“Simple Gifts” Free Charity Quilt Pattern from Project Linus
“Card Trick Baby Quilt” Free Charity Quilt Pattern designed by Bobbi Janik from Project Linus
“Easy Preemie Quilt” Free Charity Quilt Pattern designed by the Fraser Valley Quilters Guild, Surrey, British Columbia from Project Linus
“Scrappy Bricks” Free Charity Quilt Pattern for a child AZ Blankets 4 Kids
“Picture Frames” Free Charity Quilt Pattern for an infant up to a teen from AZ Blankets 4 Kids
American Quilter – March 2016 Issue
My article in the March 2016 issue of American Quilter, focuses on Quilting for MS. This topic hits pretty close to home, since I myself was diagnosed with MS in late December 2010.
What I have found SO amazing about my published articles thus far is that the organizations I have highlighted in them has found a surge of new volunteers – which was the goal! With this latest article, the Quilt Blocks for MS group on Facebook have not only found themselves with new volunteers but with volunteers who either suffer from MS or someone close to them (husband, child, etc.) suffers with the relentless damage that MS causes.
There’s a lot of love in the quilt world and when I hear the stories from the leaders of the (lesser known) charities I’ve written about, they are so appreciative that I chose to highlight them and the wonderful things they do for others. I come away with a huge smile and a heartfelt thank you to American Quilter magazine for publishing not just one of my articles but a whole year’s worth! And the quilters the magazine reaches have stepped up to the plate to help those in need – that’s almost like doing a public service announcement!
Quilters are amazing people with great big hearts and a willingness to do good for others, with their only goal being just to help those in need. Thank you, from one quilter to another.
Quilts for Kids is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization my local quilt group and myself personally have donated quilts to. About five years ago, you requested a quilt kit and they sent it to you and you sent it back when it was finished. Due to the shipping costs, however, they now request that you send $6 to them to pay for shipping a quilt kit to you.
The only thing missing from their quilt kits is the batting. They pre-cut the pieces which goes with a pattern that’s already written for those fabric pieces. They send the backing fabric which should also be enough for you to roll over to the front for the binding. They even send you a little quilt label so you can put your name on it and affix it to the back of your quilt!
Their Mission Statement is: Transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.
One of their original Quilts for Kids main sponsors, and 14 years later, they remain one of the main sponsors of Quilts For Kids: P&G AND DOWNY for the Downy Touch of Comfort Program that enabled us to create over 10,000 quilt kits to send to quilters across the country. The little label that goes on the back of the quilt has Proctor & Gamble’s Downy on the label. It really just makes you want to sink your face into the fabric, to feel the sensation of how soft a quilt is after it’s washed with Downy. And even moreso, knowing it’s for a child in need.
Please help support this organization – either just yourself or as a group or quilt guild. This is a great way to bring quilters together, one quilt for a child at a time. Read more about them here:
Quilts For Kids
While this charity quilt organization is not one of the more popular charity quilt groups – I can personally vouch for the Granny behind the quilts. She is salt of the earth. She is a Granny raising a second family that consists of her grandchildren. She is always where she is needed most. She has a quilted heart full of love for those she knows and doesn’t know – for those who need to feel the comfort and security only a quilt can give.
Click on the image above to see what Layers of Hope does and please consider this one of the charities you contribute to in 2015.
