We are off to a good start with quilts for veterans this year.  

The snow and cold didn't keep us away from our sewing days Jan 15 and 16 where 10 quilts were collected. Vicki will add them to the quilts from late December and our first delivery in 2025 will be a good one! Thanks everyone - keep those quilt tops coming - size is 48" x 60" - we have volunteers who machine quilt them and return the quilt to the maker for the binding. 

I think this is the start of our 14th year of making quilts for veterans. Great work, everyone!

Sign-up with Montpelier Center

Each year we sign-up with the Montpelier Center for Arts & Education.  This is the link we used in 2024 and it should work for 2025.  Fingers crossed it works!

https://reg.learningstream.com/view/view_month.aspx?as=35...

BLOCK SWAP CHALLENGE

🎉🎉🎉HAPPY NEW YEAR🎉🎉🎉

The beginning of a new year is a great time to start a new group project. Let's make 9-patch blocks for quilts for veterans.

It will be a monthly BLOCK SWAP CHALLENGE.

Here's how it will work: 

Make TWO 9-patch blocks each month, you keep one and bring the other one to our meeting to be swapped with someone else's block. (We will draw numbers to make the swap.) The two blocks you make each month use the same fabrics.

GUIDELINES:

Cut 1 red 3-1/2" square (any red)

Cut 4 dark 3-1/2" squares (let's use green, blue and brown fabrics - NO black)

Cut 4 light 3-1/2" squares (light fabrics, but NO white)

Your finished block will measure 9-1/2"

It will be fun to have a good assortment of blocks, and at the end of the year we will each have our 12 blocks and 12 from the swap. With those blocks there are all sorts of ways of setting them together to make a quilt for a veteran. 

Make your blocks with several fabrics or limit it to just two. Examples, below.

                                                     Example 1                                                                      

                                                    Example 2

I hope we get good participation in this project - the more the merrier, right?  No need to sign-up, if you want to be part of this, just bring a 9-patch block to the monthly meeting to swap!

Throughout the year, let's all be on the lookout for interesting ways to use the blocks - there are many - and we will share them with others. 

Let's talk more about it at our January 14 meeting. 

And remember, if Hanover County Schools close, we do not have a meeting. 

January 2025 Luncheon

 Happy New Year, Quilting Friends!  May 2025 be wonderful for all of you. Our luncheon will be on Friday, January 24, at Kitchen 33 at 12:30. I plan on having pleasant sunny weather for a lunch with terrific friends!  So keep that thought in mind. But before we meet, please remember our meeting on Tuesday the 14th at 7:00 pm. Pokey will be collecting our $25 dues for the year. Then our Sewing Days are the 15th and 16th. Hope you are looking forward to these days as much as I am. See you soon!

From Cathy Williams, Western Hanover Emergency Action Team

I wanted to thank CSQ for their generous donation of $733.00 in cash and checks and 227 containers of different foods for WHEAT’s Pantry. I figure the retail value is approximately $230.00 for the foods…making the total dollar donation $963.00 I thank all who contributed and am honored to represent WHEAT. Thanks for your interest in feeding the Food Insecure in our community. You are appreciated.

 

Also, the WHEAT raffle quilt was won by Kathryn Williams, who is not a quilter but is a Master Gardener. I sold her the ticket at Scotchtown in the spring. She was excited to get it. She bought only one ticket.

 

Thanks, and Merry Christmas.

December Meeting and Sewing Days

 Our December Meeting is Tuesday the 10th at 7:00 PM. We are not doing a pot luck but, if you feel compelled, you are welcome to bring a treat to share!

December Sewing Days are December 18 and 19

For the meeting, our program is going to be a mug rug swap. It's not a Christmas themed swap. Just make a fun mug rug to swap. If you don't know what a mug rug is, just read this:

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/What-is-a-Mug-Rug

At this meeting we will do our regular collection of donations (food, hygiene items and money) for WHEAT. Cathy handed out a list of suggested donation items at the November meeting. I've lost my sheet but I'll include here the old list if you didn't get. But if you have the list, or know someone who got the list, please check that first!

Also, bring show and tell!

Items for WHEAT

Boxes of breakfast cereal

Boxes of instant oatmeal

Oatmeal

Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free

Boxes of Mac ‘n cheese

Any size and type of tomato products

One pound boxes of spaghetti noodles

Containers of Spaghetti sauce to feed 4-6

Ramen noodles

16-ounce jars of peanut butter and/or jelly

6-ounce cans of tuna

Cans of chicken

Other cans of meat

16-ounce cans of any vegetables

Cans of dried beans, pork and beans, black and pinto beans

Pound bags of white or brown rice

Cans of fruit, some low sugar or sugar free

Any size or kind of soup

Any type of one-dish meals, Brunswick stew, chicken and dumplings, beef stew

Quart envelopes of dried milk

Envelopes of dried potatoes

Dressing Mix

Meal starters like hamburger helper

Paper grocery bags

The last quilt delivery of 2024!

 

Today, Saturday, I am making the last quilt delivery for the year. This stack of 34 quilts brings our YTD total to 163!!

By comparison, in 2023, we delivered 116 quilts and, in 2022, 114.

Since 2020 we have delivered an even 600 quilts! 

Out VA contact is always eager for more quilts. They mostly, but not exclusively, go to cancer patients and she says they have a minimum of 15 - 20 ports a month. That's over 180 a year but probably over 200. These quilts make a big difference.