Busy May

 We were delighted to be invited back to Barwell U3A Craft Group to do some sewing.  This group is very friendly and hard working, and we were pleased to see them again. Unfortunately they have lost some members over the last two years, which seems to be true for many groups.  I think some people have become comfortable in staying at home, and there have been no new members, because there have been no meetings! Well, the ladies who came were lovely! 

We were making hexagon sheep, which proved to be achievable in the time. 

Julie and Paula came with me, and here are the results of our labours.  Great work.  

 

Then today we went along to Ward 27 at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, where Chandni was ready to receive some more quilts.  Here are some nurses, Paula and I ‘smiling’ for the camera! 

Quilts out and in!

 This month I was contacted by Lily from The Kite Trust (an LGBT+ charity) to see if I had any larger quilts for a group of teenagers who were going on a residential.  As it happened, I had some larger quilts donated recently, and I had put them to one side for just such a purpose.  

Lily came over to collect them, and chose this lovely scrappy quilt for the photo.  The residential is this weekend, and I hope they don’t get inconvenienced by Storm Eunice! 

Earlier this week we were invited to a sewing day by the lovely Quilt Together group in Shepshed.  We always love visiting this group as they are all lovely (and talented) ladies. 

Here are some of them having a well earned rest, except for Lesley who is beavering away. 

Julie, Caroline and Paula joined us.  I think it’s the lunch they particularly like! 

Marion, Eileen, Ann and friend struggled somewhat with my kits.  Marion eventually enjoyed making this tumbler quilt! 

I took lots of kits and a box of backing fabrics.  People usually have bits and pieces to add to the mix, but yardage for backing is always appreciated. 

And here are some of the results of all that hard work.  Caroline proved to be a master at choosing orphan blocks to go together.  These were from the 12” bag. 

This tumbler quilt went together well. 

This is another quilt put together by Caroline.  She actually emptied the 6” orphan bag completely! 

Log cabin blocks put together beautifully. 

Another set of orphans finally get a family. 

Julie had made some kits from 2,5” strips for this 4-corner jelly roll quilt.  Quick, bright and cheerful! 

More orphans get to play nicely together. 

Finally, some red and white HSTs find a great design.  

Thank you so much Quilt Together ladies for a lovely day.  Lots of tops made up, several kits taken away, and a lot of fun as a by product!  See you again later in the year. 

First donation of the year

 The quilts were starting to pile up, so I looked in my records to see who was next for a donation.  I realised that it was December 2020 since I had seen Asha and she had taken quilts for the Health Visiting Team In the Saffron Lane area to distribute, so I gave her a ring.  It turns out that she is on secondment from her job, heading up a team recruiting foreign nurses to the NHS, but still keeps in contact with her health visiting colleagues and was keen to come over. 

Here we are, in my hall, with some of the bags containing a wonderful 80 quilts!  That’s a lots of hugs! 

Four hundred and ninety one!

 We are at the beginning of a new year, and I can reveal that last year saw 491 quilts donated to Project Linus in Leicestershire!  Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to that fabulous total, whether by sewing quilts, donating fabric or blocks or buying items from the rummage box.  Every little helps, as they say, and they’re definitely not wrong!  

One year ends and another begins.  As soon as I turn to a new page in my record book, the quilts start coming in. 

This is a very poor photo of Katharine from the Craft Centre in Market Harborough who had gathered up donated orphan blocks and made five gorgeous quilts!  

Knit and Stitch sessions are still going ahead in the Methodist church on Bitteswell Road in Lutterworth, from 2pm every first Thursday.  Come along and say hello! 

Wishes4kids

 I had a lot of quilts ready to give out, since my lovely sewers had been beavering away during lockdown and I hadn’t been able to make the usual donations.  I decided to to find some more recipients, so rang Wishes4kids, a local charity which brings joy to children with terminal illnesses or who have suffered trauma of various kinds.  I spoke to the lovely Gary who was in the process of filling 200 goodie bags as Christmas gifts and was delighted to hear that I had quilts to add to the bounty. He was even willing to come over and pick them up!  I got 130 quilts ready for him, and he took them all! 

He was amazed when he chose this beauty for a photo, quite understandably.  His charity, which is based in Leicester, does its best to grant children’s wishes.  These range from activities to meeting celebrities. It was a pleasure to meet such a generous and lovely person.  Carry on the good work, Gary! 

Mammoth donation!

 Every year, we have a trip up the M1 to Shepshed to visit a wonderful group, Quilting Together.  They are very talented and very generous, and I always enjoy seeing them.  I missed them last year, but they had kept on quilting and had a mammoth pile of quilts for Project Linus! 

There were so many quilts that we couldn’t get them all in the car!  Eileen very kindly popped over with the remainder a few days later.  There were actually 149 quilts altogether!  What a lot of hugs! I took lots of photos, but only have time to add a selection. 

This is a giant hexagon!  It was made simply by going round and round the centre. What a stunner! 

This is a great way to deal with small hexagons.  This solves edging dilemmas! 

This selection of blocks gets unity from the turquoise and brown hourglasses. 

Another wonderful quilt made by going round and round! 

This quilt successfully bigs up some little pictures of lighthouses. 

Here are two for the price of one! 

Another double treat. 

Clever use of random squares to make a very pleasing design. 

Here is a great collection of coordinating blocks arranged very pleasingly. 

A seaside theme is always good. 

A great medallion quilt using up some hexagons beautifully. 

More squares, but what a clever arrangement. 

Half square triangles arranged in zig zags, plus a bright mile a minute! 

Another arrangement of squares!  So innovative! 

This is so much fun! 

A centre of strings, with a lovely border. 

I think most of these blocks were meant to be together, but there are some strangers playing very nicely! 

Yet another squares quilt!  There is so much talent in this group! 

This is so cheerful! 

This is just a few of the quilts, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the makers for all your hard work!  See you again, but not till next year! 

Quilts going off to give hugs

 I had quite a lot of quilts in my cupboard, and in the last week I have successfully sent most of them on their way to new homes. 

Firstly I went over to the Living Rock Church in Stoney Stanton, where ‘Pebbles’ is based.  This is an organisation which helps provide baby equipment to mothers in need.  I left 20 quilts there for the organiser, Janet. 

Then Paula and I went up to the LRI to meet Pip from Ward 10 and take 60 quilts.  That should keep them going for a while!  The nurse who is holding the quilt on the left really liked the backing, which was space themed.  She rushed off with it, saying, ‘I know someone who would love this!’ She gave it straightaway to a youngster who adored it (and his mum teared up).  

Then a trip to Market Harborough to Homestart, a charity which supports families.  They had 20 quilts and Stella particularly liked this pink quilt, as it was bright and cheerful. 

Now there is space in my cupboard, but not for long, I predict!