Generous Offer of Quilt Top Help!

For those of you in need of quilting help, here is a wonderful offer from Mary F. in North Seattle:

I have a long arm Tin Lizzie quilting machine and sew a lot of quilts myself.  If someone wants to bring over a few tops and help me get them onto the Tin Lizzie, we could finish them quickly. My work style is a bit simple as I am not a professional on the Tin Lizzie but I got it because I like to piece more than quilt as well.  This helps me get projects done and onto beds.  I could do this 2 or 3 times a year.  I am a member of Quilter's Anonymous. - Mary F., Seattle WA 98115

We have a few beautiful quilt tops here which would benefit from Mary's kind offer. If you would like to contact Mary to ask for help in finishing your quilts, please leave a message here or on our Facebook page, and we will put you in touch with her!  

Thank you, Mary!

Many Hands Make Light Work (and Joy-Filled Hearts)

A guest post from our wonderful Vice President, Mary Ryan:

"Who remembers the scene in Walt Disney's "Cinderella" where all her beloved little animal friends work together to make quick and cheerful work of sewing the most beautiful ball gown for their friend Cinderella from miscellaneous ribbons and remnants? I recently got to witness and even participate in the magic of just this sort of experience when our dear friends, Sue H., Dawn K., Cindy B., and Becky M. all gathered to use their special sewing talents to transform stacks of donated flannel (a majority from our long-time member Lucile N.) into cute and cuddly receiving blankets for the babies at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"These big-hearted ladies joyfully made quick work of matching, cutting, and stitching ten sweet baby blankets in just a few hours. And to top it off, they plan to make sewing for Katie's Comforters Guild a monthly event.

"Sue, Dawn, Cindy, and Becky, thanks so very much for your enthusiasm, generous spirit, and the treasured gifts you share. You are the best "magical" helpers our guild could ever imagine. We are blessed.  - Mary"

And we are blessed to have Mary (pictured in the center of the photo) as our Vice President! We love you, Mary!

Pay It Forward

Last month, I received this bracelet from a friend, inscribed with the message:

...yesterday, I had the opportunity to do just that, for Katie's Comforters Guild.

For months, I have been storing many boxes of beautiful, donated fabric in our home for the Guild. It sits here, just waiting for quilters who need it. I love sharing the gifts which we receive with quilters, but there are often time lags between fabric donations and need for fabric. The "stash" became an impediment to the appropriate use of a room in our house, yet I had no place to give the fabric.

Then I thought of Sue H.; a few months ago, Sue told me that she had some quilting friends who might be interested in sewing for Katie's Comforters Guild. I emailed he,r and offered them the pick of all that we had here. Yesterday, Sue and three of her friends (two friends and one friend's dear granddaughter) came to the house to sort through the fabric, and it was like Christmas morning. The exclamations of joy, excitement and appreciation of the donors' taste was so much fun to witness, like watching kids open presents!

As these lovely ladies sorted the stash into color-coordinated piles, it gradually became apparent that they liked all of it...and they wanted to take all of it, to make quilts for Seattle Children's Hospital's patients. I am thrilled! No more boxes filling the room (just a basket of seasonal and holiday fabric leftover, along with a few quilt tops which need finishing); new friends and supporters of Katie's Comforters Guild, excited to start quilting, and beautiful materials - so lovingly donated - about to be turned into comfort for sick children. It reminds me of a fairy tale (Rumpelstiltskin), in which straw was turned into gold...I can hardly wait to see the treasures these women will make using this fabric!

We have received an offer of more fabric from a generous donor in the Bonney Lake area, so if you would like to join us in our mission, and would like to use free fabric to do so, please let me know! We can connect you with the donor.

Thank you, Sue, Dawn, Becky and Grace!

8 Quilts from Sue & Her Band of Helpers

On Monday, I made a trip to the nearest JoAnn Fabric and Crafts store to meet Sue and her husband. Sue is a new donor to our guild; she and three of her friends have made eight beautiful, cheery quilts for Seattle Children's Hospital.

Two faith-themed quilts, one with dogs and one with leaves

A monkey quilt, leaves, ladybugs and one with winter themes

There is a great variety of color and theme, but all are soft, beautifully quilted and have satin blanket-binding around the edges. They are sure to be a hit with patients!

Thank you, Sue, Dawn, Becky and Judi!

Michelle F. Hosts a Sewing Party

Michelle Farris has a way of gathering and empowering others. She is a great supporter of our guild with her own sewing, and she invites and includes friends and acquaintances who sew - and those who don't know how - to join her. She is a willing and able teacher. Michelle can even design patterns - she designed one for Katie's Comforters Guild!

When we receive donations of fabric, I often turn to Michelle and ask if she needs any of it. A few weeks back, we met for a fabric hand-off in Seattle. She then hosted an event, which produced the following quilts and blankets:

...which she then took the time to deliver to Seattle Children's Hospital.

Thank you, Michelle, 

for your generous donations of 

time, talent, teaching and materials!

New Fleece from Lucile & Noble

Lucile doesn't let a broken sewing machine stop her from creating warmth for patients at Seattle Children's Hospital. She has a spare machine and a serger, and she likes to keep busy! Here is her most recent donations of eight blankets, embroidered and appliqued with love.

