Charity quilts: November 2008

For those of us who have been given so much--food to eat, a home, work that pays the bills--it is important that we give back to those less fortunate.

I am fortunate enough to be a part of a sewing guild known as Sewin’ Sisters Sowing. We gather once monthly to sew, and for those who are able, we gather a second time monthly to cut fabric in preparation for the sewing session. Our members range from my ten year old daughter on up to a member in her eighties. We are from all races and ages; we are from differing situations (some of us are married, some are single, some are widowed or divorced or separated, some of us have children at home, some of us are caring for elderly parents, etc.); we work full-time, part-time, or are retired, or are homemakers. It is truly a reflection of the Body of Christ.

Sewin’ Sisters Sowing is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community; we are most interested in being of assistance to those who live within a 20 mile radius. We have sewn for crisis pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, local church ministries to the indigent and transient, and mainly for Salvation Army (SA). Right now, we are in the midst of sewing lap blankets for SA for their elderly lap blanket drive. They need 3000. (!) While we know we will not be able to supply them with 3,000, we are trying to get as many done as possible, because SA, predictably, is having a very hard year financially, and will need all the help they can get to supply the elderly with warm lap quilts and blankets this winter, who may go with little or no heat in this depressed economy.

My encouragement to you is to seek out your local sewing guilds–or perhaps you are already a member of a local quilting guild–to find one that has at least one charity project annually. It may be virtually impossible to find a sewing circle which, like ours, is dedicated solely to charitable projects. But I know you should definitely be able to find an organization with which you can complete at least one annual charity quilt. If you can’t, we would love to have you join with us! Go to http://sewinsisterssowing.blogspot.com for more information.