - 7 quilts 
  • Hope Ministries - 2 full/queen quilts

Monday, October 13, 2025

October 2025 Work Day Recap

 WOW !!! ♥️♥️♥️

October Sew Days were just great in so many ways!  Thank goodness for a very FULL flat of tables because we used every one of them!!  People with machines just kept pouring in.  20 people is not an unusual amount of people showing up, but 20 people actually bringing their machines to sew is another thing!  And there were at least 10 more people stopping by on Friday/Saturday to visit, pick up projects and to come hear Leanna Simpson talk about Agape Pregnancy Center,
.
Whatever the reason, it was great to see so many!  

As mentioned, Leanna Simpson, Director of Agape, joined our meeting to speak with us.  This agency is one where we send lots of baby blankets.  The agency is amazing in its approach to helping the unborn child, leading with love, to provide so many things to those women/couples facing a new pregnancy during troubling times.  And thanks to all of you for the 26 quilts we were able to give to Leanna this month!

Leanna shared many stories to give us an idea how sharing love as Jesus would have us do is making such a big difference in people's lives.  Here is a YouTube video about the blankets to give you a sense of how our gifts are used by Agape.  Take a look at some of the other videos produced by the group to get a sense for this important ministry.  

Leanna left with a nice big pile of baby quilts!

It was great to learn about this agency and we plan to have regular speakers at Hope Quilter events so that we can understand more about other agencies that we support.  In November, Leslie Green from Hope Ministries is scheduled to speak on Friday, the 7th, at 10:30.

At our meeting, we discussed a new "objective" for the group:  We are going to work with more intentionality, have a more direct relationship with local agencies to help us make sure we're meeting specific needs in a timely manner.  Learning more about the community we serve is an added bonus.  Communication about needs will come via Facebook and email.  We have established some new relationships and are working out a way to store more of our quilts so that we have them available when a need arises.  A "need" such as "our closets are empty" is one thing.  But we also hope to be able to react to more specific events like a graduation from Hope Ministries 2-year program or having a housewarming gift for Habitat for Humanity recipients. Having lap quilts and walker bags available for prayer partners at each Hope church location is also a goal.  

While some agencies' storage closets are full, our inquiries have found several other groups anxious to receive the quilts that you are making.  Here is the spread of donations that were collected this weekend and where we've designated them to go:
  • Agape: 26
  • Sleep in Heavenly Peace: 8
  • LSI: 5 (they are still working with a manufacturer to give beds away at Christmas.  Our quilts will go with them!)
  • Habitat for Humanity housewarming:  6  (more to come on this project)
  • Hope Ministries: 27 quilts here and you'll hear more about this need at the November talk with Leslie.
  • Care Ministry: 10 lap quilts, 2 wheelchair quilts and 1 walker bag in storage. 
  • ChildServe: 11 quilts  (these guys will hopefully speak at the January retreat.)

        And yes, that total (96) is AWESOME!  You gals ROCK!
    Check out the PHOTOS
Thanks to all those who donated fabrics for our 2026 Challenge.  We are looking for dark gray, red, black and yellow.  We've had further clarification on colors.  Having a little white in the mix is okay but the primary color should be one of the above.  And the red we are looking for is pure red.  So stay away from anything muted or in a pinkish tone.  You'll hear more about this project in January and will get a chance to help with the sewing.  We still need more fabric so you haven't missed out if you didn't get a chance to raid your stash yet.

Until November, Happy Sewing!

Monday, August 11, 2025

August 2025 Work Day Recap

Kind of a weird weekend.  Several regulars working at the fair.  Others working on special projects home with a summer cold.  Three new people (YEAH!!).  22 at the meeting but only 10 sewing machines all weekend.  But some things never change........we had 50 items to donate!!!  Mostly quilts and some dresses.  Check out the PHOTOS page!

Due to illness, the Special Work project scheduled for this month will be available in September and October to work on if you choose.  Easter is our deadline so we'll work on it as we have time.

A Sleep in Heavenly Peace build is set for this upcoming weekend, August 16th from 9 - 11.  Please reach out if you'd like to participate.