Thank you, Lucile & Noble!

We appreciate you and all that you do (in spite of obstacles)!

A Surprise from Kim D. and Good News from Lucile

As I was going through the bags of gorgeous fleece donated by Kim D., I found this treasure,

almost finished, with just a seam open on the binding. I am going to see if Lucile can work her magic on it.

Speaking of Lucile, she has shared good news with us: the sewing machine repair shop - which could not fix Lucile's machine - has replaced it with a newer model! They had given her a new model as a "loaner," which Lucile enjoyed using, and they have now given her the "loaner" to keep, for good. We're rejoicing with her!

Quilt Tops from Frances M. - Can YOU Help?

I received a note from a nice woman named Amelia B., who said that her mom loved to quilt, and would like to donate some quilt tops to our guild. I said, "Yes, please!"

A box arrived, filled with treasures...

gorgeous, jewel-toned quilt tops

each one made with care and artistry

by a woman I've never met - Amelia's mom, Frances M.

...and it's clear that she does love to make quilt TOPS - beautiful quilt tops...

...and she does not love to make the rest of the quilt.

If you are reading this, would YOU like to help us finish these beauties, so that children in the hospital can wrap up in - and be comforted by - them? If so, please contact me in the comments here, or on facebook!

Thank you, Frances M. and Amelia B.!

Calling All Quilters!

We have a need for experienced quilters who would like to lend their skills to help us turn some gorgeous tops into finished quilts for sale to support our Guild's work. We always need funds for fabric, batting, binding and so on, and we have received beautiful unfinished pieces which deserve to find an appreciative home. You might have some questions about this:

Question: Why do you need help finishing these?
Answer: Because they are old, beautiful and deserve to be handled by someone who possesses greater sewing skills than I have.

Question: Why do you plan to sell these, rather than donate them to patients?
Answer: Because the fabrics are from various sources and of different ages (some appear to be antiques), we cannot donate them to sick children. There is nothing wrong with them, but the hospital has very strict rules about quilts/blankets for patients.

Question: Where will you sell the quilts?
Answer:  We are hoping to open an Etsy shop (online) where we will offer these and some other gorgeous finished quilts for sale.

Question: What will you do with the money raised? 
Answer: It will go into our Guild's bank account, which is managed by our Guild's Treasurer. Our plan is to purchase materials (fabric, batting, binding, etc.) for making more quilts and blankets. It may occasionally be used for shipping costs when we receive quilts from faraway donors, or to ship fabric and supplies. If there is a surplus of funds, we may decide to donate some of it to Seattle Children's Hospital.

Question: What sizes are these quilt tops and pieces? 
Answer: The dimensions are underneath the photos.
Please take a look at these beauties and let me know if one or more of them is calling to you to take it from this state to finished work of art! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

39" x 49"

Various sizes, to go with Sunflower quilt above

Various sizes (two top-left squares can also go with Sunflower quilt at top)

31" x 52"

54" x 62"

52" x 40" (4" squares)

39" x 52" (4" squares)

58" x 61" (1.75" squares)

39" x 50" (4" squares)

50" x 59"

12" x 12" each (12 of 20 total)

12" x 12" each (8 of 20 total)

Various shapes/sizes

If you are a seamstress or quilter, or if you know a seamstress or quilter who might like to help us, please leave a comment here, or on facebook, or email me. You may "adopt" and finish a quilt - or you can let me know if you would like to buy one of these as a finished quilt!
All of this is to benefit Katie's Comforters Guild at Seattle Children's Hospital - to help us continue our mission of comforting the patients there.

Fearless Quilters of RBPC

On Sunday, my family and I had the privilege of visiting Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church to receive 13 gorgeous quilts that their Fearless Quilters group made for Katie's Comforters Guild. The Fearless Quilters group is comprised of talented fabric artists who put great detail and love into each one of their creations. This batch of quilts has to be seen and felt to really get the full effect, so I am going to share a lot of photos with you to help you see just how lovely they are.

Safari animal theme quilt & floral-ladybug theme (with sock monkeys for whimsy)

Hawaiian flower theme with elephant (that elephant is made up of fabric pieces)

Back of one of the quilts - look at the quilting detail on the underwater square!

One of my personal favorites - 1920s cabaret print

Detail of center square

The balloons go perfectly with tie-dye border and circles below

Clever tone-on-tone quilting detail of balloons!

These bold chevrons include some soft flannel pieces

I love this "menswear" herring-bone flannel

Wonderful color and design combinations

Detail of the elephant print

Detail of brilliant jewel tones

FISH!

Look closely on the left and you will see a fish quilted into the design!

This is pure color joy

Lovely, vibrant color and whimsical fabric combinations

Pastel dinosaur theme

This would be perfect for a baby or toddler

What a blessing, to receive one of these works of art, filled with love and well-wishes!

During the worship service, the pastor asked a blessing upon the quilts, and afterward, I gave a talk to the Adult Education class about "the Art of Being a Comforter." It was a pleasure to be among the wonderful, generous people of Rolling Bay.

Heartfelt thanks to Pastor Marty, and especially to  

Sally Thompson and Vicky Adkins

and all of the Fearless Quilters, 

for sharing your gifts with sick children through our guild. 

Those quilts are going to make the recipients very, very happy!