First veterans quilts of 2022 delivered!

Our first batch of quilts for 2022 were delivered to our VA hospital contact Saturday. We start off the year with 31 quilts! If you do not see one of yours in this stack, don't worry. They didn't all make it for the photo shoot but I delivered all that I had.

I wanted to take this opportunity for my annual reminder notes about our veterans quilts project. 

The quilts we make are donated to the Interventional Radiography Department at Hunter Holmes McGuire Hospital. They primarily gift the quilts to veterans with recent cancer diagnoses that are in their department to have chemo ports inserted. The staff says that the quilts are wonderful especially for patients who are extra stressed over their diagnosis.

- Optimal size for the quilts is 48" x 60". We can accept an inch or 2 smaller and a inch or so bigger, but the backing and batting is precut so we do not have a ton of flexibility.

- You can make any pattern or design that you want. As for fabric selection, patriotic quilts are always the first preference but anything masculine or non-gender is fine. Scrap quilts are great too. Avoid feminine quilts. They have so few female patients that those quilts rarely get distributed. Hanover Safe Place is a great option if you are making more feminine quilts.

- We now have several volunteer quilters so once you give us your tops we can usually turn them around within 60 days (2 meetings). They are quilted 2 at a time. We load one backing piece that's big enough for 2 quilts. 

- If you want to quilt your own quilt I (Vicki) can provide you with backing and batting. All you have to do is ask. I'll even do my best to dye a matching backing for you.

- Please do not use any fragrance when you wash the fabrics or quilts. I'm very allergic. The quilts and the tops might stay in my house for a couple of months and I just can't have fragrance in my house for that long. I can't quilt tops that have fragrance in them at all. When I have received quilts that have been washed in fragrance detergent I have to hang them outside (on a covered porch) for as long as 2 weeks before I can have them in my house. I don't like doing that to your quilts but I have no other option.

Announcements!

We are once again being nominated for the Hanover County Spirit of Volunteerism award. We need a new group picture, which we plan to take at our meeting on the 15th. Could whoever has our hanging frames please bring them to the meeting (and please email me at malshealy <at> gmail so I know you saw this). We will have the quilts from our Hanover Museum show (see below) and should be able to find 2 or 3 that will make an appropriate backdrop, but if you have a quilt you’d particularly like us to use, bring it along. We’ll try to take the picture at the start of our meeting.

 

Quilts from the Hanover Museum show

 

Jaime Fawcett plans to be at our meeting on the 15th to return as many of the quilts as possible. She will arrive around 6, so feel free to come early to the meeting to get your quilt(s) Please remember to bring your claim form! As far as I know, any remaining quilts will be delivered on the 18th as originally planned.

We were featured!

 I think everyone still remembers the generous donation of Benartex fabric that we received last year for our veterans quilts. We were featured this week on the Benartex Instagram page!

You can check it out here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZo4F2DO3f9/

Change in plans!

I hope you all saw the email from Hanover County Parks and Rec. Our meeting has been postponed from Feb. 8 to Feb 15, because the meeting space does not have heat. The heating system should be fixed next Wednesday or soon thereafter.

We don't currently have a program for this month. Since we had a small turnout in January, it's been suggested that we continue the First quilt/Last quilt program that we did last month. Please bring an early quilt and a recent quilt if you want to participate. And you are all encouraged to sign up for programs in the months ahead!

Also, please remember that sewing days this month are the 18th and 19th.