Sew Something Helpful: Hurricane Relief Quilts

Whenever there's a catastrophe or natural disaster, quilters' first (and sometimes second and third) response is: Can a quilt make things better?

The answer, dangit, is usually no. Especially in the early days, money is needed far more than donated goods (which can  be a burden to distribute). I wrote about easy ways to send money to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief here.

But as days pass, the time may come when donated quilts are needed. Thanks to the onset of winter, Hurricane Sandy, victims without electricity are very cold; they need donated blankets and quilts, and there are now organizations in place to deliver them. I've found FIVE projects making, collecting, and delivering quilts to hurricane victims (and the number are growing, so I keep updating this post). They are: 


1. A New Jersey Project Linus branch, headed by Hillary Roberts.

2. An organization called Basic Housing, Inc., which will take and distribute ANY kind of blanket, homemade or store-bought (If that link doesn't work, try this one: http://bumblebeansbasics.com/.) Quilter Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Bumble Beans is connecting the Basic Housing blanket-collecting project with quilters.

3. If you don't want to make a whole quilt, but still want to sew something helpful, the wonderful site Quilting Gallery (QG) is launching a  fun block-making project to create quilts for the Basic Housing project above.  Michele Foster of QG is asking people to make 12" Wonky Scrappy Log Cabin (WSLC) blocks Her canine-friendly tutorial for making those blocks is here: http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/11/09/tutorial-wonky-scrappy-log-cabin/. Here's a wonky block: 


The photo at the top of this post shows one of Michelle's finished WSLC block quilts (and her adorable dog). 

Along with block-makers, Michele also looking for local team leaders to assemble the quilts and deliver them to Basic Housing. Learn more and get involved at http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/sandy-quilt-block-drive/.

4. NEW: Speaking of dogs, Petfinder.com, in collaboration with the terrific online Quilt Pattern Magazine, has identified storm-area animal shelters needing kennel quilts and monetary donations. The magazine is offering some fun free patterns for these small quilts, 12" x 18". Learn more here.

 5. NEW: The fabric sales site equilter.com has teamed up with Timeless Treasures Fabric to deliver quilts to those in need. Details here.

Please do email me if you hear of more quilt donation projects for Hurricane Sandy victims. And send pictures of those you make!