Face Masks

Posted on 27/03/2020 by qovottawa

Good Morning All,

The sun is out and bringing the promise of warmer weather ahead. I hope you and your loved ones are all well and finding ways to make social distancing work for you.

Part of the current crisis is the lack of medical equipment for our nurses, doctors and first-responders. This includes a shortage of the facemasks that protect them from the droplets from patients and protects patients from droplets shared by medical staff. In some hospitals, the one-use-only disposable masks are distributed for use for a full shift. There has been discussion about home-made washable masks being made in quantity to donate to hospitals and clinics. So far, in Ottawa anyway, hospitals are refusing these masks. One of our QOV stitchers, called the Montfort Hospital, and was told that they could not accept home-made masks but were grateful for the offer. The typical medical mask is 90% effective at blocking viruses; a cotton mask is about 60% effective (according to one source I have seen).

However, the masks are good for civilians like us, protecting us when we have to go to the grocery store or pharmacy. So if we have the medical masks at home, they could go to the hospitals or clinics and we can use the home-made masks. We can also offer them to any Seniors’ Residences in the area; they need to protect their residents, but they are not going to have easy access to the standard medical mask. The home-made masks are easy to make — I have been able to get my production up to 5 in an hour. (As a suggestion, use a different colour for front and back. That way, you know which side has been facing your germs if you have to reuse it before washing.)

So, here is the link for a video on how to make a mask.

And, here is a different version:

How to Sew a Reusable Medical Face Mask

Happy Sewing!

PS: I am still looking for 5/8 elastic

PPS: I am still looking for pictures of your current projects!

Looking for Elastic

Posted on 26/03/2020 by qovottawa

Good day quilters!

Do any of you have any 5/8” buttonhole elastic. One of our veterans is currently making face-shields for medical staff and needs the elastic for the headband.

If you can help, please leave a comment or send me an email at nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca and I will arrange to collect it.

Thank you.

Stay Safe. Stay Healthy! Practice social distancing!

Nancy

What’s under your needle?

Aside | Posted on 22/03/2020 by qovottawa

Since my calendar abruptly cleared this week, I have been enjoying some time in my quilt room, digging through my stash, stitching some new blocks and searching through my collection of older quilt magazines and my favourite blogs for potential projects. I thought it would be fun to take a look at what we are working on. (Please remember, if you are making tops/quilts for Quilts of Valour, please remember that the optimum size is 55 x 70.)

This is the Green Pathways quilt that I am working on. It took some consultation with my bother (by phone) to finesse some of the layout. By later today, this will be a top waiting for quilting.

Christine has been working on piecing the Triangle Log Cabin Block and quilting some maple leaves onto a shaded four-patch. (This is Christine of Greely Quilting.)

Annie has got these two tops in warm autumn golds ready for quilting.

And, if you are into mystery quilts, did you know that Edyta Sitar is hosting a 15-day mystery quilt?

What about you? Send me some photos of what’s under your needle (nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca). Let’s share some quilty inspiration.

If you have been building up your collection of tops and are looking for someone to quilt them for you, the following two ladies are two of our fabulous long-armers who have been supporting QOV in Ottawa. They also do long-arm quilting as a business; if you are looking for someone to do quilting for your personal projects, they would welcome your business:

Christine does lovely edge-to-edge designs: GREELYQUILTER@GMAIL.COM

Heather can be reached at heather.ann.derksen@gmail.com and you can check out her work at her website: https://www.redwillowquilts.ca/

Keep Calm and Quilt On

Posted on 18/03/2020 by qovottawa

This is it Quilters! We are being asked to stay home. It is our duty to stay in our quilt rooms and create with fabric! We are so lucky to have that curated collection of fabrics and ideas just waiting to keep us busy while the rest of the world is stuck trying to avoid boredom. I hope you are all well and that these interesting times will soon be behind us.

