By now, you guys probably know that Jenny and Ron and their family LOVE Halloween—the themed costumes, themed food, Halloween quilts and wall hangings, and the fun of getting together. This year, although Jenny and Ron are in Africa, the family kept the tradition alive and got together for another fun-filled evening.
This year’s theme was “Movies,” and let’s just say the Doans understood the assignment….from costumes all the way to themed food.
And we just love that although they don’t celebrate Halloween in Africa, Jenny and Ron couldn’t help but continue the costume tradition! Don’t they look great!
We hope you had a safe and fun holiday. Next up are Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we can hardly wait!
Provides love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade quilts or other sewing projects, lovingly created by YOU. Below is a list of organizations that could use your help and sewing skills! You can give finished quilts, fabric, supplies, monetary donations, and more. Click on each link to learn more.
Babies in Need Every baby deserves to be safe, warm, fed, protected and loved! Babies in Need works with local social workers to ensure that every newborn in Southwest Washington has essential clothing, bedding and car seats. Our gift packs provide these and other items parents need during their baby’s first three months of life. babiesinneed.org
The Cradle The Cradle is one of the foremost adoption agencies in the country. They provide lifelong support for all who are touched by adoption—birth parents, adopted persons, and adoptive parents. The Cradle is committed to finding a loving home for every child entrusted to their care. www.cradle.org
Komfort 4 Kids The Komfort 4 Kids Project is a completely volunteer-based, non-profit group that relies on the support and generosity of the community to help make a difference in children’s lives. They coordinate the collection and distribution of new, handmade blankets to organisations that deal with sick, traumatised, or needy children in Australia. www.komfort4kidsproject.websyte.com.au/
Little Lambs Foundation for Kids The Little Lambs Foundation for Kids has a mission to uplift struggling families and foster youth by providing necessary items that no child should have to go without. www.littlelambsofutah.org
Newborns in Need Newborns in Need, Inc. is a charity organized to help take care of needy babies. NIN volunteers provide care necessities to agencies and hospitals serving premature, ill, or impoverished newborns. Newborns In Need distributes items free of charge to babies in the United States. newbornsinneed.org/volunteer/
Quilts Beyond Borders Quilts Beyond Borders is an all-volunteer non-profit organization which reaches out to under-served children, mainly orphans, across the world to provide a handmade quilt and spread love and hope. quiltsbeyondborders.wordpress.com/about/
Quilts for Kids Quilts for Kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts to comfort children facing serious illness, trauma, abuse, and natural disasters. www.quiltsforkids.org
Quilts from Caring Hands Quilts from Caring Hands makes and distributes quilts at no charge to children-at-risk in Oregon: the homeless, those in foster care, visually impaired, abused, those with mental health issues. Our quilts are given to agencies that work with children from birth to age 18. quiltsfromcaringhands.com
Binky Patrol Binky Patrol is an all volunteer, national, non-profit organization making and distributing homemade blankets to children born HIV+, drug-addicted, infected with AIDS or other chronic and terminal illnesses, those who are abused, in foster care, or experiencing trauma of any kind. www.binkypatrol.org
Shriners Hospital for Children Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, research and outstanding medical education. All services are provided in a family-centered environment, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc
Sleep in Heavenly Peace They believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. Across the U.S., too many children go without a bed to sleep on. They end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. www.shpbeds.org
Sweet Pea Project The Sweet Pea Project offers comfort, support and gentle guidance to families who have experienced the death of a baby. Sweet Pea Project Blankets are donated to hospitals across the country and around the world. www.sweetpeaproject.org
Touching Little Lives The mission of Touching Little Lives is to make and distribute free of charge handmade items to preemie and needy newborns in Ohio. Every penny donated is spent on providing for these little lives. This is truly a charity of the heart, our reward being the personal satisfaction of helping those too young and fragile to help themselves. www.touchinglittlelives.org
Wrap Them in Love The mission of Wrap Them in Love is to collect donated quilts and distribute them to children around the world, so they can be wrapped in love and comfort. As we all know, a quilt is a very special thing. It isn’t just a blanket; it has been lovingly created by a real person. A quilter leaves a part of themselves in every quilt they make. The child who receives it will be able to snuggle up in all the love and comfort that comes in that quilt. www.wraptheminlove.org
Quilts for Comfort The primary purpose of Quilts from Caring Hands is to bring this feeling of loving comfort to at-risk children in Oregon. These include those who are homeless, drug addicted, visually impaired, or abused, and those in foster care. Our quilts are distributed through designated social service agencies. Each quilt we make for a child is unique. In addition to crib- and twin-sized quilts, we also assemble tactile quilts and “cuddlers” for visually impaired children. The finished quilts and cuddlers are given away once each quarter. quiltsfromcaringhands.com
Valentine’s Day is soon approaching and we can’t be more thrilled! We love any opportunity and excuse to celebrate love — whether it be love for a significant other, family, close friends, or ourselves.