I have results from the Riverside auction.  Our quilt donations helped them raise $2005.  Still awaiting  results from Okoboji auction. Once that comes in, will share later. 

Some upcoming reminders......
  1. In September we turn our regular monthly time into our retreat.  We get an extra day to sew (Thursday) and then we don't do the normal meeting and show and tell.  You can work on your own projects but all mission supplies are available.  We won't be turning any quilts in this month, hold them until October.  Details to come with the September reminder email but be sure and put September 11, 12 and 13 on your calendar.

  2. In October we will have a representative from Agape Pregnancy speaking at our meeting.  She will tell us about the agency and how they use our quilts.  Hoping we can flood her with baby quilts in October!  A good baby size is around  40 x 50.  Can use regular yardage (~44 wide) for a back and then 50 inches gives them a good wrap.  We have plenty of fun baby prints in our bins if you want to pick something out in September.
And that's a wrap!  Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Volunteer with SHP if you can, on the 16th.  Get your retreat projects ready!

Monday, July 14, 2025

July 2025 Sew Day Recap

The room was full.  All the tables in use.  A few visitors joined us.  The biggest surprise was that I was even sewing both days!  Miracles never cease😂

We knew Show and Tell would be fun because we skipped it in June.  You did not disappoint!  There were so many cool quilts, dresses and walker bags  to turn in.  Marty brought in 5 large bins of cut up scraps and several in the group stuffed 23 book pillows for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.   Your passion with this project is such a delight. Our work has resulted in a total of 800 pillows and over 100 quilts donated to SHP.  

We also had a generous donation of quilts from The Iowa Quilt Block that are reflected in the counts but not the pictures.  They have quilts.  We have an outlet for quilts.  Love how we work together in that way♥️  Janet had her work cut out for her packaging, labeling and delivering 75 different items for our different service partners.  WOW

Over the past two months we've also delivered 21 quilts to Riverside and Okoboji Bible Camp Quilt Auctions.  Thanks to those who helped to prep these quilts and get them delivered.   Both auctions will be held on August 2nd.  Each has an online auction component that is fun to watch or participate in.  It starts a week or two before the 2nd.  Cheryl will be going to the Riverside auction in Story City if anyone is interested in tagging along.  Here is info about each.     Okoboji   and Riverside


Wednesday, May 14, 2025

May 2025 Work Day Recap

Wow, maybe you thought numbers might be low as the weather outside was just beautiful.  You know what?  We should never underestimate how important these two days are for our quilting faithful.  So great to see so many of you!  Hoping this update found you enjoying this beautiful Mother's Day.  Whether with your mom or with your kids or even your fur babies, it's been a beautiful day.  And for those of you struggling for any reason, here's a prayer that the beautiful sunshine at least put a smile on your face.

Something else that should put a smile on your face was our Show and Tell this month.  WOW,  Just...WOW! Our volunteer deliverer had her work cut out for her with the number of donations she'll be taking to Missions this week.  And on top of the quilts, there were 20 pillow cases, several book pillows, lots of walker bags and so many cute dresses.  Take a look at the PHOTOS!  How inspirational!

One more photo to share.  At our Galentine's Day gathering, we played a game and the winner got a pile of fat quarters!  The colors chosen were red, white, and black.  Michelle was one of the winners, and here is a picture of the quilt top she made with the fabric!  Very beautiful!




We heard from those who attended the Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build that took place back in April.  Many of you find this way to volunteer, alongside friends, a very meaningful and fun experience.  We will continue to have more of these bed builds throughout the year, so you'll have other opportunities to join in.

One other road trip that is being considered is to go to the Riverside Bible Camp auction in August.  One faithful member goes every year, and it would be fun to join her, so look for information in the future on a trip together.  What a nice outing!

Praying for a beautiful month ahead, wherever life takes you!  And remember, God's got you, just relinquish control.

Friday, April 18, 2025

April 2025 Work Day Recap

Great turnout this month.  We welcomed a few snowbirds back and there were a few new faces.  We even had some special guests. 

