Susan left the box on the front porch with a note saying she was glad that I could use the fabric and quilt tops in it or find good homes for them.
I didn’t know what to expect. I rarely do when people ask if they could send a package of fabric. Even if they tell me what they’re sending, it often turns out to be different than I thought.
The fabric was great, I knew I’d be able to use it, but the shopping bag of quilt tops really intrigued me.
They were in such good condition I knew I didn’t want to cut them apart. It seemed to me they should be made into quilts.
That’s when I thought of Sue Silverstein and the kids at Bishop Maginn. Sue had a great idea to make a quilt square using the masks from each of the kids at Bishop Maginn. Each quilt square would have a mask and something about the student who wore it.
Then they’d sew all the squares into a quilt.
That was before the Delta variant made it necessary for the students at Bishop Maginn to keep wearing their masks to class every day.
Unfortunately, Sue’s quilting idea will have to wait. But, maybe, I thought, we could put Susan’s quilt tops to good use.
So I asked Sue if I brought her the quilts already put together with backing and batting if some of her students could tie them off with yarn. Then she could give them to a few of the families who will need blankets this winter. Bishop Maginn has opened its doors to the refugees that will be coming to Albany from Afghanistan so there’s sure to be even more need than ever.
Sue loved the idea.
I still have to figure out how many quilts we’ll be making and how much batting we’ll need, but I know I’ll be buying at least one big roll of batting. Polyester batting would be perfect for filling these quilts. It’s warmer and more durable when machine washing than cotton.
I’ll also be looking for sheets or large pieces of fabric to use as backing. I just got two twin sized sheets in the thrift store in Bellows Falls this weekend (they were $2.00 each) but I’ll need more. So I’ll be scouring the thrift stores for inexpensive sheets in good condition too.
I’m asking for small donations of $5 and $10 to buy the batting and backing fabric.
Small donations let a lot more people participate. And the idea of a lot of people doing something small to create something big, is like each tiny stitch in a quilt.
I have received enough money to buy the quilt batting. Thanks so much to everyone who donated!
Any money that I receive beyond the cost of the batting and backing fabric will go to Sue to buy supplies for her art class.
You can donate through Paypal or venmo, just click here and please write the words quilt batting when you send the donation.
Or you can send a check to Full Moon Fiber Art PO Box 205 Cambridge NY 12816. And again just mention what the donation is for on the check or enveople.
And as usual, I’ll be sharing the whole process with you all, from washing the quilt tops to tying them off at Bishop Maginn.
