The Power of the Quilt

Despite the cold, blustery weather, 11 volunteers from 6 area towns gathered together for the day to contribute in different ways to The Power of the Quilt Project and its fall quilt-a-thon (Saturday, November 10).

We welcomed two newcomers, Sarah Miller of Medway and Carol Coakley of Dover who were eager to share their skills and be part of this worthy cause.

Several volunteers had been busy over the summer and early fall months working from take-home kits, as 21 comfort quilts were brought in throughout the day!

Cathi Healey, a PQP "regular," was still smiling, at day's end, while she was hand sewing project labels on the 19th quilt brought in.

Carol Coakley was one of two volunteers who created a quilt top onsite. She loved the colors of the fabric squares (laid out on the table behind her) and added a cheery border design.

Fabric artist, Tobi Hoffman, enjoyed carrying a 1200-inch quilt on her shoulder, as she moved from her sewing machine to the ironing station. You can just tell Tobi is having fun with this!

Six colorful comfort quilts were "sandwiched" during the day's event to be machine stitched by a volunteer at home or to be Longarm-stitched, as a pro bono donation by Creative Longarm Partners of Marlborough.

Several quilts were hand tied and newcomer, Sarah Miller, who is shown below with one of those lap robes, as she works her magic. Karen Conca and Irene Richards were also busy hand tying sandwiched quilts as well.

And let us not forget the amazing homemade chili lunch made by PQP Coordinator Diane McNamara and organized by Karen Conca. Thank you both!!

Hopefully, you have the next quilt-a-thon on your calendar, but if not, please add it in for Monday, January 21, 2019, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

To RSVP, please email Diane McNamara at dimcnamara@verizon.net. 

We begin at 10 a.m. and end around 3 p.m. And as Sally Demler says to those attending the Yarn Spinner events, "Come for the day or for as long as you are able."

'Til then, happy sewing …

JOIN US - SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th for our KIT-MAKING "PARTY"

Join Us 

on Saturday, August 18, 2018

for our 

Kit-Making/Fabric Cutting "Party!"

In preparation for the November 10th Quilt-a-thon, we are hosting a Kit-Making/Fabric Cutting event on Saturday, August 18 in Unity Hall, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Unity Hall is on the lower level of the Unitarian Universalist Area Church, 11 Washington St., Sherborn, MA. There is plenty of free parking.

This is a "drop-in" event, so come whenever you can and stay as long as you want!

We will provide basic patterns to follow, and you will help choose colors and designs to make a kit that will then be used at future Quilt-a-thons. 

(These kits are often taken home by many of the quiltmakers who join our quilt-a-thon events so they can create quilt tops at home in their spare time.)

NOTE: If you have a cutting board, rotary cutter or ruler, please bring them 

           along, but there will be some available for use that day.

We will NOT be sewing and NO experience is necessary.

Lunch is on your own, but we will have light refreshments available.

To RSVP: Contact Diane McNamara, The Power of the Quilt Project coordinator at dimcnamara@verizon.net or 508-868-3984.

This promises to be a fun event and your service work will be greatly appreciated throughout the year!

One of our wonderful volunteers, Susan Mogren of Holliston, has great fun rummaging through our fabric supply to color coordinate materials 

for the quilt-top take-home kits.

This could be you!

Comfort Quilts Filled With Love

A Very Productive Day!

Sixteen volunteers came together on National Quilting Day (March 17) at The Power of the Quilt Project spring quilt-a-thon to lovingly help create handmade comfort quilts for individuals undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Several first-time volunteers learned the intricacies of hand-tying a sandwiched comfort quilt and coordinated fabric colors, measured, cut and combined materials to create quilt top “take-home” kits. Seasoned sewers machine pieced colorful blocks and borders.

At the event, Vela Sekula (13), mom Trilby Spring and Santi Sekula (11) of Millis learned the vintage art of hand-tying a sandwiched quilt from project coordinator Diane McNamara.

Heidi Wesolowski enjoyed selecting coordinating fabrics and learning to create take-home quilt-top kits. Her son Aidan (5) and daughter Leah (3) gave her a big hug before leaving Ashland to "fill her up with love" so she could pass that love along while she was helping at the quilt-a-thon.

Three quilt tops were assembled during the seven-hour event and three more were sandwiched with batting and cozy flannel backings to be brought to Creative Longarm Partners in Marlborough for the Longarm-stitching process. Five of the colorful creations were hung in the Sanctuary, and all quilts will be blessed before being brought to those in need.

Kace (Kathleen) Wilson of Milton enjoys free-motion longarm stitching quilt tops at these events. (How wonderful is that?!)

Longtime project volunteer Cathie Healy of Holliston enjoys hand-sewing the project labels to complete the finished quilts, saying it's a "win-win" for everyone involved.

First-timers Heidi Wesolowski and Irene Richards, both Ashland residents and new UUAC churchgoers, enjoyed the fellowship and fun and the opportunity to learn new things!

****UPCOMING EVENTS****

Diane is planning a "kit-making" party this summer and will be making a date for the fall quilt-a-thon. Be sure to email her at dimcnamara@verizon.net to find out more or RSVP for an event.

All ages and abilities are welcome!

Serving Joyfully

Sixteen volunteers from surrounding communities (and a far) came together for a community-service quilt-a-thon on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. 

Some brought quilts they had previously completed at home. Others brought in sandwiched quilts from the Veterans Day event, free-motion stitched them at home and bound the quilts with coordinating fabrics; two were Longarm-stitched by Creative Longarm Partners in Marlborough, Mass., (an at-home studio business that has generously offered to Longarm any of these charity quilts as an in-kind donation, because they want to support this worthwhile cause), most of the volunteers worked on or created new comfort quilts during their time onsite while others hand sewed labels or cut borders, bindings and fabric squares for kits.

All in all, a good day ...

• 18 quilts were finished with a newly-designed Power of the Quilt Project label (they will be blessed at Worship Service and distributed to individuals undergoing chemotherapy),
• 6 quilt tops were finished onsite,
• 2 volunteers learned how to hand tie a quilt, honoring the traditional technique of years past - and enjoyed working on a quilt top created with Civil War reproduction fabrics that incorporated 100-year-old block designs (see second picture below),
• 6 comfort quilts were sandwiched with batting material and cozy flannel backings, to be taken home to be stitched or dropped of at Creative Longarm Partners for pro bono stitching, and 
• several volunteers eagerly selected from the "take-home" quilt top kits to work on prior to the spring quilt-a-thon event.

Cris Crawford (far left, at table) works on a Log Cabin block while PQP Project Coordinator Diane McNamara and Sally Demler (at right) enjoy showing off many of the 18 comfort quilts Sally will take to the infusion unit of a Boston-based medical center. Demler noted that the nurses who hand out the quilts match the recipients with these colorful handmade creations based on the individual's color and design preferences and interests.

A beautiful example of a "sampler" quilt made with Civil War reproduction fabrics.

Susan Mogren of Holliston made this quilt and works with Diane to hand tie it.

Westwood resident Zelayna "Zee" Rauch enjoys putting together the coordinated blues and green fabric selections from a "take-home" quilt top kit.

Church member Sue Weaver of Hopkinton is a first-time volunteer at the Winter quilt-a-thon, but she hopes to participate at many more!

Join Us for the Spring Quilt-a-thon

Saturday, March 17, 2018

(10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

UUAC, First Parish in Sherborn

11 Washington Street

RSVP to Diane McNamara at

dimcnamara@verizon.net

so we can make our delicious lunch plans!

These events offer fun, fellowship and an opportunity to put your love into action.