Ke Kange Orphanage in Tanzania

Maxine emailed me photographs of 5 of the 6 HeartStrings quilts she recently donated.

She wrote “These are the photos of the quilts which have been donated to the Ke Kange Orphanage in Tanzania. I had such alot of trouble getting these done, first the machines went down and had to go in for repair and then I left my glasses at a daughters home 3 hrs drive away………As a result of all this I was one short to go back with my son.”

You may remember the other group of quilts from Maxine that were donated in March. All the quilts are lovely but she really inspires me with the wonderful string quilts she makes.





Every HeartStrings block helps

If you’ve wondered whether making a few blocks and mailing them to HeartStrings can really make a difference, here’s a reminder that every contribution counts – from a single block to an entire quilt. Guidelines for making HeartStrings blocks can be found on our website.

I posted a photo of several quilts that were heading to Kansas last week. Sue and Jennifer had found a local church where we could safely send quilts and know they would be received by the people of Greensburg affected by the tornado.

The HeartStrings quilt in that photo was assembled and quilted by Virginia from string blocks that had been mailed to Sue.

Since then, Becky shared photos of two HeartStrings quilts that she assembled and quilted – from group blocks – that had been mail to Kansas.

And yesterday, Meloney mailed another HeartStrings quilt (from group blocks) to Kansas that she had assembled and quilted.

Kansas Quilt Donations

I’ve received many emails from HeartStrings quilters (and others who have visited our blog) who are sending quilts to Kansas for people affected by the recent tornado in Greensburg.

I’ve counted at least 40 quilts that have already been sent (or will be soon) as the result of the HeartStrings Quilt Project effort as well as at least another handful of tops that are being mailed out for quilting and will be sent as soon as they are finished.

Although I’ve received several emails from groups asking us to join their efforts and send quilts to them for Kansas, I think it’s important to continue to focus on our local donations as well as sending quilts for special circumstances such as the Kansas tornado. I have responded to those requests with the following information:

We’re a group that makes and donates quilts to local organizations. Because our members wanted to make donations for Greensburg, we contacted a local church and about 40 quilts have been sent with at least several more to follow once they are quilted.

We have chosen to contact a local church and send quilts directly there. You can read more about our efforts at our blog .
http://heartstringsquiltproject.blogspot.com/2007/05/helping-those-in-need.html

Good luck with your efforts,
Mary Johnson
HeartStrings Quilt Project

For those of you still working on finishing quilts that you want to send to Kansas, I suggest you send them directly to the church contacted by Sue.

Helping those in need

Sue Frank, one of our project coordinators, is encouraging HeartStrings Quilters to send finished quilts to those so devastated by the tornado in Kansas.

She wrote:
Our goal is to make and donate quilts and get them to who ever need them ASAP . I followed Jennifer’s suggestion and called directly to a church near Greensburg . I spoke to a lady at the church – a fellow quilter and the church is helping the tornado survivors . There are over 300 people taking shelter in the church .

ANYONE that has a quilt to donate can send to the church and she will be sure it goes right to someone that needs it . She said they have little kids there that have hardly slept since Saturday because they lost their blankies in the storm. Any size and style is welcome .

Sue asks that anyone sending HeartStrings Quilts, writes HeartStrings Quilt Project on the box so Jeanne will know where they’re coming from.

Haviland United Methodist Church
322 N Main St
Haviland Kansas 67059
Attn : Jeanne Sneed / HeartStrings

The first 4 quilts pictured above were sent out today quickly followed by another HeartStrings quilt sent by Rebecca in Maine along with 5 other quilts and a knitted baby blanket.

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.