Sunshine Quilt Guild

Surgeries Happening in India

2011-08-14T18:06:00.003-04:00

This little boy, wrapped up in a beautiful raggy quilt, experienced some distress during his surgery and had to be put in ICU. His parents stayed up with him all night. Knowing that, this photo just about breaks a person's heart. Good news: he bounced back and is doing fine!

They've just gotten started on surgeries.. I hope we see more quilt photos!

Venezuela Needs Us! Can You Help?

2011-08-03T21:54:00.002-04:00

Cumana, Venezuela: Mission In Need

We have the team. We have local funding. We have patients lined up. Now, all we need is YOU.

If you have ever considered making a donation, now is a perfect opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Three large donors have generously offered to match up to $35,000 in contributions for this mission. Will you come together to match their contribution?

Read more and think about helping, if you can!
Click here.

Quilts in Bangladesh

2011-05-27T23:51:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, this woman is not the child's mother; it is his teacher! I am impressed.

Rotaplast is finishing up a week of surgeries in Bangladesh. I have been particularly touched by the photos and the stories about this trip. The people and surroundings are beautiful, the children adorable, and the transformations are amazing. I want to continue to be a part of this good work. Don't you? We can all help by making quilts for kids and sending them to Wrap a Smile. Leave a comment if you need more information.

Does anyone recognize the quilt in this picture? Is it one of yours??

Quilts in India

2011-05-07T00:06:00.004-04:00

A Rotaplast mission is finishing up in India. I found these pictures at their blog. They may be Sunshine quilts or may be from another source, but these are representative of why we make quilts and for whom. We're trying to keep the world warm.... one quilt at a time!

Anyone recognize these quilts?

WTIL Needs Quilts!

2011-03-26T15:33:00.001-04:00

Ellen sent this note today from Wrap Them in Love:

We just received a box of quilts from S. in TX. Thank you so much. With the requests that we have been getting lately---as well as the urgent need in Japan for quilts right away -- our shelves are again empty. So, please let others know that there is a need for more quilts.

Everyone, your hard work at sending quilts and also $$ donations to help to get the quilts where they are needed is greatly appreciated.

Please see details about Wrap Them in Love at their website, here:
www.wraptheminlove.org

We Can Help Japan!

2011-03-23T00:21:00.003-04:00

Ellen at Wrap Them in Love has a daughter-in-law who is from Japan. She will be traveling there soon and will take along some WTIL quilts. Many displaced people are moving into the area where her parents live, so there will be plenty of people needing quilts.

Let's get busy and make lots of quilts for Japan! Ellen would like to have them arrive by about mid-April which gives us only one month.

WTIL also needs monetary donations; anything you can provide will help with the shipping costs.

Needing More Quilts

2011-03-16T22:40:00.014-04:00

If you are new to this blog, maybe you don't know that Sunshine online quilt guild supports two programs:

1) Wrap a Smile -- (here is their website: http://www.wellsrotary.org/Wrap-A-Smile.cfm ) they provide quilts to kids all over the world who are undergoing cleft lip and cleft palate surgery. The quilts are sent along with Rotaplast teams (a Rotary program). The quilts are used at the end of the surgery to help keep the kids warm, and then each kid keeps his/her quilt. Many of the families or the kids themselves have been very surprised and pleased to receive such a lovely gift.

Mission teams go out about once a month, and each mission needs about 130 quilts. So you can see that the need is on-going. Sunnies from all over the world have been making some beautiful quilts for many years. Here are some beautiful (and inspiring) examples:

a few Sunnies spent a day sewing together for the kids

2) the other program we support is Wrap Them in Love. This group gives and sends quilts to orphanages around the world and also to children in need in the USA (such as flood and storm survivors). The director of Wrap Them in Love recently announced that her supply is low, and she is in need of more quilts. Her most recent supply was sent to India. Here is the WTIL website: www.wraptheminlove.org
Here are more quilts made for WTIL.. don't we wish we could find more than 24 hours in a day to keep sewing and helping the kids???

Join us if you can! There are many ways to help, both big and small.