We  focused on several special projects this weekend:
  1. Thanks to all who helped with the special project for Easter.  We cut out 3000 3 x 8 rectangles for Hope Waukee!  They were extremely thankful for our help.  We'll hear more about this project next month.
  2. A couple of ladies demonstrated how dresses were made and many members worked on them and took kits home.  We hope to have a representative from the Dress a Girl organization to speak with us at the retreat.  We have some patterns and supplies at the church and we'll continue to collect dresses if this is a project that energizes you!
  3. There were 34 total Walker Bags turned in this month.  These continue to be a popular item for the Care Ministry to share with those they visit.  We received a new pattern that is a little simpler so we have started kits for these bags too.  Both patterns and kits for these bags will be available with our supplies.
Don't forget to get your projects lined up for the retreat coming on April 24, 25 and 26.  All the details are in an email the week before.

Show and Tell was fun and inspirational as always.  Photos found HERE.

Praying you can take time out to absorb the lessons during this holy week.  Jesus is Risen!
Happy Easter

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

March 2025 Work Day Recap

Friday: snow, sleet, rain, wind.......brrrrrrrr!  We still had a huge group that came to Hope Waukee for sorting, sewing and congregating!  

Saturday: sunny, warm, beautiful.......won't complain!  We still had a great group but everyone's mood was sooooooo much better!

We had a very generous donation from The Iowa Quilt Block.  Sorting through the new fabric just sets the creative juices flowing!  Speaking of creative energy, Show and Tell was awesome!  See the awesome  pictures on the PHOTO page!  We distribute nearly 60 items for our mission partners and Care Ministry!  You gals rock!  Also, loved the stories people are sharing about how much people are loving the walker bags.  What a blessing!  
    Not a very long update this month, which means machines and hands were busy making quilts, book pillows, walker bags, dresses for Dress A Girl, and even a doggie bed this time around.  Here's to longer and warmer days ahead, and more creativity flowing through our group!  Hopefully, some of our snowbirds will be joining us again in April.  Won't they be surprised at the number of new faces!

    Until April, be blessed!

    Sunday, February 9, 2025

    February 2025 Work Day Recap

    The weather wanted to put us on all edge this weekend, but finally settled down to a small flurry and that was it!  So a nice weekend of fellowship and sewing managed to continue!

    The devotional was a good reminder in the way of an allegory of using small scraps of fabric to make a large beautiful quilt.  God takes all the small parts of our lives, good and bad, and makes a beautiful life out of it in the end, if we could only think of it this way.  He has it planned out, and He knows the outcome.

    We had some returning new faces, and some help explaining the Walker Bags to a couple of gals.  Some comments made when speaking of these Walker Bags are, "scared", "don't understand", and "too complicated for my brain".  Really though, once you've made ONE, it will be much easier.  If you are interested in making one, try to make one while gals are there who've made one before.  That is very helpful to figuring out how to put it together!

    We are planning another Sleep in Heavenly Peace day for Hope Quilters and their spouses to have a work day making beds.  More information to be put out in the future.  If you want to know more about this organization, go here:  https://shpbeds.org/

    Quilt counts this weekend:
    LSI - 6
    Agape - 6
    SHP - 3
    ELLIPSIS - 4
    Door of faith - 3
    Families Forward - 5
    Care Ministry - 2 quilts, 17 bags

    Pictures are on the blog!

    That's it for this month!  See you in March!

    Sunday, January 12, 2025

    January 2025 Work Day Recap

    It was so good to be able to meet this first month of a brand new year!  December threw a mini blizzard at us, so the meeting was canceled on Saturday.  Some members did get in some sewing on Friday, before the weather turned bad.

    It was great to see so many of you again, and it was also lovely to see several new faces!  Thank you, members, for making our new friends feel welcome. 

    Show and Tell was fun.  Besides some beautiful quilts we had walker bags and pillowcases to show and share.  Check out the blog for PHOTOS!  We had 30 items donated for Mission projects! 

    The Iowa Quilt Block is still taking pillowcases to help support Ryan's Smiles, which provides pillowcases for kids in hospitals.  They get a lot of young children's prints but don't get as many pillows themed for teens or young adults if you'd like to help out and make some of them.  We have a bin of pillowcase kits in our Hope Quilters closet. 

