Sherborn Quilt-A-Thon - First Quilt Top

The Power of the Quilt Project held a quilt-a-thon on Monday, January 19th, 2009 (Martin Luther King day), and John-Paul helped out in various functions: pinning a quilt top, working in the kitchen baking cookies and dealing with lunch, takedown, carrying machines. But his biggest accomplishment was that his sister showed him how he could sew a quilt top. So here is a proud John-Paul with his very first quilt top, made in about an hour, at the Sherborn Quilt-A-Thon.

Comfort Quilts Go Green

Comfort Quilts Go Green (or 100 Ways to Recycle those unused blocks)

Quilters have been using their spare blocks and creativity to create comfort quilts for the Power of the Quilt Project. Blocks that were made but never used are being recycled into comfort quilts.

With spring in full swing, perhaps you are doing some spring cleaning. You can turn your unused blocks into a comfort quilt, or you can donate them to the Power of the Quilt, and one of our many volunteers will ensure your blocks get a good home in a new comfort quilt. Bring your blocks to a quilt-a-thon or to a RNQG meeting, and give them to one of the Comfort Quilt volunteers.

Comfort quilts are roughly 40" x 52", and if you don't have enough blocks to make a full top, you can always add some borders to fill out the top. Or you can make a partial top, and donate that to the Power of the Quilt Project.

Quilted Comfort Challenge 2009

Broaden your quilting horizons and be one of the first 5 people to turn in a group of three (3) or more completed quilts or quilt tops to the Quilted Comforts Chairperson.

A spool of variegated thread and the warm feeling that comes from doing a good deed!

The QCC recommends,

"Expand your design skills, and/or your piecing skills, turn in a grouping of 3 or more tops. If you want to expand your quilt finishing skills, such as binding or quilting, turn in a grouping of 3 or more completed quilts. "Feel free to show off your work during the meeting's 'Show and Tell' session. Get your quilting friends involved and turn in a grouping of 3 or more tops or quilts from your afternoon quilting group. "And when you have completed your 3 tops or quilts, hang them up, or over the sofa, take a step back, and compare and contrast how they turned out. Did using a darker purple in quilt #2 enhance the pattern from a distance? Does the denser quilting change the hand of the quilt? What do you like or dislike about each variation? Take notes. Perhaps you will be enthused to do a new variation on the theme for your next grouping of 3 tops or quilts. "Enjoy the journey, stop and see and smell the flowers. Take that path less taken, and see where you end up. Above all, have fun!"

Please note: Quilt kits are always available for the asking from the QCC. If you want to play with design, the QCC can also provide you with fabric. Just let them know what you are looking for with respect to color and quantity. You can also request completed tops to practice your quilting or tying skills (yes, tied quilts are acceptable). And remember -- it is best to use a flannel backing on comfort quilts!

Four tops by one sewer

Here are the four quilts by one enthusiastic sewer at the Easton quilt-a-thon. Using the big block (12" block) kits, Grace-Mary managed to complete 4 comfort quilt tops in 4 hours! If only the quilt-a-thon didn't have to end so early, she might have been able to do a half-dozen quilt tops.

Easton Completed Tops

Here are 2 tops that were completed during the quilt-a-thon by two different people attending the quilt-a-thon. The first top consists of 12 big blocks (12" finished) kits, which go together quickly.

The second quilt is from the quilt pattern, comfort by the nines, which is another quilt kit that is available at the quilt-a-thons.

Eston Dec 27, 2008 Quilt-a-thon

At the Quilt-a-thon held in Easton on Saturday December 27, 2008, here are some of the completed quilts that people brought to the quilt-a-thon.

Completed Quilt

Here is one of the first completed quilts at the recent Easton Quilt-a-thon. Everyone loved the brown and white combination.

November 15, 2008 Easton Quilt-a-thon

A great turnout of people for the Easton quilt-a-thon held Saturday, November 15, 2008 at the Parker Terrace center, Easton, MA.

