Giving back with Sew it Forward

A new group on Facebook has grown out of a couple of the FB quilting groups I follow. One in particular got started earlier this year when a member of one of the open groups asked other quilters to make and send her blocks so she could make a quilt for each of her family members who lost their home to fire around the first of the year. That launched the Sew it Forward, a closed Facebook group, that has since grown to 200 members and is now collecting blocks for their sixth family who lost a home to fire.

The first project was for rail fence blocks in red, green and white. Everyone who sent blocks made them from their own stash, so while the color theme is the same, each block is unique. 

The next project I made blocks for requested disappearing nine-patches in black, white and red. I found a FQ that I had been hanging onto for something special with encouraging words and was happy to include it in one of the blocks.

Finally, the last project I donated to was to a widow with twelve (yes, that's 12!) children whose house burned down. I had western panels that had been given to me that I had already turned into tops. I went ahead and finished them completely and shipped them out to go to two of the boys in the family. It feels so good to give to those in need.

I will be watching the group for new projects as they open up and will try to send at least one block to help others with their projects. Once the point person for each project receives all the blocks and completes the top(s), there are quilters who are donating their time to provide the longarm quilting to finish the quilts. Quilters have big hearts and this is one group that I am very grateful to be a part of.

February and March are busy months for me with three 4-day retreats! I went to one two weeks ago just 15 miles from home. It was a good trial run to be sure I do better at including the supplies I'll need for the upcoming weekends further from home. I made a list so I won't forget to pack the few things I needed and had forgotten. This week I leave Wednesday night and head to Oklahoma (nearly 5 hours away) where I'll be attending a retreat organized by an old high school classmate from California! Who would have ever guessed that she and I would both become quilters AND live in neighboring states in the middle of the country 40+ years later! Thanks to Facebook we have reconnected and become friends all over again. I'm so looking forward to our mini-PHS Class of '72 reunion. Tomorrow (my day without my grandson) I'll be doing most of my packing and last minute shopping so I'll be ready to go when Jacob gets picked up Wednesday afternoon.

There have been lots of projects started, but I'll save those for another day. That's all for tonight's update.

More snippets from the sewing room soon,
Liz