New Year, New Focus

Well sort of.  We are still going to be making quilts for comfort, I am just expanding our mission.

This past fall I was contacted about providing lap quilts for senior housing facilities.  Additionally I was asked to thinking about providing quilts for patients that were undergoing chemo treatments.  After giving it careful thought....all of about two minutes....<wink wink> I think those would be excellent projects to undertake.

We will continue to do our Hope Quilts for the kids as we have in the past. 

If you would like to provide a lap quilt for the senior centers here are the guidelines:

We will make two sizes for the senior centers.  I was specifically asked if we could make several for patients in wheel chairs.  

Because of the wheel chair these quilts must be a specific size, 36 x 36.  That is the maximum size they can be, otherwise they will wreak havoc with the patients mobility.

The second size for the senior centers is 45 X 45.  These will be for seniors that have no mobility restrictions.

Should you decided to make a donation top please remember that we will need quilts for both genders.... we tend to get for femine donations... so if you can keep the quilt gender nuetral that would be great.

For the chemo patients we need a little larger quilt.  I spoke with my Aunt and a friend that were undergoing treatment, and they agreed that a quilt to cuddle under while undergoing treatment is wonderful treat.  Now I am going to try very hard to use flannel as a backing on these quilts to make them extra toasty.

Here are the min. and max. for those quilts.

These quilts can be anywhere from 50 to 60 inches wide, and should be about 70 inches long.

The varying widths will accomodate just about everyone, and the length will make sure that a six foot person can be snug as a bug in a rug.

Of course we will still take other quilts outside of these projects...but this is where the focus will be this year.

Speaking of focus, with it being a new year I thought it was a good time to clean my quilt room and take inventory of what I have in the que.

I spent Sunday and Monday cleaning and preping for future quilts.  I discovered that I have 10 quilt tops to be quilted for Iowa Comfort ranging from Hope quilts to several bed size quilts.

I measured each top, found a backing for it, and cut the batting for the project.  Then the three pieces were placed in a bag waiting for its turn to be loaded on the long arm.  

The goal is to have all of these quilts completed by the February 7th.  Two a week, sounds like a reasonable plan to me.  Of course customer quilts will go to the front of the schedule...should any come in.

I have a bed size quilt on the long arm now.  Here are a couple of Hope quilts that I managed to complete this past week.

Well that is all for now.  I hope everyone stays warm this coming week.

Last post of 2015

It is really hard to believe that it has been three years since we started Iowa Comfort.

A group of volunteers, that donate their generous time and talents to bring a little warm and comfort to those in need in our community.  

That is what I like best about what I am doing, helping those within our own communities.

I have been busy working on quilts this past week.  This old dog even learned a new trick.  After years of people trying to teach me to machine bind.... I have finally mastered the techique well enough that I plan on using it frequently next year.

I have had this little quilt for a while now.  I was afraid to get it quilted because of the embellishments on the Sue Bonnet blocks.  The hat has a ribbon and a button. I took an afternoon and played with my computer program to find the right pattern and set up to miss those buttons and ribbons.  I was happy to get it completed and ready for donation.  I think I will send a puppy along with this little quilt.

Rozetta, pieced this quilt for Iowa Comfort.  I am ashamed to admit that I have had it waiting in the wings to be quilted for about 18 months now. I am thankful that she pieced it for us, and I know that it will be well loved by a small child.

This quilt is now finished also.  It is a double sliced layer cake.  We used fabrics that were donated by the ladies that attended Adel Quilting and Dry Goods 10 annual retreat. (they just had the 13 annual retreat.... )  That year everyone was asked to bring a 10 inch square in fall colors.  We have made several quilts from this donated fabric this year.  

Jan M donated the backing for this quilt and she also volunteered to bind it for me.  Actually she is the person that gave me that last little tip that allowed me to master machine binding this past week.

Jan also made this little quilt for a baby shower.  After I got it quilted for her she decided that the colors were not quite what the mother to be had asked for.  So she went home made another on and donated this one to Iowa Comfort.

Jan brought along 7 yards of flannel for donation when she dropped of the above quilt.  I have a special project in mind for that flannel.... but more about that next week.

As the year ends I want to thank all of my volunteers for everything they do for Iowa Comfort.  With out all of you we would not be able to help those that need our warmth and comfort.

I look forward to the coming year, expanding and modifing our mission just slightly.