I did my last presentation on Friday the 13th (hmmmm?) and even then, the discussion of COVID snuck in, hanging like an eerie unwelcome visitor. We have postponed all further presentations, until we know that the worst has passed. We have had a busy winter (a few photos below). Even with Robbie and I sidelined for periods, we have presented 35 quilts plus 10 presented through the Transition Unit. Krista Seguin’s mom contacted me way back last September and we were going to have her quilt presented to her in Victoria; then the word came that she was moving to Ottawa, so we held off until we could present to her in February. Krista, like many other recipients, is going to be working with an organization that helps injured veterans. Her new job will be with Soldier On. It seems that the military hold tight to that spirit of service even after they have been injured. I heard from one recipient about three weeks after he had received his quilt. He said that he hadn’t appreciated how important the quilt would be until it was wrapped around him. He followed with his thanks and further nominations of other eligible recipients who needed to receive that “hug from a grateful nation.” Once we are clear of this virus, there will be another flurry of presentations. Your quilts have homes waiting for them!

CWO Dube, MWO Tremblay, Maj Chretien
Lt (N) Krista Seguin
Denis Gauthier
Patrick Hall, Basil Slaney, Jodi Jones, Owen Crabbe, Leslie Thomlinson
Duane Gaudet
Florence Humber

So now, here I am, in my quilt room, eyeing my stash with a view to making more tops. I am still playing with The Border Creek Station Stashbuster block (http://www.bordercreekstation.com/the-stash-buster-challenge-2020.htm). We worked it in blue and lavender at the March 9 sew-day to great success, and we have some blocks being developed in red, black and white which were looking impressive (no pictures, yet). I tried it in black and grey and now I am playing with my greens. It is a very versatile block; if you go to the Facebook group, you will see what I mean. I have found a few more stash-happy blocks in my collection of magazines and will start playing with those once my green top is done. What are you putting together?

Christine does lovely edge-to-edge designs: GREELYQUILTER@GMAIL.COM

Heather can be reached at heather.ann.derksen@gmail.com and you can check out her work at her website: https://www.redwillowquilts.ca/

As for upcoming events, it is all up in the air right now. Right now there is a hold on all dates until we can safely resume social interactions. The following are planned activities, that may or may not proceed.

April 18? Spring Saturday Sew-Day, at the Orleans United Church. We will work together on one or two designs, will have a few kits available for sign-out, and will accept your returned completed tops and quilts.?

May 11? Monday sew-day at Canna-Connect

June/July — can someone take charge of a sew-day? I can help with the fabric/planning

Lost vitamins?

Posted on 11/03/2020 by qovottawa

Someone who was at our March 9 sew-day at CannaConnect left behind a bottle of Regenurex. If this is yours, you can contact Scott at CannaConnect at 613-618-3220 or send me an email at nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca

March Sew Day!

Posted on 02/03/2020 by qovottawa

Good day All,

First of all, I would like to say a huge Thank you to all who showed up to stitch and a special thank you to those who stepped in to organize the National Sew Day on February 1. In total, we completed four quilt tops, blocks for another top, received one donated top and several bags of fabric!

I hope you can join us, next Monday, for our March 9 Sew Day at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Unit 106, Nepean) from 9:30 to 3:00.

You will need your sewing machines and basic kit (scissors, thread, bobbins). Jacquie is getting the fabric cut for us and we will be working on the Border Creek Stashbuster Challenge Block. We will have a cutting board, but if you want to bring your own small board and cutter, it might help you avoid a line-up. I will have an iron and ironing board set up. Scott and Dawn, our hosts at CannaConnect, have promised to have coffee and tea available. For lunch there are a few lunch spots within a short drive, or there is a small fridge on site.

Challenge: Can you try your hand at the stash-buster challenge block in the 8″ size using blacks for fabric one, reds for fabric two, whites for fabric three. Bring your blocks on Monday and we’ll try to get an extra top made. (http://www.bordercreekstation.com/the-stash-buster-challenge-2020.htm) The main text gives instructions for a 6″block; if you go to the end, it gives instructions for an 8″finished block which is what will work best.

Remember, Quilts of Valour Canada has set a goal to reach 20,000 quilts presented by the end of 2020. We have reached 14 500, so we need to keep stitching!

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