Online Quilting Bee
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a member of an online charity quilting bee, called do. Good Stitches. We are organized into groups of 10 called “circles”. My circle is the Peace Circle, and generally our charity is Project Linus. Once in a while, one of our members gives our bee quilt to a local group in their area that they have a personal connection.
I enjoy this group – even though I don’t “know” them, it’s fun to create together, and to use our talents to make quilts for others.
Communicate using Instagram
We communicate with each other on Instagram – so I’ve never actually met my fellow circle members since we live all over the country. But I still appreciate “meeting” them through our chats and through following their IG accounts – I feel like we’re friends, if only electronically!
Stitchers and Quilters
The circles are divided into “quilters” and “stitchers” based on our levels of involvement. Quilters are responsible for leading the collaborative quilt project twice a year, which means she comes up with the design, helps make the blocks, receives the other members’ blocks, then puts the quilt together and quilts it. Stitchers (and quilters too) complete two blocks per month based on instructions from the lead quilter. I started out as a stitcher – I wanted to get to know the group and see how much time would be required before I jumped in the deep end of “quilter-hood” 🙂 But for the last two years, I’ve been a lead quilter and I’ve loved it!
Flying Geese
These flying geese quits are what I came up with for my two months for 2023. One of the best parts of this collaborative effort is that we all have different tastes and different fabrics in our stash, so I get to work with new and fun fabrics I might not have seen before. And for a fabric-aholic like me, it’s a real treat to open the mailbox when it’s my turn to lead the group and find new quilt blocks waiting for me!
Project Linus
And of course, the charity Project Linus is a good one. They give quilts and blankets to kids 0 – 18 years who have suffered a serious illness or trauma – exactly what a quilt is for – a big ol’ fabric hug that might make a kid feel loved!
When it’s my turn, I generally take the two quilts to a quilt shop near Knoxville, TN where my daughter and her family live. There isn’t a local drop off near me, but I figure it doesn’t really matter where the quilts end up geographically, just that a kid in need gets one.
Quilty Facts
We used the four-at-a-time flying geese method to make the 12 1/2″ blocks. The finished quilts are 48″ x 60″ and I quilted a sweet heart and spiral design from edge to edge. I used scrappy binding to finish them both, and bright colors for the back. The group has labels printed and I attached these with a triangle in one of the corners.
Interested?
I have loved this quilting bee – if you have any interest in doing some charity quilting work, click the link above to read about do. Good Stitches. It’s not very difficult to find time to make two blocks a month, yet still feel like you’re doing something for others. I highly recommend it!
Keep quilting my friends – remember inside every quilter is a masterpiece!!
~Ann
What an inspiring post! Beautiful quilts and an even more beautiful story!! Yes, our kiddos that suffer a trauma, physically and/or emotionally, absolutely need a “quilted” and weighted hug!! Offers them a sense of felt safety and helps them to regulate their emotions. Shoutout to creating a sense of peace for our children across the country. Well done – 99!! Xx, 29