Blog

Mail Delivery

Cheryl Arkison — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:36:02 +0000

The mail and some generous souls coming right to my doorstep mean that quilts are arriving at my house! I am thrilled with the generosity of quilters. Thank-you so much.

And in other good news, I can now accept quilt tops from overseas for donations. I've lined up a long-armer who is generously donating some time. If you are one of my Australia friends who found the postage prohibitive for sending a finished quilt, I will now accept a top for donation.

On that note, I'm also looking for batting and backing donations to help us finish up these quilts. I'll also be announcing a sew day for getting bindings on these quilts. It will be at the end of July or early August.

Lock-Outs

Cheryl Arkison — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:38:37 +0000

There are quilts waiting to be delivered, but they sit, languishing, in a warehouse somewhere...

Canada Post is locked out. Parliament is debating (all-night) back-to-work legislation. Until they are back at work there can be no quilt deliveries. Boohoo!

Tops versus Quilts

Cheryl Arkison — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:33:52 +0000

There has been some talk of sending tops to Quilts Recover, as opposed to finished quilts.

While I'm loathe to turn anything away, I just don't have the means to get a top finished and donated. There are, however, many others who do. When Kate posted that she wanted to ship something but the postage from Australia prohibited her from sending a complete top, a line of Canadian quilters volunteered to help turn a top into a quilt.

This collaborative spirit is exactly why quilters are the best!

If you've got a top to spare but no means to finish it or ship a finished quilt, share that news here. Maybe we can do some matchmaking for collaborative finishes?!

Launch!

Cheryl Arkison — Tue, 31 May 2011 02:22:18 +0000

The world has seen a lot of tragedy lately. Earthquakes, tornados, fires, and more. Your heart breaks a little bit each time you hear the stories and see the images. More often than not, however, the stories remain part of the nightly news. We talk about it at the dinner table, we might even send in a donation or two to a charitable organization. We each do what we can.

After a particularly trying time myself I decided that I needed to do more than talk and read about it. To break out of my own grief I needed to help others. The images of houses completely gone, evidence of people's lives lived destroyed were powerful. The thought of rebuilding seems so remote at those times.

Quilts Recover is about providing just one bit of comfort during that rebuilding process. Quilts Recover is quilters providing finished quilts to communities ravaged by disaster.

As of today, Quilts Recover is accepting donations of unused quilts to donate to communities where the rebuilding process is occurring. We accept functional quilts only - no comforters, bedding, duvets, or blankets. All quilts must qualify as a lap/nap quilt or bed quilt. All quilts must be complete - no unquilted tops please. Quilts will then be donated, through registered charitable organizations, to communities.

The first community target is Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. In May 2011 a wildfire, fuelled by high winds, swept through the town. Nearly half the towns homes and businesses were destroyed. People are only returning to their homes now. Quilts Recover will provide as many quilts as possible to families rebuilding their lives in Slave Lake.

Thank-you to everyone for your support in the launch of Quilts Recover. And thank-you to Cathryn Ironside for her generous work on the Quilts Recover logo.