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Since our quilts are finished and donated locally rather than through a central location it can be difficult to get an accurate count. However, we try!

919 quilts were logged in our donations database this year — completed by HeartStrings members and donated to a variety of organizations and individuals in need.

Additional quilts were made from Quilt as You go blocks sent to Australia for those affected by the bushfires where they’ve been assembled by Jan Mac and donated.

Still more quilts were inspired by our HeartStrings project and made by individuals and quilting groups and donated in their local communities.

Won’t you join us in 2010?

We’re going to bust some stash in January and February and make pillowcases along with the All People Quilt site in their goal to make and donate 1 million pillowcases.

I plan to make some to send to Alycia to be used to present Quilts of Valor but there are lots of places both locally and nationally to donate yours. Click this link to for ideas for places to donate them.

We’ll still be making our HeartStrings quilts so don’t worry. Blocks made according to the guidelines are accepted (and appreciated) at all times and are pieced into tops to be quilted and donated.

So bring in the New Year with us as as we start our 4th year making quilts to provide warmth and comfort to those in need!

Pillowcase Photo Tutorial

More Pillowcase ideas

Stacey wrote:

I am a small quilt shop owner and always have tons of left over strips of fabric, end of bolt pieces, crooked cuts and boo boos. So that means lots of strings. Right? I made a challenge to myself that from Thanksgiving all the way through December 26th all I will work on will be string quilts to donate to
kids in need charities.

Visit Stacey’s blog to watch her progress. Instructions for the Patriotic String Star can be found at MaryQuilts.com and all the thumbnails below can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Just a reminder that in addition to our RED and BLUE centered blocks we always accept RWB HeartStrings blocks and completed tops from RWB blocks to be finished and donated as Quilts of Valor.

This quilt was pieced by Pat and sent to me to quilt and donate.

Instructions for piecing RWB HeartStrings blocks

Did you know that tying is a traditional way to finish string quilts?  We’ve written instructions on tying a HeartStrings quilt to help you out.

These tops were pieced by Lani and her group in CA and tied by me. The backings were brought to the front and machine stitched down for the binding.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you plan to join in our holiday block party this weekend. Even a few blocks will make a difference when joined with the donations of others.

See our Block Guidelines for instructions for making blocks to send in for group quilts.

HeartStrings Block Guidelines

Of course if you’re going to make the entire set of blocks you can use any color centers. You can send in a set of 48 blocks or assemble the top and send that in for quilting. Here’s the brown HeartStrings top I finished this week.

Several months ago HeartStrings members made and sent a number of Quilt as you GO string blocks to Jan Mac for relief efforts in Australia. While it’s hard to know which blocks came from our members and which from other quilters  — it’s neat to see all the quilts she’s making from the blocks. Here’s a peek at one and you can see others on the Oz Comfort Quilts blog.

I had the opportunity to speak to this Mankato, MN guild last night about HeartStrings and to show off some of our quilts. Thanks to Dee who invited me to speak and to Sheree who came along with me and helped.

Susan made a set of 24 RWB blocks to send to Sue to be assembled and finished.

And Melva made an entire top she’ll send in to be finished and donated. You can click on both photos for a larger view.

I’ve assembled my teal blocks and the top is ready for quilting.

You can participate too and the information on what to do is here.

November’s Block Party

I visited a local quilt show in Hudson, WI today. Kathy was there (one of our HeartStrings members and also a member of the guild putting on the show) and I snapped her photo at their charity quilting booth. She’s the one standing. Notice the HeartStrings quilts?

And hanging in the show, one of Kathy’s quilts that incorporated HeartStrings blocks with pieced blocks.

If you’re in the area, the show continues tomorrow so drop in.