We love family traditions and we of course have something we do for Valentine’s Day! Every Valentine’s Day, we decorate the kitchen table with our Valentine’s Day table runner, make and eat breakfast for dinner, and go around one by one at the dinner table telling each other what we love about one other. It ends in laughs and happy tears and a closer bond between us and it feels so good to lift each other up!
Create some Valentine’s Day traditions of your own with these Valentine’s Day projects to share with your loved ones.
Say “I love you” in stitches with this charming quilt featuring hearts and X’s, or rather, kisses. This is the perfect quilt to snuggle up in with your love at home or send in a care package to loved ones you can’t be with in person this year, so that they can feel wrapped up in your love too!
Want to stitch up a quick table runner to add a fun pop of Valentine’s flair to the table? Look no further than the Flirty Table runner! These darling hearts come together in a flash and you’ll have the perfect backdrop for your Valentine’s dinner plans in no time.
We can’t get enough of the cute Valentine’s Day hearts and this quilt is no exception! These darling strip set hearts just add an extra oomf of cuteness to the classic love shape that we know. This quilt is so fun that you won’t want to give it away (and you don’t have to, we won’t tell)!
Do you leave little love notes for your significant other? Send “love notes” that will last a lifetime with this cute “Love Notes” quilt project! We took our “You’ve Got Mail Quilt”, made it smaller, and called it “Love Notes”. With a cute Valentine’s charm pack, it’ll make a great Valentine’s Day gift!
BLOCK Magazine is always looking to publish original stories from quilters like you. We believe that everyone has an important story to tell and that sharing our stories brings us closer together. Today’s story is incredibly special:
“My mother passed away in April 2000. As a gift for my dad for her October birthday, I suggested to my siblings (7 of us) that we make a memorial quilt for him. We each designed a block (including one for the two children that passed), and one of my sisters and I created the blocks, and I put it together.
As I was thinking about the backing, I thought of doing a snippet quilt of a picture of them from their 50th wedding anniversary party from 1994. While creating that quilt, I determined it was too detailed to make it a backing and decided to make an entirely separate quilt.
At the family gathering to celebrate our mom’s birthday with our dad, we presented the quilts. First the block quilt, then the separate snippet quilt (with textile embellishments.)
It goes without saying that my dad was overwhelmed with emotion. He hung the quilts in his living room, where they remained until his passing in 2013. The quilts now hang in my home.”
I spy with my little eye, your next quilting project! Do you have memories of playing the “I Spy” game in the car? Road trips in the summer are all about fun, so bring back this great summer travel memory by creating an I Spy Jar quilt featuring found fabrics from your travels!
You’ll need charm packs to create this fun travel friendly project. If you’re at home and ready to get sewing, consider a kid-friendly fabric that’s full of different elements to point out such as Unicorn Kingdom 5″ Stackers by Shawn Wallace for Riley Blake! Make memories with your children or grandchildren by playing a game of I Spy at home with the quilt as your guide. If you are traveling however, pick up fabric on the way! Stop in at local quilt shops or repurpose some old T-Shirts for a truly unique project that captures all the great memories you made.