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"!)

December 2021 Work Day Recap

Wow, it's been a great year.  Reflecting on the experiences we've shared this past year, there is much to be thankful for.  We respectfully adjusted as necessary to stay safe from the COVID risk. While it seemed slow and frustrating at times, we still managed to be here for each other, for those that we serve, and those who our quilts keep warm.  Hoping each and every month everyone felt uplifted after being together!  

At the end of this year, here's a reminder of the good work you've done.  This year we've donated 274 items to the missions of the church.  This includes our new endeavor of making lap blankets and walker bags for the Care Ministry team to share with shut-ins.  Quilts we donated raised around $4500 at Riverside and Okoboji Bible Camp quilt auctions.  This money goes for their camp programs.  We found a great way to use heavy fabrics (unsuitable for quilts) making pet beds, stuffing them with our scraps rather than having them end up in the trash.  The ARL and A-Heinz57 have been very grateful.  It's always a good feeling to find new outlets for our work ❤ and to see nothing go to waste.

We have found a place for our sewing machine donations from Georgia.  We will donate them to the Des Moines Refugee Support group who is helping 'foster' the Afghan refugees who are relocating to our area.  Besides a new machine, we will include a sewing basket of notions to go with them.  We'll assemble this at our January meeting.  We're looking for things for garment sewing, not quilting.  We'll collect anything you have to share and then do some shopping to finish out the donation.

There were praises for answered prayers ❤ and there were many prayer concerns mentioned.  God is so good.  He has filled the heart of each Hope Quilter with compassion and love towards those who are hurting and struggling during this season, and they uphold each other and encourage one another during the more difficult times in our lives.  It's a blessing to see God's love in action.

Finally, a quick reminder that the retreat is next month!  Thursday thru Saturday, Jan 20-22 is our next retreat at Waukee.  

In closing, an invitation is extended to all of you to come experience Journey to the Light at the WDM campus.  See dates and times in the link provided.  This is a wonderful light display that tells the Christmas Story in a beautiful way!  Prayers everyone stays healthy and can enjoy time with family during the rest of this Christmas season and into the New Year.  

PHOTOS of all the items made that will hopefully be a blessing to many!

November 2021 Work Day Recap

 As always, it was a wonderful couple of days spent with quilting friends.  Thanks to Phyllis for sharing a devotion on Inspiration!  

We got so much accomplished.  Most of the blocks we made at the Social gathering a couple weeks ago were turned into quilt tops.  Several new patterns have been made up for our pre-cut sizes and there are many new kits in the boxes.  It will be exciting to see these put together!  We received another great donation from our friend, Lin, at Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  Besides some kits with beautiful florals, there was yardage of adorable baby flannel.  This was all distributed in order to make simple baby blankets we can give to several of Hope's mission partners.  It's so fun to see what we can do with what we've been given.

One thing we are going to try and monitor is our collection of pre-cuts.  We're just getting too many.  So the new challenge is: before you bring your smaller scraps back to HQ, why don't you turn them into a block?  We're collecting 9.5 or 12.5 blocks and I'll put them together in kits for scrappy quilts.  You can use the 3-6-9 measurements that we've been cutting or you can use the improv method to make your block!  We will continue to have one or two bins of precuts as many like to sew with these.  But we are definitely downsizing! 

Another great option for using your scaps is making half-square triangle (HST) blocks.  Here is a great example of how easy it is to put just about anything into the same quilt and look cool!  (Thanks Sandy!)  Here is a basic tutorial about making HST

 http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/2012/07/hst-tutorial-and-maths-formula/

We will also do some technique teaching in December to see how we can make HST many ways.  You can see how this creates so many options for interesting quilts.  This link was titled 180 layouts for HST. https://www.pinterest.com/arizonagirl/hst-layouts/

 

We turned in quits for Sleep in Heavenly Peace as well as LSI.  Seven wheelchair blankets were given to the Care Ministry as well.  Eight dog beds were delivered to the ARL.  We've heard the news lately about the many Afghanistan refugees that will be coming to Iowa.  Many of our quilts will go to them.  And there was a recent dog-hoarder story where over 500 dogs were rescued.  Even our scraps can serve to bring comfort to our four-legged friends❤.

