One Monthly Goal: September 2017

As I write this on September 1, I am breathing a sigh of relief. Our long summer vacation is nearly over. My son's school moved to a new building over the summer. Between the early date that we had to be out of our old building and the late date that we took possession of the new building, we have had a long summer! My son has had a blast with 7 different camps, learning coding, engineering, and math with Brain Chase, working on his Dutch with Memrise, learning cursive with a workbook, and of course, 3 weeks in Europe visiting family and quilt shops. At this point, I'm happy to let him have a few days to stay in his PJs and watch videos all day while I sew. 

We're on the home stretch. We had our open house for the new school and it looks amazing! Here's the art space.

And this is my little contribution. I made the turquoise cushions for the benches. 

All that to say, we are ready to back in our school routine. And I am excited to have hours of free time to sew each day! Which brings me to my September One Monthly Goal. 

Like nearly everyone, my heart has been broken by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. I am so relieved and thankful that my friends in the area are safe and have very little damage. I lived just north of Houston for a year after I graduated from college. It's hard to wrap my mind around what I see v. what I remember. 

As a quilter, my first instinct is to make something. Of course, I know that immediate need is cash. So after making a few monetary donations, I've set my mind to more tangible gifts. So, my September OMG is to make 3 quilts for folks affected by Hurricane Harvey.

I found a few patterns on Pinterest that I think will come together quickly. 

Pattern by EspritDecorGifts

Uploaded to Pinterest by Megan Myers

Source: itsalindy

I've landed on the last option. I like the idea of making a dent in my stash. I started working on the quilts today. First I pulled from my yardage stash.

Next, I grabbed my red scraps and cut as many strips as I could. I didn't really make a dent, after all.

As far as how to get my quilts into deserving hands, I will be working with my local quilt group through church as well as a fantastic organization called Quilts of Compassion. 

Quilts of Compassion was started by a friend of mine from our days in Michigan. Here's more about her story and the mission of Quilts of Compassion. 

After a terrible car accident in 1999, a young woman laid in a small hospital room suffering immense physical and emotional pain from her recent trauma. It was a daily fight to conquer the feelings of hopelessness, fear and loneliness that tried to overwhelm her. However, this despair was turned to hope and encouragement one afternoon when she received a beautiful quilt from a hospital Chaplain. This seemingly simple gesture had a profound and life-changing affect on this troubled young woman. With the quilt wrapped tightly around her at night, she felt God’s warm presence surrounding her, giving her peace and comfort during this trying situation. It was at this point she realized she wanted to give this wonderful gift to others…the gift of hope and encouragement to those that are hurting. 

Quilts of Compassion was started in 1999 by this one young woman as a way to reach out to others in need. With their mission of giving hope and encouragement to those that are hurting, the Quilts of Compassion ministry works with volunteers from local churches and community organizations to gather fabric, make quilts and deliver quilts. In doing this, it has brought encouragement and hope to the hurting, but also has taught volunteers about the joy of giving. To date over 60,000 quilts and afghans have been delivered to hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities, homeless shelters, Hospice facilities, rehabilitation facilities, half-way houses, at-risk youth facilities, homes for abused and neglected woman & children, in the missionary field overseas (Haiti, Guatamala and India) and Disaster Response in the United States. 

Okay, time to get back to work!

Edited: While the Gulf Coast is dealing with Harvey and Irma, our Western States are burning up. I have been looking for an organization working on quilts for fire victims but haven't heard of anything yet. If you know of something, please let me know in the comments!

Linked to:
Elm Street Quilts September Goal Link Up
Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts
Let's Bee Social #193 @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River
Main Crush Monday #87 @ Cooking up Quilts
Midweek Makers #88 @ Quilt Fabrication
Monday Making @ Live Laugh Quilt
Moving It Forward @ Em's Scrap Bag
Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Off the Wall Friday @ Nina Marie
Oh Scrap @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Show Off Saturday @ Sew Can She
TGIFF @ Devoted Quilter
Wednesday Wait Loss #31 @ Inquiring Quilter
Whoop Whoop Friday @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
WIPS on Wednesdays @ Esther's Blog