Quilts in Memory of Bev

2010-09-30T12:00:00.008-04:00

Most of us have been busy making quilts to send to Wrap a Smile in memory of Bev. We are hoping to supply a complete Rotaplast mission, which means 130 quilts! The mission we are aiming for is going to Peru in January. (We are also making 9-inch nine patch blocks in memory of Bev.. we have nearly 2,000 of them so far! You can see we will be making nine-patch quilts for quite some time! Bev deserves to be honored in a big way.)

Here are a couple of quilts I have made, along with a couple of pictures I found at the Rotaplast site, for inspiration! I love to see the kids with our quilts (and quilts by other groups).

a nine-patch IMOB quilt

IMOB quilt made from orphan blocks

a recent Rotaplast mission to India

also in India

Does anyone recognize these quilts in the pictures from India?

Remember our IMOB quilts for the Peru mission need to be to Terry or Gail by around December 1, 2010!

A Shadow Crossed Sunshine's Path

2010-07-30T13:09:00.007-04:00

two tops quilted by Bev

by Linda Kau

One of our most prolific quilting angels received her wings last week. Bev Bennett, quilter extraordinaire, passed away in Fairbanks, Alaska. What will we do without her?

Bev was indeed one of the brightest sunbeams in our midst. Over the years she has completed literally hundreds of quilts that comfort children around the world. She sent box after box of these completed hugs to our chosen donation points of contact in Sunshine Quilts’ name. What will we do without her?

Bev and I met online in 1997 through a quilting group. Later she became the “Mother Hen” of a spin-off group who enjoyed doing mystery quilts, i.e. the name of the group, Mystery Quilters. As our group grew, some wished we could find a way to share our love of quilting with the world and offer comfort to others, too. After discussion and with the help of Bev, amongst others, Sunshine Quilts was formed. Bev has continued to mentor new quilters and cheer us all with her upbeat posts as well as generous donation of her time to finish up all these many quilts. Comforting children with a hug and a quilt was her mission in life.

When I joined that online quilting group in 1997, little did I know how it would change my life. I gained a wonderful friend in Fairbanks, Alaska. Bev -- quiet, private Bev -- was like the sister I never had. We corresponded regularly since then, met in person, visited frequently and generally had a blast. I’ll always remember the time she drove down from Fairbanks to Anchorage to attend a mystery quilting class with me. I was amazed at the speed at which that little lady could move! Her sewing machine must have had an extra gear in it…..no one else could accomplish as much as she did in such a short time period! She completed an entire quilt top in the time most of the rest of us completed half of the steps in that mystery.

Bev Bennett was a little lady who was a true optimist, no matter what her situation......she never slowed down, either. A retired Army nurse and widow of a retired Lieutenant Colonel, she devoted her later years to quilting for children around the world. I don't know how many children have enjoyed the fruits of her labors.........thousands, literally.

Bev was a driving force behind Sunshine Quilts. We called her one of our quilting angels, because she’d take quilt tops made by others and quilt them on her home sewing machine, bind them and send them off to offer comfort around the world. Even when she was still working outside the home she was quilting 200 to 300 quilts a year! Her finished quilts have gone to Russian orphanages through the International Red Cross, developing countries where children are receiving Rotaplast surgeries via Wrap A Smile, US Indian Reservations with Wrap Them In Love, plus many, many more children in various locations.

Sunshine's motto is "Keeping the World Warm - One Quilt at a Time". That's exactly what she did, and all with love and a smile! What will we do without her?

Bev loved her kitties and dog, too. We all enjoyed her stories about KC Kitty, among others. She posted pictures of moose peeking in her window while her dog sat inside and watched. We shuddered when she wrote about temperatures of 40 deg. below zero during the winter, and we wished for the lovely sunshine she described in the summer. She mentioned stopping along the roadside on the way home from work to watch the Northern Lights. She talked about the beautiful Alaskan wildflowers. She loved Alaska!

