Quilts for Katy Cares

Katy is an area of West Houston that will be having their grand opening in August for their 1st Women's shelter in the area.   Plans are already underway for building more facilities.   Houston Modern Quilt Guild has been instrumental in supplying all the bed quilts needed for this grand opening.   More than 30 quilts!   Here's my little part, quilting these gorgeous bed quilts!

I love this bright string pieced quilt with gray sashing.     Quilted with Denise's Spirals.

 

HST Strings with cream.   Quilted with Hearts and Flowers

Wonky Logs quilted with Surf

 

Vintage Hand Pieced 9 patches  quilted with Pansies

Pinwheels quilted with Abigail

 

 

I am excited to see the slides of all the quilts that our guild has created and donated for this cause and feel so fortunate that I can be a little part of helping someone have a better life.

 

On the flip side, as of this past Friday, I have quilted 29 charity quilts, some custom quilted, most edge to edge quilting.   On average of 5 hours (some far exceed that number) that is a total of 145 hours.  Almost 4 full 40 hour weeks of time donated, and in actuality that number is much higher. For example, quilt #3 in the picture took 6 full hours to load, set up the design and quilting which required me to use my cup foot and work fullness in as I quilted.   That did not include any initial time on intake, or finalizing the quilt with  trimming, photographing, documenting in my quilting system and packing for pickup/delivery.   Or the actual pickup time!  For whatever reason.... I've had over 15 emails regarding pickup on this during this weekend!    Way too many hours involved.   I work full time, my husband is unemployed and seeking employment meaning I need to work as much as possible.  I have an 18 yr old  that just graduated high school and will live at home while attending a state college nearby and a 22 year old that I like to spend time with.  There is no me time, very little personal quilting time.   These 29 charity quilts do not include things like my involvement the past 2 years with HMQG Quilt Con quilts, current year planning is also underway.  The hours spent on my son's annual fund raiser, or the last custom for WAQG fund raiser which was around 40 hours for the one quilt. Committee or chair hours each month for guilds.   I had told a local group for Quilts of Valor that I would quilt for them last year... but haven't gotten any quilts in so far and gee I guess I need to be thankful for that!    I have a couple of special projects in the works. but other than that, I need to take some time off from quilting charity quilts unless due to very special circumstances.   I do hope my guilds will understand.    All worthy causes, but I need to make myself a worthy cause as well.  I have 3 big volunteer projects committed for the rest of this year as it is which will  require many weekend manhours.   Maybe putting this in writing will help me keep my goal of taking the rest of the year off from quilting freebies. 

 

Meanwhile, I have plenty of time on my schedule for quilting your quilts!   You still have 30 days to get in on my summer special pricing as well for edge to edge quilting.