We had had sewers sewing on labels and making quilts along with machine sewers who were busy piecing together numerous quilt tops.

As well, we had a table where participants were tieing quilts.








The next quilt-a-thon is held in December, on Saturday December 27th, 2008, at the Keefe Community Center, Parker Terrace, North Easton, MA.

A New Quilter's Joy at Completing a Quilt Top

Here is Grace-Mary, who has never quilted before, who spent the first part of the morning helping out the group of people pin basting tops to batting and backing. She then decided she would like to try her hand at making a quilt top. By lunch time, she had put together her first quilt top, and she was excited and happy at her achievement.


After lunch, Grace-Mary decided she wanted to make a second quilt top for a comfort quilt, but she also decided she wanted to decide what blocks would make up her quilt top. With her favorite colors being purple and pink, she found sufficient blocks and a border to make this second top. Along the way, Grace-Mary learned to pin her seams for accuracy, and how to use a seam ripper to fix those occasions where she learned about right sides together when sewing.

Thanks to Patty for lending a sewing machine, as well as her expert teaching at beginning sewing.

Grace-Mary is proud of her achievements, and is looking forward to the Sherbourne quilt-a-thon where she hopes to create another quilt top or two, before she turns 12 later this spring.

The Family That Quilts Together

While the Easton quilt-a-thons are held at the Easton senior center, not all quilt-a-thon participants are seniors. Here are some of our younger quilters who worked on creating quilt tops during the quilt-a-thon.


The family that quilts together has fun together.









Here is a quilt top, made not from a ready-made kit, but designed by picking out the individual 12" blocks, along with a border, and then putting it together. What a wonderful way to learn about quilt color and design.







And here is another example of a custom designed quilt top, made by going through the box of 12" blocks provided by Paul, to find blocks which fit a quilter's likes and personality.

I can't wait to see other tops made by these two quilters.

In Memory of Jean

During the Easton Quilt-a-thon, 2 people brought in a quilt donation. Their friend Jean, had been the recipient of a Power of the Quilt Project Comfort Quilt while she was undergoing cancer treatment at Brockton Hospital. Jean asked her 2 quilting friends to make a quilt to return the gesture to another recipient. Here is the lovely quilt that was made in tribute to Jean, a 9 patch, with 4 of the patches done in embroidery to detail the life of Jean.



All the quilt-a-thon participants paused their work to listen to the story of Jean and the marvelous quilt that was donated in her memory.



The closeup shows a basket of yarn and knitting needles, as Jean loved to knit.

Jean's two quilting friends didn't realize that they could attend a quilt-a-thon and help make additional quilts for Brockton cancer treatment patients. We hope to see them at an upcoming quilt-a-thon.

In addition to the quilt that was donated, there was a donation of fabric. So not only do the recipients appreciate the quilts, but their friends and family also appreciate the kind contribution.

Easton Quilt-a-thon Goers Brave the Snow Storm

Turnout was good at the Easton Quilt-a-thon held March 1, 2008 at the Senior Center at Parker Terrace in Easton. Quilters came with their children and grandchildren, all of whom helped out with the various tasks at the Quilt-A-Thon, from pinning tops to backs, to sewing and ironing, the many hands made the many tasks go quickly during the day.




Organizer Patty Locke provided for snacks while we worked, as well as a wonderful lunch of pasta and salad.

We had participants who sewed their very first quilt top at this quilt-a-thon, as well as participants who worked on tops at their second quilt-a-thon, even though they were not even teenagers yet!


It was an amazing day of sharing and caring, and a large number of tops were created, as well as quilts sandwiched, and binding and labels applied.

The surprise of the day was a donated quilt, in memory of Jean, brought in by 2 quilters. (see the related blog entry for pictures and story). Jean had received a quilt while beeing treated at Brockton Hospital, and asked her quilter friends to return the favor.

No one was too young or too old to participate at the quilt-a-thon. Many thanks to Patty Locke for organizing this great event.