Widowed over 25 years ago, Bev still talked of wonderful times spent with her husband, Don. They had little time together, but made the best of those short years. They owned and ran a lodge in Northern Alaska, and she told stories about that time out in the wilderness with humor and fond memories….no electricity, walking the path to the outhouse in the depths of winter, watching the Alaskan wildlife….their togetherness. Don was one of the early Alaskan legislators, something Bev seldom talked about, but when she did, it was with pride. Although I never met him, Bev's loving stories made him real to me, also.

So here I sit, talking through the Internet as I often did with Bev. I won't be able to visit her this way from now on. I'll have to find another way. Perhaps I’ll communicate with her through my quilting adventures as I try to complete more quilts for Sunshine as my tribute to her.

RIP, Dear Friend. You may be gone from this world, but not from my heart.

Remember the Boys

2010-06-24T15:19:00.006-04:00

I try to check the Rotaplast blog periodically to see if there are new pictures of kids with our quilts. It's a rare treat when I find one. Lately there have not been many pictures showing any quilts at all. So I thought I'd post a photo of this boy who is among the patients being evaluated for surgery. He was photographed during last year's mission to Peru.

We sometimes don't remember to make larger quilts for the older kids such as this boy. Sometimes Rotaplast even operates on adults! So.. Wrap a Smile can use some larger quilts for these older kids. Also, remember to make boyish quilts, which always seem to be harder to come by, according to people who deliver quilts to kids.

Wrap Them in Love has recently challenged us to make more boy quilts, so let's see what we can do for the boys of the world!

Keeping the Children of Guatemala Warm

2010-05-26T22:23:00.005-04:00

The most recent mission that is highlighted on the Rotaplast blog is in Guatemala. I found this tribute to the quilts and blankets (and their makers) and thought you'd enjoy reading it and seeing a few quilty pictures. - Carol E.

The Quilts and Blankets
by Scott Wheelwright - Saratoga Rotary Rotaplast Chair 2010

You may notice in some of the pictures the beautiful quilts and blankets that enfold the children. As each child is brought to the operating room, she is accompanied by one of these handmade gifts. The operating rooms are air conditioned to provide comfort for the doctors and patients, but to keep the children warm during the operation, each is covered with a blanket or quilt. The child keeps this covering as a gift when he or she leaves the hospital.

The Rotary Club of Saratoga was blessed with gifts of over 300 quilts or blankets. Many of these quilts are pieced together and sewn by hand. Some blankets are hand knit or crocheted. The effort and skill present in each is readily apparent. We are grateful to the many people who contributed their time and money to supply materials, make quilts or sponsor quilts. Contributors include local quilting organizations, church groups, family and friends of rotary club members, and others with an interest in serving these children. We are grateful for the selfless contribution of those who have provided a warm gift for each child.

I also love the beautiful blouses and skirts worn by the women, don't you??

Wrap A Smile quilt totals

2010-01-10T16:01:00.001-05:00

We received an update on total quilts received for the Wrap A Smile project that we support. These quilts do not only come from Sunshine quilters but also from many others across the country. As a group of quilters we are lucky to be able to contribute what we do to this wonderful project. If you are interested in helping with these quilts just join the sunshine yahoo group and help us keep kids warm one quilt at a time.

From Terry, founder of Wrap A Smile:

In 2009, Wrap-A-Smile received 2,169 quilts.
Total that I am aware of since the start of Wrap-A-Smile is 14,593.
Quilters spent $2,690.81 for shipping their quilts to myself and Gail in CA.
This shipping cost does not reflect UPS charges or Federal Express.
Who ever would have believed this project would be what it is today...........

Philippines

2009-10-03T09:21:00.001-04:00

Rotaplast has been in Philippines this week. Pictures haven't shown many quilts. It doesn't ever get very chilly there, and I think quilts will be used mostly to lie upon rather than lie under. I'm sure they are just as appreciated. Let's keep sewing!

Do You Recognize a Sunny Quilt?

2009-09-10T23:09:00.008-04:00

The picture above is a child in China.

The rest of these pictures are from India.

Rotaplast in India

2009-09-05T01:10:00.004-04:00

There is a Rotaplast mission happening in India right now. You can read about it here. There are many people awaiting surgery, most with cleft lip and palate issues, but a few people have burns that need repair.