    We kicked off the year making Walker Bags.  We are grateful for one member walking us through the directions and giving us helpful hints.  Four walker bags were turned in to the Care Ministry but there were probably 10 or 12 more in progress this weekend!  Thank you for taking on this project as it is really appreciated by Hope's Care Ministry.  The challenge is going out to all members to try at least one bag this month!  There will be a few kits for these bags put together, and you may want to try making one at retreat!

    The retreat is just two weeks away!  Starting on Thursday, January 23rd we have 3 days of sewing and socializing.  The retreat doesn't look a lot different than the monthly quilt gatherings but its focus is definitely fellowship.   This is time to work on your own projects.  There are usually a lot more snacks!  We'll probably eat at local restaurants for meals.  All the HQ supplies and fabric will be available.  Many people elect to work on Mission projects, and there's nothing wrong with that.  So let's just call it what it really is...another weekend to sew with friends!  More details will be in an upcoming email.

    The other special event is our Winter Sewcial which will be in February.  More details for this event will also be in the upcoming email.

    Until then, stay warm in your cozy sewing rooms and enjoy creating!

    Wednesday, November 13, 2024

    November 2024 Work Day Recap

    Another great month at Hope Quilters!  Twenty quilts were turned in.  We also welcomed three new members!  Us regular members enjoyed meeting the new people and it's always fun to see what everyone is working on!

    The only meeting agendas were:
    1.  To remind members to be aware of what is in the stuffing we supply for the Book Pillows we make, to make sure no needles, pins or staples are on the cut-up fabric.

    2.  Tips for quilting a top continue to be discussed, as in how to encourage members to try some quilting on our domestic machines.  

    3.  Learning to long-arm details are still being worked out.  Stay tuned!

    Some newer members were asking about the organizations where we send the quilts.  This blog has a page called Hope Quilters Missions that has recently been updated with many of the organizations Hope Quilters Ministries support.

    And now, here is the PHOTOS page, go take a look and see the many designs and color schemes of the lovely quilts!  At this holiday season of thanksgiving, our group humbly knows how blessed it is, and we are very thankful to be able to meet and do this work together.

    Happy upcoming Thanksgiving!  ðŸ¦ƒ



    Saturday, October 12, 2024

    October 2024 Work Day Recap

    Well, ladies, I’m not sure how Friday went, but I was there to see how much creativity was going on in the room on Saturday!  Some really cute panels-into-quilts being worked on, and one member finishing her very first quilt!  YAY!

    The ladies that attended the first “Sewcial” ever, couldn’t stop talking about it!  If you missed it, we hope to continue having these events, because they are fun and it’s a great way to get to know one another better.  The Leadership Team provided soups, and everyone brought really good finger foods and desserts, yum.  There were prizes given away, and a fun Pictionary-type game we played.  I hope you’ll join us the next time!  

    The only agenda going into the meeting was simply to stir up interest in learning how to start quilting your own quilts.  Hopefully, more to come in way of a small class or one-on-one learning in the months ahead.

    And then…there was the quilt show!  Oh. My. WORD!  NINTEY-FIVE QUILTS!  It was a good kind of overwhelm, and thank you for all the folders of the quilts for helping with that task.  Our devotional was on the olden days of flowered feed sacks and how nothing went to waste during that era.  Isn’t that exactly what we do with everyone’s donations that are not needed anymore and we take what God provides and NOTHING GOES TO WASTE, from beautiful much-needed quilts, to book pillows, to dog beds!

    LSI/Ellipsis - 26
    Altar Cloths - 26
    Agape - 19
    Sleep in Heavenly Peace - 9
    Door of Faith - 7
    A Daycare - 7
    Auction Quilt - 1

    Part of why there were so many quilts is because we didn’t turn any in during our September Retreat.  So we really were looking at September AND October’s bounty of quilts.  The quilts will be on the blog PHOTO page, and you can go look for yourself at the amount of hard work that has been done in the last two months.

    I hope everyone felt as satisfied and fulfilled as I did, at the end of this month’s gathering.  You all work so very hard, and the quilts are beautiful.  And someone this winter will be kept warm and benefit from your generosity.