Category Archives: Charity Quilts

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!


Quilting for Charity Spotlight: Wrap Them In Love Foundation

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“The Wrap Them in Love Foundation is a non-profit, tax exempt organization created to help children of all ages around the world.

“Our Mission is to collect donated quilts and distribute them to children around the world, so they can be wrapped in love and comfort. As we all know, a quilt is a very special thing. It isn’t just a blanket; it has been lovingly created by a real person. A quilter leaves a part of themselves in every quilt they make. The child who receives it will be able to snuggle up in all the love and comfort that comes in that quilt.”  (source)

The quilts that are donated are shared with children near and far.  These two little girls, wrapped in a warm quilt, are located in South Dakota.

This little cutie received a Wrap Them in Love Foundation quilt in Russia.

There are always going to be needs.  What I like the most about this foundation is that you can sew a quilt and donate it to them – or, if you don’t sew, you can donate funds to help them buy fabric to make quilts.  Hooray for the Wrap Them in Love Foundation!


Quilting for Charity Spotlight: Quilts for Kids

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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