I am seeing from the Rotaplast blog and pictures that there is a vast age range in the Rotaplast patients. We should remember to provide quilts for older folks as well as the little kids.

--carol e.

Quilts for Africa!

2009-07-14T21:58:00.008-04:00

We heard that most of our recent Wrap a Smile quilts went to Ethiopia. It is so fun to hear where the quilts are headed! And such a rare treat if we ever see pictures of kids in our quilts... I have had that distinct pleasure a few times over the years, and it feels wonderful.

Here are more quilts that have been made for our Sunshine projects. No matter where they go, we send them off with a bit of love, and we hope that the quilt brings joy and healing to its recipient.

Quilt Production at Full Speed

2009-07-10T20:28:00.004-04:00

From what many Sunshine members are reporting, lots of quilts are being churned out for the kids. We love to see the pictures and hear the stories... the Block Lotto is a huge success, too. Thanks to all who contribute blocks and to Tammy who works miracles with the blocks and turns out gorgeous quilts. Sorry I don't have access to her pictures right now... so I'll just post a couple examples of quilt tops I have made this year for Wrap a Smile.

Our current challenge is to make some "boy-friendly" quilts. Try to choose colors and patterns that will appeal to boys, and avoid the florals and pinks if you can... knowing not all cultures have strict rules for appropriateness of quilt colors for boys and for girls, we still want to remember to make a nice variety that will appeal to all types of kids.

This next Sunday, July 12, is Second Sunday Sewing for Sunshine! If you can, try to set aside some sewing time on the 2nd Sunday of each month, to help make quilts for kids. It's fun to know we are all working together on the same day, helping keep the kids warm worldwide.

--Carol E.

Inspiration!

2009-04-09T23:47:00.002-04:00

If this picture isn't inspiration to make more quilts, I don't know what is! This is a child with a new quilt after his/her cleft palate surgery (in either Venezuela or Mexico.. I have forgotten which).

What an adorable little thing! I think it is unusual for them to operate on someone this young, so remember to make your quilts a little larger than infant size. Nevertheless, this picture really got me excited about making more quilts! Does it work for you, too?

--carol e.

Quilts Galore

2009-03-28T00:25:00.004-04:00

We must all be very busy making quilts for Wrap a Smile and Wrap Them in Love. We have not been very talkative lately. These photos show some of the quilts that have recently been made for Sunshine kids.

Join us if you can! It's fun and worthwhile making quilts for kids undergoing cleft palate surgery, and also for kids in orphanages around the world.

We are keeping the world warm.... one quilt at a time.

Super Bowl Sunday!

2009-01-24T21:58:00.003-05:00

Join us for a day of Sunshine sewing on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 1, 2009! We'll be making blocks and quilts for kids, and checking in at our Yahoo group site for chit chat. In addition, Bev B. will be drawing names for prizes! It'll be a virtual Sunshine sewing retreat, and we hope lots of folks can join in the fun.

WAS Annual Report

2009-01-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everybody,
I finally got the chance to sit and sharpen my pencil for some Wrap-A-Smile 2008 information. From the records I have in my log Wrap-A-Smile received a total of 1,939 quilts. Family Circle contributors still coming in donated 289 quilts. Sunshine contributed 1027. Quilts from other sources 623. Quilters spent $1,155.38 in shipping costs. We finished the year with a total of 12,331 quilts being distributed to Rotaplast and Alliance for Smiles since the project started in 2001. This number does include the 75+ ready to be shipped. My sincere Thank you to one and all.
Terry

New Totals

2008-12-23T11:27:00.004-05:00

photo by Tracey

Look at the numbers of quilts we Sunnies donated in recent months! WTG!

AUGUST: WAS - 63 total; WTIL - 18 total

SEPTEMBER: WAS - 27 total; WTIL - 7 total

OCTOBER: WAS - 28 total; WTIL - 14 total

NOVEMBER: WAS - 66 total; WTIL - 11 total

Check out the new yearly totals in the sidebar. Thanks to everyone for being so generous!

