February 9th Work Day

Fifteen Hope Quilters were working on Okoboji, Mercy PICU and women’s shelter (now referenced as Domestic Violence Services) quilts on Saturday, February 9^th.  Some quilters came and stayed for the whole day, others for part of the day.  We had a great time visiting and quilting together.  At the end of the day there were quilts ready to be delivered to Mercy and to C&FI.  We also worked on the Ghana altar cloths.  There is still much work needed on this project.

On Monday, the Mercy PICU and women's shelter quilts were delivered. 

We’re continuing to work on the quilts for Okoboji’s Christopherhaus dorm.  So far seventeen quilts have been delivered out of the 37 we committed to making.  We have several more ready for delivery.  The earlier goal was to have all of the quilts completed by the March 9^th work day.  I believe this can be pushed out to April 13^th.  Family Camp season will start soon, and we’d like to have all of the quilts at camp and ready to be used.  Here's a link to that schedule for 2013.   http://www.okoboji.org/camp-programs/family-camp/   If you are having difficulty in getting a quilt finished, please bring it to the March work day and we’ll work together on it.

 We do handwork to finish and label the quilts

Sorting blocks for placement;  fabrics need to be ironed as well

 Visiting, catching up on news and family and events is an important part of the comradrie of quilting together.  We share stories and we help each other on our quilts.

 

Progress is being made on altar cloths for the Ghana churches. 


 

 

 

 

February Events - Work Day and Retreat

Saturday, February 9th is our regular work day.  We'll continue to work on the quilts for Okoboji's Christopherhaus dorm as well as quilts for the Women's Center and Mercy PICU.  Bring a sack lunch and beverage, along with your sewing machine and associated notions.

Friday and Saturday, February 15th & 16th is the 2013 quilting retreat.   There are 20 quilters signed up for the retreat.  Please let Linda Bergeson know if you've signed up but are now unable to attend.   You can work on personal projects - get one or more of those UFO's finished this year.

January Work Day

Hope Quilters met Saturday, January 12th for a day of fellowship and quilting.

We've been working on quilts for several groups, including the Okoboji Bible Camp's Christopherhaus Dormitory, Children & Families of Iowa Women's Shelter, Mercy Hospital PICU and Riverside Bible Camp 2013 Quilt Auction.  A number of the quilts have been quilted and are ready to be completed with binding and labeling.

Several Hope Quilters made and donated two quilts to Mentor Iowa.  We presented them to Marty L and Kevin O at the January work day.

We're still looking for people to make altar cloths using the fabrics brought back from Ghana.  These altar cloths will be given to the new churches provided by LCOH's 2012 Lenten project "40 Churches in 40 Days".  The mission teams will deliver the altar cloths on the 2013 trips to Ghana.  Praise God!  There are some 120 new churches being built in Ghana from that project.

January 12th Work Day

Hope Quilters will meet at 8:30 on Saturday, January 12th for a day of fellowship and quilting.   Come for all or part of the day.  Bring your lunch.

Representatives from Mentor Iowa will attend the meeting to explain what their program does in working with youth in our community.  Hope Quilters has donated two quilts for their upcoming auction.

There are a number of mission projects we're working on including the Okoboji Christopherhaus Dormitory quilts, Children & Families of Iowa - Domestic Violence Services, Mercy PICU, Riverside Bible Camp 2013 Quilt Auction and One Body - Adults quilt project on "The Story".  We're also working on the designs and sewing of the altar cloths for the church plants in Ghana. 

If any of these projects interest you, please come join us.  Even if you don't quilt or sew, we'd like to have you visit and find out what Hope Quilters is all about.

December 8th Work Day

We awoke to a covering of snow this day.  Broke the record of 279 days since the last snow way back in the early part of the year.  But that didn't stop the quilters from coming to work on this Saturday.  Speaking of years - this was the last Hope Quilters work day for 2012.   The next work day is January 12, 2013.  Looking forward to seeing you.

There are many pictures from the December work day.  We now have quilts completed for three more rooms at Okoboji Christopherhaus dorm.  An additional three rooms of quilts are nearly complete.

 We're making four or five quilts for each room, coordinating the colors, or the patterns, or the borders. 

 These are a few of the quilts going to Okoboji.





