Support your fellow quilters

Everyone knows that quilters are some of the most giving folks on the face of the earth. Donation quilts are made for service men, folks suffering from weather catastrophes, children in hospitals, homeless shelters and more. Quilters share. They share their time, pattern ideas, pieces of fabric, opinions, tips, techniques and more. And above all, quilters share a common bond with other quilters.

So today I thought I’d bring to your attention a few quilters who could use your support. It is not often you will find a quilter asking for anything – it is usually the quilter who is offering to help.

Is there any quilter who gives more of herself and her time than Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville? Have you ever downloaded her patterns, participated in her free BOMs, read her article on how to organize your stash? And on top of all the hours she puts in making Quiltville one of the best quilting sites on the web, she and her husband are also involved in raising funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This is from Bonnie’s web page:

My DH Dave and I recently accepted the challenge of participating in 24 Hours of Booty. 24 Hours of Booty conducts annual 24 hour cycling events, which increase public awareness and support for cancer research and programs, while raising funds to support the LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION and local cancer organizations.

I am asking you to help by supporting my fundraising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will make a real difference in the cancer community.

You can find more information and ways to donate and help Bonnie and her husband fight cancer on the Quiltville web site.

The next two quilters are not as well known as Bonnie Hunter, and you may never have visited their blogs (though both are worth visiting!). But both are quilters who have exhibited a generous and giving spirit, and now could use a little help from fellow quilters. Neither is asking for a hand-out, simply a hand in obtaining a goal.

The first comes from the Peaceful Quilting blog. A cancer survivor herself, Joanne was hit hard by the news that her dear husband, Don, needs open heart surgery in September – at a cost of at least $2,000 after insurance.  So she is raffling off this beautiful Grandmother’s Garden Quilt. You can purchase a chance to win the quilt for $5.00. More information on her blog, Peaceful Quilting.

Last is the story of Kristie, of the CowGirl Quilter blog, who simply wants to help her 16 year old son. He has been offered an opportunity of a lifetime to visit France, Italy and the Swiss Alps because of his excellent school record and grades. Offered to only a handful of students in his school, obviously this young man is a son any mother would be proud of. But for him to go on this trip, he and Kristie must raise $2100 as their share of the cost.

Her son has agreed to work part time jobs over the summer to raise as much of the money as he can, and Kristie is doing what many of us quilters would dread doing – she is selling her stash of fabric and books to help her son raise the money he needs to make the trip. She is offering fabric and books at very reasonable prices on a special online web site she set up just for this purpose – HERE.

None of these quilters asked me to write about them. Yet I felt that all three deserved to have the word spread about their goals. Let’s all do what we can to help our fellow quilters. If you can’t help financially, perhaps you can help by spreading the word to other quilters through blog posts and tweets.