Category Archives: Charity Quilts

One Quilter Can Make a Difference

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I have worked hard this year at trying to make one charity quilt in between other quilt projects I have created.  For instance, if I am working on a quilted gift for a loved one, I make that gift and then make a charity quilt, then make another quilt, etc. etc.

My own quilting is about me, whether those quilts are made for others, made for my websites or made for a magazine.  I’ve designed them, I’ve chosen the fabric for them.  I’ve gifted them with love.

My charity quilts are NOT about me.  They are about the charity that they go to.  They are no less loved than my own quilts but they are far more important, in the big scheme of all things quilted, than my personal quilt to-do lists.

There are thousands of quilts given away through the charity I work with.  THOUSANDS.  My contribution is an extremely small part of that.

Now, as one quilter, I can make a difference.  What would happen if a dozen, a hundred, a thousand quilters joined in to make charity quilts?  YOU can make a difference.  One quilt at a time.

The Man? He Can Quilt!

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I purchased a used Tin Lizzy Eighteen longarm and frame about three years ago.  It has sat in the boxes until about three months ago because we didn’t have anyplace to put it up.  Once the quilt studio was finished, my husband’s first task was to get that longarm set up so I knew how much room was left in the studio for all of my quilting paraphernalia.

We knew that I may not be able to run the longarm because of the side effects of my MS so hubby set it all up and then searched high and lo to find instructions and ideas and everything-under-the-sun about topics such as threading the machine, what quilt thread worked best, etc. etc.

Once I helped him with a few housekeeping instructions, he’s not a quilter so I had to explain some terminology and longarm quilting advice.

Once he had that info, he went to town!  He finished quilting a baby quilt and was SO VERY PROUD of his accomplishment – as well he should be!  With only a few errors, he got on a roll and never backed down – even when I shared my seam ripper with him for some boo-boos 🙂

Without further ado – here he is with the 40″ square baby quilt he quilted:

Lee's Bday 002

And when one of our daughters pointed out that ‘read men don’t quilt’ I had to follow that up with the names of male quilters that I virtually knew of and she backed down.  ;-)  ©2015 TK Harrison ~ All Rights Reserved.

Quilting for Charity Spotlight: Lutheran World Relief

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One of the charity’s that I personally support is Lutheran World Relief (LWR).  There are a dozen or so wonderful women at our church who do the hard work of tying and binding the quilt tops that many members make throughout the year.  My small contribution is SO worth it, to me!  I make a quilt for whatever reason (magazine submission, gift, etc.) and then I take the time to make a LWR quilt top.  They are SO simple to make and I always have time to put one or two together while I am waiting for my other quilt tops returning from my longarmer.

Here’s a note from the LWR website:

“When you make and send a Quilt, you are not only comforting someone you have never met, but providing an object that is useful in ways you probably never imagined. The ultimate purpose of a Quilt is to provide warmth, an essential need for people in every climate, and LWR tries to ensure top standards in fabrics and filler accordingly.”

Here’s a fun video about these LWR quilts – just remember, you don’t have to be Lutheran to make quilts for LWR.

I hope you find this LWR charity as worthwhile as I do!


Quilting for Charity Spotlight: Heartstrings Quilt Project

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Strings, strings and more strings!  All of us who quilt regularly have strings.  I keep mine in a small basket on one of my shelves.  When the basket is full, it’s time to start making blocks out of them.  But where do I send the blocks?  Or if I make a quilt top, who should I give it to?

Heartstrings.  Simple as that.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how many different organizations and individuals they donate quilts to.  Read about their quilt outreach here.

Heartstrings

An absolutely beautiful “Heartstrings” quilt!

(source)

Now I know just what I’ll do with the next string blocks and/or quilt top I make.  Go ahead, take a look at the Heartstrings website and enjoy their charitable journey!