It's coming up before we know it.  Put our next retreat dates on your calendar now so it doesn't get lost in the business of the upcoming holiday season.  January's retreat is on the calendar for the 20th, 21st, and 22nd.  

As always, don't forget to check out the PHOTOS page for all the quilts and wheelchair blankets and bags.  Forgot to get a photo of the dog beds 😕

Enjoy the Thanksgiving season!  

October 2021 Work Day Recap

The room was full.  Everyone was busy.  Ladies were busy making Joppa blankets from a recent donation. Others were "shopping" through the donation of boxes from a long-lost fellow Hope Quilters sister who has been with us in spirit even if she hasn't been present for a while!    Great to see her! 

And of course, Show and Tell was a highlight as it is every month.  The finished projects are wonderful to see.  But the enthusiasm I see in praising others, getting ideas for a new project, and the general confirmation for the work that we do when we get pictures and feedback from not only each other but with the stories, emails, and pictures shared of those who receive these items.  We had an amazing count of 35 donated items!  This included quilts, wheelchair blankets, walker bags, and JOPPA blankets.

And the workdays also bring out that spirit of camaraderie.  Thanks to Jean for helping us understand how she makes the walker bags.  I saw several in progress and people are giving these away to their own friends as well. What a blessing!  Then I saw how the piecer and the quilter worked through the learning process of how particular details in one step make a difference in the next step.  What a blessing it is for us to learn together from each other!

We had a very short devotional (because we sorta let that slide...oops!) but it was more important to spend time in prayer for our many sisters that are dealing with tough challenges at the moment.  God is good, and He will bring much comfort.

As always, go take a gander at the many, MANY wonderful quilts, blankets, bags, and lap quilts turned in this month!  PHOTOS

September 2021 Work Day Recap

On the weekend of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Pastor Mike Householder reminded us that God calls us to be the Light of the World.  If you get a  chance and haven't heard this sermon yet, you'll find it at https://wwwlutheranchurchof hope.org/messages/.

At Hope Quilters meeting, we spoke of our memories of 9/11 but we also reflected on the challenges in the world today, both locally and nationally as well as within our HQ family.  It was comforting to have each other to share with and to pray with.  Mike pointed us to Psalm 27.  I encourage you to read and reflect on it.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

    whom shall I fear?  Psalm 27:1

FYIs

• Quilt Auctions:  We got news from each of the Bible Camp auctions.  Our quilts at Okoboji made  $2,525.  The quilts at Riverside raised $1,970.  These auctions raise money for programs and scholarships to the Bible Camps.  

• Show and Tell was awesome as always.  Check out the blog to see the photos in a couple days.  We had 18 mission quilts, 4 lap blankets for the Care Ministry, and 4 dog beds.

• Remember our retreat on September 23, 24, and 25!  Look for an email with all the details in the next week or so.  One member will be making walker bags all three days so you can watch her and get some tips.  She doesn't have a specific pattern and she thought it would be easier to learn by doing than try to write something up so be sure and take advantage of this opportunity!

Lastly, we'll leave you with a thought-provoking devotion that was shared with us at the meeting.  

QUILT LESSON PRAYER

Lord, we gather today to learn to quilt. We ask your blessing on our efforts
and ask also that we learn more than just how to make quilts.

That in learning to safely cut our quilt pieces, we learn that our tongues can also
be sharp instruments that can quickly cut someone and cause them pain.

That in learning to carefully measure and plan, we also learn to measure our actions
against your high standard so that others can see you in us.

That in the accurate stitching together of the pieces, we learn that we are stitched
together by your love, respect, and honor to the part you give each in your patchwork quilt.

That the pattern which we see at the end of our work will remind us that
the completed pattern that you have for our lives cannot be seen until we join with you.

Bless our work, our words, and our companionship.
Whatever we learn, we give you the thanks and the glory.

Amen  

As always, don't forget to check out the PHOTOS page to see the quilts turned in!