String quilting in Norway

Hanne had recently written on her blog “I am taking a break from making care quilts until autumn”. With 2 completed string quilts for the HeartStrings Quilt Project and a total of 5 care quilts since January she was going to work on some other projects for a while.

As you can see from the blocks below, she wasn’t able to stay away from the strings for very long. Hanne donates her care quilts to children with long term diseases through the Norwegian Quilt Association.

Visit her blog to read her recent post about making HeartStrings blocks with a friend.

We’re in the press!

Read the Article (PDF file)

An article about The HeartStrings Quilt Project has been published in the May issue of Australian Homespun magazine.

Find out more about the magazine at a www.homespun.com.au
To buy a copy of this issue, go to the website, click on the Subscriptions tab, then click on the How to Order tab.
Readers in North America can buy copies from www.craftmags.com
Ask for Vol 8, #5, issue #48.

Chinese Coins Project

addendum: Page down to see another Chinese Coins top, this one was made by Barb.

It’s not too late to join the fun. There’s one more month to participate in the Chinese Coins Project. Of course, you can always make one of these yourself but we’re collecting sections for the months of April and May to make group quilts. Click the above link to find the guidelines.

Stephanie in Australia sent me a photo of her finished top which she says “will be sent to an online mate who is quilting and finishing donated tops for her 2007 African orphanage project.”

I also made one that I will start quilting today. You can check my blog in a couple days to see the finished quilt.

Here’s a top finished by Barb.

Annie’s strings

I was browsing yesterday and came across Annie’s blog. She was writing about participating in the HeartStrings virtual retreat and reported her progress. I’ve seen some photos of her blocks but I had no idea she’d been so busy.

In addition to this top, she reports she has enough block sets for 5 other quilts, 2 other completed tops, and more blocks in progress.
See more of Annie’s work for HeartStrings at her blog.

Minnesota area Sew-in

From (L) to (R) Teresa, Mary, Sheree, Sue, Virginia, and Kathy
Our first Minnesota area Sew-in was a success. Sue hosted the event at her home in Stillwater and we had 6 participants. We worked on HeartStrings projects, had show & tell, got to know one another, and even had an outing for lunch and a stop at the local quilt shop.

In addition, HeartStrings quilters from all over are participating in a virtual retreat this weekend.

Click here to see more photos

Little bits and pieces

So what do you do with those leftover scraps from string piecing that are too small to use? Crumb piecing (also known as Mile a Minute blocks) uses even the tinest bits of fabric.

I have to admit I’m more a fan of string quilts than crumb quilts but Tracey recently posted this quilt on her blog which really appeals to me. This one might not necessarily be pieced with crumbs but it does use short strings. Visit her blog to see more of her crumb quilts.

Crazy Day-sy O’s for Liberty House

Michele wrote “I made this little quilt, with the Heartstrings Quilting Project in mind, and will donate it, and eventually, others similar to it to Liberty House. I named this quilt “Crazy Day-sy O’s”, referring to the daisy-like flowers and little circles…which I added not only as anchors for the crazy days these children have, but for the quilting and anchoring of the strings in the quilts.”

Read the complete story at Michele’s blog.

Retreat Weekend

Don’t forget that in celebration of National Volunteer’s week we’re having a retreat weekend this Saturday and Sunday.

Work on HeartStrings Blocks to send in for group quilts

Work on Chinese Coins sections for our short term project for April/May

Work on any HeartStrings project you have in progress.

Make sure you let us know what you accomplish!

Email Mary

(For those of you who may have picked up that National Volunteer’s Week was April 15th -21st, you’ll have to excuse us being a week late – my calendar had the 23rd through the 29th)

A Team Effort

Melva’s first HeartStrings top quilt by Cher

At the start of the project Melva was one of the first to have a top completed and ready to send off to a volunteer quilter. This one was quilted by Cher and donated to Wrap them in Love. Melva was also the first to create the HeartStrings *logo* quilt – it was her 2nd one for the HeartStrings Project.


She soon wrote us that she had her husband Guy making string blocks along with her and posted photo’s of her 3rd and 4th HeartString tops.


In a recent email she wrote ….I got the HandiQuilter set up and have one quilt quilted…have another all loaded but haven’t had a chance to work on it this week…We have done 5 tops plus the one that Cher quilted. I have a group of blocks ready to send to SueF…and did make some Chinese Coins I’ll probably send on also…just need to get the 5 I have, done. Then can start more blocks.

And here are a couple more finished tops.

In Memory of Louise Casey

(click photo to see a larger version)
One of our members, May Sisk of New Jersey, wrote “this Heartstring top was made in memory of my sister Louise who passed away 2 weeks ago. Making the this quilt top was good therapy during the past few weeks.”
May mailed the top to me for quilting and it will be sent back to her to donate in her sister’s memory. Can you see the quilted hearts? Appropriately enough this pantograph by Jodi Beamish is called Heartstrings.