The Kids & Quilts in Ukraine

2008-12-06T16:09:00.001-05:00

What adorable little faces!

Quilts to the Ukraine

2008-12-06T10:19:00.002-05:00

Our wonderful charity quilters from this Sunshine Quilt guild helped make and donate almost 50 quilts to send to a missionary in the Ukraine for an orphanage. She posted a picture of the kids with some of the quilts at her blog. http://www.fireleann.blogspot.com/ Check it out!

Back at it ~ Crumb Piecing

2008-11-15T21:05:00.006-05:00

I've been awol pretty much for the last few months...haven't even had much stitching time. Things are going well with the new job and the remodeling is almost done...it's time to sew! All the talk about Crumb piecing and Crumb blocks has me itching to be stitching my own.

These were from the last batch of Crumbs...I love how the Crumbs add interest to pretty plain blocks. By throwing in a few scraps of bright, you can make child friendly blocks. My Crumb blocks are 2.5" in the Jacob's Ladder for a 6.5" block.

I use 3.5" Crumb blocks for centers of Friendship Stars and for 9 Patches...this will give you a great 9.5" block. If you haven't tried Crumb Piecing...dig out those scraps and make a few blocks. They're addictive and remember...this is mostly "found" fabric that you would normally trash.

Susan in TX ~ Patchkat

Some Kids Need Your Quilts!!

2008-09-19T12:05:00.003-04:00

Wrap a Smile is an on-going project. They send cleft-palate mission teams around the world, about once a month, year-round. Each team needs about 100 quilts. So you see, you can never make too many quilts! This red/white one was made using some of the blocks our members generously donated for Carol's challenge.

Wrap Them in Love is also on-going. They send quilts to orphanages around the world when requests come in, and when people travel and can carry them along. That means they also can never get too many quilts.

If you love to make quilts all the time, and to think of your quilt warming a child somewhere far or near, Sunshine is the place for you!

Claire's Challenge

2008-08-28T23:39:00.003-04:00

I sent these blocks to Claire. She wants 'em bright! I think these qualify.
--Carol E.

Challenge: Multiples of Three

2008-08-20T18:30:00.002-04:00

Remember Claire's fun challenge:

Here is the challenge I have been dreaming up. End a long time away, maybe
November 30 or Dec 31. I want to experiment with layouts that involve
multiple size blocks. So you have lots of flexibility.

Make blocks (square, rectangle or long strips) any multiple of three, then
add 1/2 inch to the last measurement:3 1/2 x 3 1/2; 9 1/2 x 9 1/2; 12 1/2 x
12/1/2; 6 1/2 x 9 1/2; 6 1/2 x 12 1/2; 3/1/2 x 45 1/2...get the idea? So
long as their finished dimensions are a multiple of three, it should be
possible to make them fit together.

Try for some primary colors in each, but if you can't that is okay too,
i'll try to put it next to something bright. If anyone needs fabric (or just
wants to have a way to end, when the fabric sent is used up) send me a SASE
and I'll send a fat quarter of a dark fabric for you to brighten up.

Let's see how many bright and varied blocks we can send to Claire!

TOTALS for quilts July 2008

2008-08-03T10:59:00.002-04:00

Here are the totals for quilts so far for July 2008. Looks like The Sunshine Ladies are doing great.

WAS--43

WTIL--13

PANAMA--3

YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:

WAS--268

WTIL--104

PANAMA--3

That is a great GRAND TOTAL OF 375.
Way to go Ladies.

Kids With Wrap-a-Smile Quilts

2008-08-02T19:44:00.005-04:00

Every once in a while we are lucky to get pictures of the kids who receive our quilts. It is very heart-warming and inspiring to see these photos. We welcome any new members who would like to join this fun endeavor. Leave a comment and ask us how!

