Treasurer Transitions

Linda is the 2nd from the left; her daughter, Marcy, is on the right

It's time to stop and say a HUGE "Thank you" to our outgoing Treasurer, Linda Case (also known as Katie's Auntie Linda).

Linda has worked tirelessly, remotely (she lives a couple of hours north of here), and with very little input from me. She has kept the guild's books, managed bank relationships, written checks, deposited checks and communicated effectively with the Guild Association. She fulfilled this vital role with cheer, kindness and unconditional support for our mission.

Linda is now stepping down, and we owe her a great debt of thanks.

Thank you, Linda! 

We are grateful to you for all that you have done for Katie's Comforters.

Our new Treasurer is the multi-talented Mary McCluskey. Mary is a member of our guild, a quilter and local go-getter who generously said "Yes" when we put out the call for a new Treasurer. She joined me (on her lunch hour) last week to open a new bank account for the guild.

We welcome Mary to the post of Katie's Comforters Guild's Treasurer with gratitude, and look forward to working together.
Thank you for answering the call, Mary!

32 New Quilts & Blankets and a Gift of Funds

Last week, Lucile and Noble stopped into Poulsbo on their way to run errands. They brought with them 32 new quilts and fleece blankets! The variety of fabric, colors and patterns is a delight.

Lucile has a way of combining fabric which is very creative. Not only does she make her own quilt binding when necessary, she makes quilted blankets special by combining solids with patterns. She also applies this concept to fleece. When we receive donations of solid-colored fleece, Lucile adds fun to the design by sewing solid pieces to patterned fleece, using her sewing machine's decorative stitches, and creating an embroidered border around the edges. You can see what I mean here:

Thank you, Lucile and Noble!

Loyal guild member Ellie Boren does not sew, but is faithful in her financial support of our work; once again, she sent a gift which will help us to purchase fabric and other supplies (such as satin blanket binding and batting) for our guild members who do sew.

Thank you, Ellie & husband Phil!

Family Support

We are deeply thankful to our family members who support Katie's Comforters Guild.

Recently, we received a pretty card and generous check from Ellie & Phil B. (the parents of our president), which will enable us to purchase materials for blankets and quilts. This is so important, especially because our guild has not hosted any fundraisers, so we operate on an "economy of grace."

Thank you, Ellie & Phil, 

for contributing generously 

to help keep Katie's Comforters Guild 

members producing comfort!

We have some gorgeous quilts ready to auction to raise funds for our guild's supplies, so if any of you have expertise in ETSY or other online shopping sites, we would welcome a donation of your time and talent to help us organize and host a fundraiser!

A Family's Gift

Last week, I had the privilege of receiving a multi-generational donation from a dear family. Bev and her mother, sister, daughter and grand-daughter have all worked with loving hands on this batch of blankets. These four generations of ladies knitted/crocheted, and tied fleece, to create seven lovely blankets for Katie's Comforters to donate to patients at Seattle Children's Hospital. Here are their gifts:

Cozy, soft and cheerful = warmth and comfort.
THANKS to Bev, Grandma Icel, Aunt Barb, Angela and Olivia!

Our Treasurer is a Treasure!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of a visit from our guild's Treasurer. Her name is Linda, and she also happens to be my sister-in-law. Linda is a retired teacher with a heart of pure gold. She has generously taken on the role of treasurer of our guild (a volunteer position, as are all of our board posts) and does an excellent job of keeping track of the donations and expenses of Katie's Comforters Guild.

Not only does Linda give her time and talent to the financial side of the guild, she also sews, and has gathered a group of women to sew with her. They haven't given their group a name yet, so here is a photo of Linda's Quilters:

Linda is second from the left, and her daughter Marcy (our dear niece) is on the far right. This was taken recently, when they dropped off their beautiful quilts at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Thank you for all you do for Katie's Comforters, Linda, and thanks to your quilting group!

A Quilt Delivery with Dad

Today, my dad and I went to deliver quilts to the hospital. It was his first time on a quilt delivery, and I enjoyed showing him the routine. We gave some of the quilts to the volunteer office, and took some up to Childlife in the Hematology-Oncology department. It was great to see our friends in Childlife, Julie and Ashley, and to have a surprise visit from Tanya (our social worker when Katie was a patient). We haven't seen Tanya in many months, because she has been on maternity leave recently, with her beautiful baby girl.

It makes me happy to know that the quilts that we donated will bring comfort to children who are in the hospital. Thank you, Lucile and Linda, for your beautiful and loving handiwork!

We also visited the Guild Association office to collect a gift from a brilliant, local fashion designer named Luly Yang: fabric remnants and samples that can be used for making quilts. These are some of the most beautiful fabrics I have EVER seen, from notable designers. They can't be used in making quilts for children, because they are made of fine fabrics such as chiffon, silk and lace (and those can't be machine-washed); but they CAN be used to make beautiful art quilts that we could sell - to raise money for the guild! 

If you are an experienced art quilter and would like to help, or have advice and/or suggestions for us, please leave a comment here.

Thank you, Luly Yang, for this exciting and inspiring gift!

A Great Day for Katie's Comforters

Today was a great day for our guild. Our Treasurer (my sister-in-law, Katie's Auntie Linda) came to visit, and together, we went to Bank of America to open a checking and savings account for Katie's Comforters Guild. We opened this account with a generous donation from Auto Connections East in Bellevue, Washington, which is owned by my brother-in-law, Stu Cordova. Thank you, Stu (Katie's Uncle - you can learn more about him if you click on his name), and my sister Deb (Katie's Aunt)!

Here is a photo of our Treasurer, Linda Case.

If you're wondering what the object is next to her, it's a full roll of batting from Jo-Ann Fabrics.  All 18 yards of it, in one roll - that's enough to make 18 quilts!

Speaking of Jo-Ann Fabrics, we have just heard from their corporate office that they are going to provide discount cards for our guild members. When the cards arrive, I will post more about this. We want to thank Jo-Ann Fabrics for their interest, compassion and support!

Last, but not least, thank you, Mom, for your generous check, which paid for that roll of batting, and other quilting supplies!