Have you heard the latest? Janome has created a special edition sewing machine with the QOVC label. It has lots of features that should appeal to quilters and QOVC receives $10 from every machine sold. If you are looking for a new machine, suitable for taking to workshops, you might want to consider this one.
Our hard work is paying off. The ‘curve is flattened’ and with continued precautions, we can begin to ease the restrictions, including one that has restricted our mission: as of June 30, Quilts of Valour Canada will again start doing presentations. We will start slowly. Presentations will be held outside, with small numbers of attendees, and with presenters/guests all wearing masks. It will be different, but it will still be special.
Many of you have been very busy making and quilting for us and in Ottawa, we have a good supply of quilts to get us started. Robbie and I have scheduled our first presentations and are looking at easing the backlog of recipients waiting to receive their quilts.
Last winter, I heard from one of our recipients who wrote: “After that evening and taking time to reflect on the event, I have quickly come to realize how important that evening was and how much comfort I has come from the quilt presented to me.” That soldier went on to refer another individual for a Quilt of Valour and I hope to meet him on July 2. I am always heartened when I hear from recipients how much their quilt helps them, soothes them and reassures them. Those beautiful bundles of fabric are bringing smiles to many faces!
This is a picture from the last presentation that I was able to conduct in March. I look forward to meeting more of our soldiers and sailors, of presenting your quilts to them and sharing with you the pictures from those events.
Are you working on some Maple Leaf blocks? I have not got very far with mine as I am trying to finish off the quilting on the black and grey Stashbuster. I am trying to imagine all the different potential layouts for those leaves!
I hope you will keep quilting. Let me know if you have quilts to drop off. Stay safe and enjoy the summer!
Longarmers for hire:
Christine: GREELYQUILTER@GMAIL.COM
Heather: heather.ann.derksen@gmail.com/www.redwillowquilts.ca
Hello Quilters,
So how have you been faring in this strange world of physical distancing? Has it given you a chance to slow down and regroup? Or, has it been a stressful period of isolation? I hope you have all avoided the dreadful virus and that all your family is safe. I hope you have found ways to add silver linings to a very strange time.
I have been able to stay busy. That stash that I swore I would never build has given me lots of opportunities to piece and quilt. I finished four tops and now I am working my way through quilting them.
One fallout of the lockdown was our April Drop, Swap and Sew. Some of you have tops and quilts that you completed over the winter. If you would like to drop them by my house in Centretown, drop me a line and we can set up a time for porch-side drop-off.
Another fallout has been our sew-days. How could they cancel our sew-days??!! How about we have a virtual sew-day? Here is a block that we can all work on in our separate (but together in spirit) spaces. Make one. Make twenty. Make a whole top. Let’s show our Canadian spirit as we head towards Canada Day by stitching up some Maple Leaf blocks. Use any colour for the leaf (solid or QOV suitable print) and white for the background. Can we make 2,020 blocks? Proud Maple Leaf I will set up a collection day in July to see what we have stitched up.
It is an easy block to build; here are my first three:
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/
Ottawa Region: Quilts of Valour - Canada 