A Quilt Can Wrap Someone in Love - Quilt Donations for Maui

Thoughts and prayers can hold someone up spiritually, but a quilt can wrap them in love.

Wrap the World with Quilts, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to sending quilts and sewing machines where they're most needed.

Their mission statement says it all:

Through the gift of a handmade quilt, we provide comfort and love, warmth and human connection to those suffering around the world.

Wrap the World with Quilts has been sending quilts to Ukraine but have recently added Maui as an option. Use the drop-down location option, "Wherever Needed Most," to route your donation to Maui. The "Aloha Quilts Donation Drive" began with Marilyn at the Maui Quilt Shop. If you'd like to register quilts as a group, just include a note in the box with a name and email and specify they should go to Maui.

Marilyn says, "Your donated quilts will be distributed wisely to those affected by this horrible fire. These quilts will give them comfort and help them heal as they try to overcome this tragedy. Thank you for caring about Maui! With Love and Aloha."

For shipping, Wrap the World with Quilts has partnered with GiveBackBox and UPS for an inexpensive shipping option that will go directly to the receiving organization. Donations may also be sent directly to the Maui Quilt Shop at 18 Central Ave, Wailuku, HI 96793

Go to THIS LINK to add the label to your cart. The address will be preprinted and, after you pay the $20 flate rate fee, the label will be emailed to you. Simply print it out to place on your package. The label will cover the costs for any size box up to 50 lbs.

Just drop it off at any UPS store.

Knitting or Quilting the Intervals

There are a lot of interesting projects on the innerwebs for documenting intervals, whether it's changes in temperature to waiting on mass transit. No matter which data you'd like to collect and record, the sewing and needle arts seem uniquely positioned to capture and beautifully display this information!

In quilting, it's fairly easy to create a temperature quilt. You simply assign a number or range of numbers to a particular color. If you do this for a year, you'll have 365 blocks, so draft your measurements accordingly! Darcy has an example of her temperature quilt here: Temperature Quilt Rachel discusses her temperature quilt here: The Life of Riley: Temperature Quilt: The Details (rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com) and check out this collection on Pinterest! 

On this quilt, the triangles represent the highs and lows for each day, creating a different effect. The Quilt Show featured an exhibit of quilts devoted to climate change. 

If you're into knitting, there are many examples of capturing temperature changes. How about one that uses the time spent waiting for the train? This woman in Europe documented the number of minutes her train was delayed.

     

If you're interested in reading peer-reviewed literature, check out this article on using quilting terms to align data using art and science! 

If you'd rather read about the data BEHIND a quilt, check out this link!

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is sponsoring a sold-out virtual knitting workshop with Amy Wike, an artist who knits Morse Code, another version of intervals. 

*Create DIY Textile Arts Festival by Mancuso - June 10-12, 2021

 *Create DIY Textile Arts Festival by Mancuso, June 10-12

The virtual Quiltfest shows that have been presented by Mancuso Show Management have been really solid and impressive. Now they are selling tickets for an online textile arts festival, one in a series they started in January. The latest version of Create DIY will run from June 10-12. All the lectures and workshops will be Zoomed and the classes include not just quilting but also dyeing, crochet, paper collage, etc. 

Meg Cox wants to especially give a shout out for Liza Lucy's workshops, especially one on English Paper Piecing (EPP). This is for beginners and because she learned from her, she knows how passionate Liz Lucy is about EPP and that she's a terrific teacher. The workshop comes with a kit which is complete and thoughtful. She is doing two other classes as well you might enjoy. Go here for more info and to register for Create DIY in June.

What Are Your New Year's Sewing Resolutions?

 

What are your New Year sewing resolutions?

Common sewing resolutions include, but are not limited to:

• Altering and adjusting patterns for a personalized fit
• Learning tailoring techniques
• Practicing couture finishes
• Optimizing sewing time  
• Experimenting with various specialty stitches and presser feet 
• Using sewing tools such as hams, irons, and notions more effectively
• Sewing down a stash
• Creating a sewing plan

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Sewing Guild reached out to its members for ideas on what they'd like to learn in 2021.  Members of our various Neighborhood Groups voted on broad categories, including;

• Quilting and Ruler Work
• Accessories and Crafts (includes bags, purses, and aprons)
• Machine Embroidery
• Sergers
• Cutting Machines, such as Cricut
• Upcycling
• Home Décor
• Art Quilts
• Cosplay

Because we also do charity sewing, we discussed sewing projects that would  benefit our communities. Such sewing activities include creating fidget blankets, dignity scarves, wheelchair or walker caddies, and holiday-themed placemats and napkins for Meals on Wheels.

One of the strengths of Neighborhood Groups is the availability of hands-on expertise or access to subject matter experts to solve sewing problems, whether it's a fitting issue, an opinion, or a recommendation. Membership in the Guild builds relationships and connections to others with similar interests. Our Neighborhood Groups use Zoom to create virtual meetings where members present tutorials on select topics and share their sewing knowledge, so wasted time and driving are minimized. We do hope, at some point, to be able to meet again in person, and one of our Neighborhood Groups is doing hybrid meetings to meet the needs of its members.

If taking your sewing to the next level is one of your New Year's resolutions, consider attending one or two meetings. Or maybe your New Year's resolution is to meet new people safely----we're here for you!

What are your New Year sewing resolutions?

We'd love to hear what your sewing plans are for 2021!

Please comment below!