We Care Quilts
What We Do
Our guild's quilters have always enjoyed helping others. To formalize this generosity, a group, called "We Care Quilts", was established to provide assistance to our generous quilters and to organize the delivery of their work to others.
We provide batting, backing, and labels to quilters, in our guild, who prepare various quilted projects to be donated in our communities. We also collect these projects and deliver them to various agencies. In 2010 we distributed over 100 quilts.
Where do the Quilts Go?
We deliver quilts to: West Coast General Hospital, Abbeyfield Care Center, Ty Watson Hospice, Heritage Place, Echo Village, Westhaven Care Home, Salvation Army, and Ty Watson Hospice in Port Alberni; Trillium Lodge, SOS, Eagle Park, and The Gardens in Parksville/Qualicum Beach; NRGH, the Cancer Clinic, and Haven Transition House in Nanaimo; and others.
Members Role
As a guild member, we hope you will make one quilted item (e.g., a preemie quilt, a lap quilt, a wall hanging, or place mats) a year for charity. Make a top, bring it to a meeting, and we will give you the batting, backing, and label to complete your work.
Guidelines
- Fabric: 100% cotton, prewashed. Please use flannel for preemie quilts.
- Size: usually, no more than 40 x 48 inches, lap size, for seniors and babies and 36 x 36 inches for preemie quilts. We also accept larger quilts which are most appreciated by some of our agencies.
- Batting, backing, and labels: are available from the We Care Quilts ladies. Special sizes may be ordered at the meeting and should be ready for you by the next meeting (or quilt day).
- Kits and such: if you would like to make a top but don't have suitable fabric, we may be able to supply fabrics that have been donated.
- Quilting: quilts may be hand or machine quilted, preferably no more than 4" apart. No tying, please. Do not use invisible thread, buttons, or other embellishments that might be harmful to babies or seniors.
- Label: please be sure to sew a guild label onto your quilt and put your name into the draw, for prizes, when you hand it in.
We Care Quilts Day
Each year, one day is scheduled for members to get together and sew quilts for charity at Bradley Center. You may bring your own supplies, or sew one of the guild's prepared kits. It's a fun way to meet other quilters while making a contribution to a worthwhile cause.
See the calendar for the next We Care Quilts Sew-a-thon.
Kits
Some kits are available from the We Care Quilts ladies. Please ask at one of our meetings.
Fabric Donations
We are happy to receive donations of clean, current, 100% cotton fabric. Donations may be brought to a meeting. Baby flannel for preemie quilts is always gratefully received.
Label Art
240 by 200 in JEF format
140 by 200 in JEF format
180 by 300 in PES format
130 by 180 in PES format