Baby in Vietnam

After surgery in Nepal

Keeping warm in Nepal

Thumbs up for life-altering surgery!

a child in Venezuela

Thank-You Letter

2008-08-01T20:23:00.003-04:00

photo is from a previous WAS trip

We recently received this thank-you note for our quilts that went on a Rotaplast trip to El Salvador. Read and enjoy:
------
"Dear Terry and Fellow Wrap-A-Smile Quilters,

Thank you so much for your mission which is beyond words of gratitude. Your
dedication and work is wonderful, touches many lives and is appreciated by
so many. You affect more children and families than you can imagine. I know
because I have seen it in their faces and heard it in their words of thanks.

This month I had the pleasure of being a part of a Rotaplast mission trip to
El Salvador. I am a member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento which in part
sponsored this mission. I was blessed to be the photographer and journalist
for this mission and my 19 year old college student daughter also attended
as the recreational therapist. It was our first mission and the experience
of our lives individually and together.

Your quilts brightened up every part of the process for the children from
the intake, through the surgery and recovery, to the follow up clinic and
finally to the journey out the hospital to return home. The children and
their families were surprised, delighted and grateful that they were able to
take your quilts home with them. Your gifts were truly appreciated.

I presented a photo slide show of our mission trip to our Rotary Club lunch
meeting (attended by 300-350) last week and many were in tears and greatly
moved by the work accomplished by Rotaplast and all those involved. A part
of my presentation included photographs of your patch and quilts and how
each brightened the process for all involved. I will email you the photos of
your patch and the quilts from my presentation.
----
Thank you again for your hard work and dedication. I truly hope that you
have fun, enjoy getting together and support each other in sharing your
mission. Please know that what you do is so very important to so many
involved in every aspect of each Rotaplast mission.

I look forward to hearing from you.
With warm regards,
Susan Sheridan "

Reminder - Carol's Challenge

2008-07-26T17:41:00.004-04:00

Read the right hand column and scroll down far enough to read about about Carol's "double challenge." She has received some lovely red and white blocks! So far she has made these two pretty tops, and has one more almost ready to assemble.

Join the challenge if you can! It's fun, and look at the great quilts it produces! (Not to mention the quilts that result for kids with leukemia!) The challenge runs through August 31. If you need Carol's address, leave a comment here, and she will send it to you (be sure you are not set on "no reply").

Sew Everywhere!

2008-07-21T19:31:00.004-04:00

We Sunshine members (Sunnies, as we affectionately call ourselves) like to go anywhere to meet face to face and to sew for Sunshine together. Here are a few of us who attended BrendaLou's retreat in California in Spring '08.

Bev from Oregon, Carol from Minnesota

Rita (with another of her bright Sunshine quilt tops) from CA, Susy from Montana

Tammy from Texas

BrendaLou, working on a Sunshine kit provided by Ann

We will go anywhere to keep the world warm... one quilt at a time! Please join us! We do it for the kids.

Quilt totals for June 2008

2008-07-17T19:23:00.001-04:00

Here are the quilts finished for June 2008

WAS--43

WTIL--24

Great job Ladies! Keep up the good work.

Carol's blocks for her Double Challenge!

2008-06-11T11:51:00.002-04:00

These are Carol's blocks for her Double Challenge! Very pretty!

Carol's Double Challenge!

2008-06-10T17:49:00.001-04:00

CAROL'S DOUBLE CHALLENGE: 1) Make duplicate sets of blocks, in red and white. Must be 8.5" unfinished.2) Send the blocks to me.3) One set of blocks I will use to make quilts for Sunshine. The other set I will send to Clare for Quilts for Leukemia.4) You have all summer (northern hemisphere) to work on these blocks. On August 31 I will draw a name from those who participate, and will send a thank-you gift to the person whose name I draw.

Check out the Quilts for Leukemia project here:http://quilts4leukaemia.blogspot.com/

Wrap A Smile Quilt totals!!

2008-06-04T21:32:00.002-04:00

As of today June 2, 2008 WAS has received 10,029 quilts............(since I havebeen keeping records)Thank you all...................You can all pat yourself on the back ! ! !Terry

These totals are awesome and include quilts from Sunshine and other groups or individuals that donate to Wrap A Smile!!! Sunshine quilt guild has been donating quilts since 2001.