Please drive safe during this winter weather event.

IT IS CHRISTMAS and we got a major donation!

Yes I know....I said that I wasn't accepting fabric donations....but for every rule there is a an exception.

As you may know Fon's and Porter have closed their quilt shop in Winterset.

Colleen T. has had the fun task of dispersing some fabric to local organizations that provide comfort.  She thought of us again this year.

Take a look.

These are all wide backs.  

Full fat quarter bundles and another wide backing.

These are all 1 yard cuts, of color coordinated fabric lines.

Also recieved some color coordinated thread to match the fabric.

And as if that wasn't enough, Tony also sent along some flannel.

I have pre cut bricks ready to be sewn together, and several large pieces that can be used as backing.

My mind has been swimming with idea's for this fabric....and it is going to merry very well with next years focus....but that is another post.

All and all there is over 75 yards of fabric.  Pretty and soft fabric. (in my mind I am singing a version of soft kitty....you know the one with the lyrics about fabric)

I feel so very fortunate to be the recipiant of this donation.  We are going to make a lot of people smile next year.

Thank you so much Fon's and Porter, Colleen and Tony!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

overflowing scrap basket

When I am in the quilt room, sometimes I get a piece of fabric that is thin or I just can not imagine how I am going to use it.

Often it may be a small piece left over from another project or part of a panel.

These types of scraps go into a basket that sits to the right of my sewing machine.  Well that basket has been overflowing for about a month.  So this week I decided it was time to do something with it.

Here are three doggy beds that will be donated to AHeinz 57 today.

https://www.facebook.com/AHeinz57Pets/videos/905188332851214/?theater

I hope that link works.  At about the 27 second mark there is one of our beds being used to provide comfort to rescued dogs.  Amy and crew do such a good job.  In this season of giving, please think about remembering them.  

Here is the other project I worked on yesterday fresh off the long arm.  These are those scrap pieces I was talking about earlier.

Originally I had planned on the green fabric being the back to this little project.  So I spent time at Open Sew this past week, creating a pieced (CRAZY) top.  I got just a little carried away with my piecing and the top became the back.  I also had to add a little more fabric to the green to truly maximize the backing.  No I didn't want to start putting scraps back into that basket already.

These are the size battings that I piece together for the doggy quilts.  
Tonight I will be squaring up and preparing these pieces for the next doggy quilt.  They are just the left over batting from other Iowa Comfort projects.   No I really don't throw much away.

https://www.facebook.com/AHeinz57Pets/videos/905188332851214/?theater

These quilts are made with the intention that they will be used in the puppy pools or cages.  As you can see in the above video, regular blankets bunch up.... our puppy quilts tend to lay flatter because of the multiple layers.  I have been told they work really well.

Not sure if I will have a post next week as things are getting a little crazy around here.  We will see how it goes.

Wishing you all Merry Christmas, filled with love and family.

Delivery this past week

I delivered all of the Christmas quilts to the center this past week.  The delivery also included pillowcases and several bed size quilts.

Here are the last two Christmas quilts that were completed.

This one was pieced and quilted by myself, and Kathy B volunteered to bind it for me.

Oh this picture is not very good.  Note to self make sure to check the photo before I deliver.

Like the quilt above, I pieced and quilted this top.  Lonnie K. provided the binding and talent for adding the binding.

Kathy B also has been collecting stuffed animals.  I donated all of these this past week also.  I was told that the small ones will be used as stocking stuffers this Christmas and larger ones might be used as gifts.

This past weeks I quilted two hope quilts.  I also have a bed size quilt that is on the longarm now that will need to be bound in the near future.

Thank you Kathy B. and Lonnie K. for the donation of time and talents.

Hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season.

Check this donation out

I went to the mail box a couple of weeks ago and was surprised to see that I had a package to large for my box.

When I unwrapped the package, this quilt and pillow shams are what I found.

Nancy L. had originally purchased this set for her son's bed several years ago.  She no longer needed it at her house, but since it was still in beautiful condition she sent it to us. 

Nancy said she just felt better sending it to Iowa Comfort, than putting it in the Goodwill bin.

Iowa Comfort truly is blessed!

Thank you Nancy for thinking of us. This quilt will be delivered before Christmas, and may well be under a Christmas tree for someone starting over.

closer oh so close

As you all know by now if you have been following along on the blog, we have had a pillowcase challenge going all year long.