We need batting.  Lots and lots of batting for our mission projects.

Using several tables along with some chairs, we get the batting cut to size to fit the quilts.  Big scissors, big tape measures and teaming make the job easier. 

These quilts now have backing, batting, binding and are ready to be quilted.  They'll be donated to a local Domestic Violence Center.  There are baby sized up to large twin sized quilts in this group.

 

More quilts that members made for various missions.  God has blessed Hope Quilters with many talented quilters.

 More quilts that members made for the various missions we serve.  God is certainly here among us, guiding us to use our talents to make these beautiful quilts. 

 We don't know who will wrap up in these quilts, but just knowing that someone in need will be kept warm is what motivates us to make them.

 

And we still use the floor when necessary.  Trying out the backing to make sure it fits the top.  Need enough extra for the binding, too. 

 

November Work Day

Saturday, November 10th

Who could believe we’d have 60’s and 70’s in the middle of November in Iowa?  A few of us stayed inside and worked on various quilting projects even though the mild weather beckoned us outside.

 The second Mentor Iowa quilt donation is nearly finished.  It's very bright with the orange backing.  The top is batiks, pieced by Jody E., who also added the binding.  Several HQers worked on finishing sewing the binding down.

We utilize the floor when we have to, as in laying out enough fabrics to make up a backing for another quilt.   This backing will need to be pieced to be large enough. 





Several more beautiful quilts in progress.
 

Next work day is Saturday, December 8th at 8:30 a.m.
 

 

 

October Work Day

This work day found us accepting several new projects along with working on our existing ones.  New members attended, including several teens - Welcome to Hope Quilters!   Everyone was busy as shown in the pictures.  It always helps to have another pair of hands to sew bindings and labels on, or to help pin-baste a quilt (three or more tables pushed together helps, too). 

             Pin-basting another quilt
Sewing the binding on

               Selecting fabric for binding
Cutting squares for
flying geese blocks


We're excited to work with One Body Adult Special Ministries group at Hope.  One Body Adult provides opportunities for adults with special needs to access worship and discipleship opportunities.  Cindy G. who is on staff at Hope attended and explained what the group is doing during the 31 weeks of "The Story".  A small group of quilters, led by Sara H. will work with them to design and make a quilt with their pictoral interpretations of "The Story".   God has once again put His hand on people as we reach out to share the love of Jesus Christ with each other.

Quilt Retreat - after surveying the members, it has been decided to have the next Hope Quilters retreat in Valley Junction at The Heart of Iowa Quilting on February 15th and 16th.  More information and details will be sent out as we get closer to the dates.  Space is limited to 20 people.  Please let Linda B. know if you're interested in attending so you can be on the list.

The Des Moines Interfaith Hospitality Network, of which Lutheran Church of Hope is a Host Congregation, requested a quilt for their upcoming fund raising auction in November.   We have donated two quilts towards this effort.  They are pictured here.
Both of these quilts have Psalms printed in some of the blocks.  They're from Block Party Studios Quilt Shop.

Mentor Iowa had also requested quilts for their auction which will be held early in 2013.  One quilt has been completed, a second one is in progress.

The quilts we've committed to making for the Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp Christopherhaus dorm are coming along.  Four quilts have been completed and will be delivered to the camp in the next week by a Hope member.  Others are in various stages of completion, several tops have been finished and are waiting to be quilted and bound.  The camp coordinator supplied us with room nos. and the no. and sizes of quilts needed for each room.  Eight small groups of quilters are working on quilts for specific rooms. 

We're continuing to make smaller quilts for Mission Rio Grande for use in the Cristo Rey Lutheran Church community in El Paso, TX.  Some of these quilts will be given to the children in Juarez Mexico as needed.  The date for the mission trip next fall is still to be determined, so we have plenty of time to complete these quilts.

Our commitment to Mercy Hospital Pediatric ICU continues, and several quilters brought in quilt tops for this project.  We've had information that one of the quilts we took to the PICU was used for a friend of a Hope Quilter / Hope member.  She visited the young boy who was a patient and he had one of the quilts on his bed.  Sad to report he died.  His parents were given the quilt.  We pray this gives them some measure of support at this difficult time. 

Next work day is November 10th.