TOTALS for quilts May 2008

2008-06-01T09:41:00.003-04:00

Here are the totals for quilts finished and shipped out for the month of May.

WAS--52

WTIL--23

YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:

WAS--182

WTIL--67

PANAMA--3

Way to go Sunshine members for another great month of totals.

APRIL TOTALS FOR QUILTS

2008-05-05T19:36:00.002-04:00

I have the totals for Aprils finished quilts to post. Looks like another great month for Sunshine.

April totals:

WAS--42
WTIL--11
PANAMA--1

YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:

WAS--130
WTIL--44
PANAMA--3

Way to go Sunshine Ladies.

Finished Quilts...

2008-04-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

Here are some quilts finished by Rita and Pat, quilted by BevB. They all did a wonderful job! They are headed to WTIL to go to kids in orphanages overseas. I don't know why the pictures ended up so small. I took them offline so I am thinking I need to start with the original pictures instead.

2nd Sunday sewing

2008-04-14T09:58:00.004-04:00

On the 2nd Sunday of the month we try to quilt for Sunshine as a group. Not everyone is able to every month but it is fun for those that can. We try to post pictures of projects finished during that sewing time.

Here is a quilt top finished by Carol E. during our 2nd Sunday sewing. She did a great job of putting together orphan blocks.

More Quilting Retreat....

2008-04-14T09:45:00.004-04:00

A wonderful quilt made with crumbs!
The Sunshine Quilt Guild gang in attendance
BrendaLou the esteemed hostess!
Ann and Nola....
Ritamary and Susy

They all look like they had so much fun. BrendaLou hosts these retreats twice a year and I hear that she does a fantastic job!

Quilting Retreat in CA

2008-04-14T09:35:00.002-04:00

Some pictures of a quilting retreat that quite a few sunnies attented in Eureka, CA hosted by BrendaLou from Scottie Dog Quilts.

Sally and Suzanne. They look like they are having fun!
Hard at work.
Bev H. and Carol E.

TOTALS for quilts April 2-2008

2008-04-02T10:38:00.002-04:00

Here is the new numbers for quilts from March post within the group.

TOTALS FOR MARCH:
WAS--9
WTIL--20
USA--1

YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
WAS--88
WTIL--33
PANAMA--2
USA--1

I also want to post a total from the members that have made tops and sent them to Quilting Angels to be quilted for them. You might be surprise at this number for the month of March.

QUILT TOPS WAITING TO BE QUILTED: 69

Sunshine members have been really busy and these quilts will be given to some much needed children in the near future.

Way To Go Sunshine Members.

A finish for WTIL

2008-03-30T19:01:00.003-04:00

Here is a quilt that Janet finished using some of the disappearing 9 patch blocks from a sunshine challenge and blocks that students in an elementary school colored in as a classroom activity. Janet has been going into the classrooms for 5 years and the teachers and students really enjoy the project. (So does she!) Before the project is done there will be a total of 9 quilts finished, all of them going to Wrap Them in Love

Gail's finish for National Quilters Day

2008-03-20T12:11:00.003-04:00

Here is Gail's quilt she finished on National Quilters Day. What a lovely quilt. Great job Gail.

Gail's Quilts for WAS

2008-03-20T12:05:00.002-04:00

Here is two quilts that Gail finished the weekend of the Online quilting retreat. The top one she calls Charlie III. The one to the right is her Bargello. Great job Gail for two lovely quilts.

Sunshine sewing

2008-03-16T18:58:00.003-04:00

Did some sunshine sewing today and finished up two quilts. One is with the split 9 pacth blocks from my challenge and the other are some UFO blocks that I had around my sewing room. Both will be going to WTIL.

Carol E's quilts for National Quilting Day

2008-03-16T10:36:00.003-04:00

Carol put together this fun 4-patch quilt with a little extra of her own. She wants to know if you see what she changed in the pattern.

On the above right is another great quilt she got together for our first National Quilters day and Online stitching retreat with WTIL.

Great job Carol E for the lovely quilts.

Linda K's Fun with Bricks Quilt

2008-03-16T10:33:00.002-04:00

Great job Linda. She got the pattern from Quiltville.com.