The first goal was 250 by April 1rst, issued on Ground Hogs Day.

We met goal, and I got greedy and asked for another 250 for the center.

In the spirit of Christmas Jenny O. collected money from her nursing buddies at work and purchased fabric.  For the sole purpose of making these pillow cases for Iowa Comfort

Jenny did all of the cutting and sewing on these 15 bright and cheerful pillow cases.

Thank you Jenny for your generous spirit.

Officially these are pillow cases 454-468.

IF my math is correct that means we need 32 more pillow cases to hit the goal.

In this week of Thanksgiving I want to thank all of you who have supported Iowa Comfort in any way.  Special shout out to Jacque J.  who volunteered to deliver them to the center straight from her shop for me.

Beanie Babies and a cozy quilt

Nancy H. has been cleaning out her collection of Beanie Babies....lucky us!  We recieved a sack of them to go with our Hope quilts.

Here are the newest arrivals.  You know over the last three years I have seen a lot of Beanie Babies....but there were a few that I had never seen before.  I thought kangaroo, spider and octopus were all so cute.  Maybe because it was the first time I had seen them.

This flannel quilt top was donated by Jan M.  She originally was going to give it to a loved one, and decided that it wasn't quite the right colors.  

Lucky for us she decided to donate this one to us.  I need to check my fabric.  I am hoping that I have enough flannel to use as backing.  

This quilt is a generous lap quilt, and so bright and cheerful.  My initial thought is that I am hoping I can find a cancer treatment center that will take it and make it available during treatments.

Thank you Nancy and Jan for your generosity of time, talents and Beanie Babies.

Blessed with wonderful volunteers

Here we are three years in this experiment of helping those in our own community, and we still have wonderful volunteers.

This week I am going to focus on my piecing volunteers.

I have two bedsize quilt tops that were pieced by volunteers.

Here is the first one.

This quilt top was pieced by Theresa H. it is a generous twin size quilt.  

The fabric was donated by the Ladies of the Retreat a couple of years ago.  Jacque always has a charity project for those attending her retreat.  On the 10th anniversary she asked everyone to donate a 10 inch fall square.  Iowa Comfort recieved enough squares to make 3 bed size quilts.

Here is the second one:

This top was pieced by Penny W for us.  It was made from the same donated fall fabric from Jacque's retreat.

I always find it intresting how quilters interpret fabric.  Both of these quilts are so different.  The top one reminds me of fall foliage.  The bottom one reminds me of Halloween or Thanksgiving with all the pumpkins in it and orange and red fabrics.

I have two quilts to get on the long arm this week, but I hope to get quilt number one on the long arm this week end.  Hopefully I will be able to juggle my busy schedule and pull it off.

I also need to get a donation ready...so if you currently have one of our quilts to bind, if you could let me know how soon it will be ready I would appreciate it.

Thank you again Theresa and Penny for piecing the quilt tops.  You both did a great job!  Also to Jacque and all of you that donated 10 inch squares.

More donations to share next week

The first 4 Christmas quilts

As you may already know I recieved a huge donation of Christmas fabric earlier this year.

This was really pretty fabric, but I didn't think making bed size quilts was the best use for this fabric.

The fabric was donated by Fons and Porter, and I wanted to make sure that what ever I did with the fabric it would be truly appreciated.

So I decided to make lap size quilts that could be given as Christmas gifts to some one who might not recieve anything. 

Here are the first 4 of those Christmas gifts.

Take my word for it these pictures do not do the quilts justice.  They are really pretty.

These quilts were pieced and quilted by myself.  Two were generously bound by Jan M and the other two were bound by Betty W. for me.

I am having to get really creative with my backings.  To be honest I am one of those longarmers that LOVE none pieced backings.  It is just me being lazy.  I don't have to worry about seams not running straight or bumping up against the seams of the quilt tops.  As you can see I needed to piece the left over Christmas fabric together to create the backing for two of these quilts.  The good news is that by piecing the backs I have depleted most of the Christmas fabric in these projects.  I don't think I could have planned it better if I had tried.

Thanks to Colleen and Fons & Porter for thinking about Iowa Comfort when they were looking for an organization to donate this fabric to.

A huge thank you to volunteers Jan and Betty for their continued support of Iowa Comfort.  I so appreciate all of their support.

I have no doubt that these quilts are going to touch someone and make a huge difference in their life.