National Quilt Day and On-Line Stitching Retreat

2008-03-16T10:29:00.002-04:00

March 15,2008 was National Quilt Day. So there was lots going on with Sunshine memebers this weekend. The WTIL yahoo group also was having their first On-Line Stitching Retreat and Sunshine members joined with them for the fun of quilting and sharing.

I am going to post some photos of quilts made from the weekend and hope you will enjoy looking at what the members put together this weekend.

TOTALS for quilts March 12,2008

2008-03-12T12:42:00.003-04:00

I am going to post the totals so far for 2008 of finished quilts from Sunshine members. I may be off just a few since we are just starting the blog and trying to get the totals in from the members. But hopefully by April it will be a correct total.

WAS--79 finished quilts sent in

WTIL--13 finished quilts sent in

PANAMA--2 quilts delivered by member

Only 3 months into the year and the members have done a great job and so many kids will get a quilt. I hope that we can contiune to reach the needs of each group through out the year.

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far and I look forward to Aprils totals from you. I will post totals at the beginning of each month if possible.

Pictures of quilts

2008-03-08T21:50:00.002-05:00

I hope you have enjoyed some of the photos of quilts donated to WAS so far this year. This is only a few of them. There are so many beautiful quilts that it was hard to choose which ones to post. If you would like to see more of these gorgous quilts from the ladies at Sunshine please check out the links to their photo albums in the side bar.

I hope to post a few more that have been sent to WTIL soon.

A couple from Moira for WAS

2008-03-08T21:46:00.004-05:00

Two great quilts from Moira that will show some child the love and warmth a quilt can bring. Great job Moira.

Lori's donation to WAS

2008-03-08T21:43:00.001-05:00

Here is a lovely bright quilt from Lori. Great job Lori.

Quilts by Nancy

2008-03-08T21:40:00.004-05:00

These quilts are awesome from Nancy. I am not a writer and don't know the names of the blocks but the left one reminds me of stain glass windows. The right one makes me want to go to the rain forrest. Great job Nancy.

Carol E's donation for WAS

2008-03-08T19:39:00.001-05:00

This is one of Carol E's donation to WAS. She used several different blocks and the colors are gorgous together. Bev B did a lovely job quilting this one for Carol. Great job ladies.

Quilts by Michele's Mom

2008-03-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

Michele's Mom did a lovely job on these two tops for WAS. Bev B also did a lovely job on the quilting. Great job ladies.

Quilts by Patti

2008-03-08T19:31:00.004-05:00

Patti made the tops for these two quilts and WAS will send them to a child. Bev B did the quilting for Patti.

For the one on the left I can just see a group of kids getting together to play "I Spy". Wouldn't that be a fun game for this quilt.

Great job ladies.

2 quilts by Rita

2008-03-08T19:19:00.004-05:00

Two more quilts by Rita. These will also be going to WAS in the next box out. Great job Rita.

Two Quilts by Rita

2008-03-08T19:11:00.003-05:00

Here are two quilts that Rita made the tops for and Bev B quilted. Lovely chooses for colors and style. Great job ladies.
These will be winging their way to WAS in the next shipments.

Quilt by Linda K

2008-03-08T18:39:00.002-05:00

Linda K has this quilt ready for mailing next week to WAS. It is titled "Twice Broken Dishes". I know a child will love this one. Great job Linda.

Split 9 Patch Challenge

2008-02-24T14:08:00.003-05:00

In December and January I offerred a challenge to our members to make split 9 patch blocks and mail them to me to be sewn into quilts for Wrap Them in Love. This challenge was a huge success because so far I have rec'd 644 quilt blocks with one more package on it's way to me. So it looks like total blocks rec'd will be about 700 blocks. This will make alot of quilts for the children in the orphanges overseas. I have been busy sewing these blocks into tops and then quilting them for weeks now. Currently I have about 9 quilts either finished or in the works. These pictures are a few of the quilts that have been completed. I am having fun putting these together! Soon I will be offering another block challenge and will let you know what it is!

Janet in WI