Quilts for Broncos Finish and Delivery

It seemed totally appropriate to deliver a load of donated quilts, quilt tops, and blocks for the Humboldt Broncos in a hockey bag. Confession: no great symbolism though, it's the bag I had that they all fit in. And don't worry, it has never been used for hockey gear!

I was flying out to Saskatoon over the weekend so offered to take Calgary area donations with me, so people didn't have to ship them on their own. Save the expense, after all. The wonderful folks at My Sewing Room volunteered to hold them for me too. Between those donations and the ones quilters dropped off at my house I delivered 20 finished quilts, 3 quilt tops, and a enough blocks for another quilt top to Periwinkle Quilting and Beyond in Saskatoon! 

My own top was finished in time too. With great thanks to Lee Dueck at Quilting by Lee for volunteering to quilt this on her long arm. Can you see the hockey sticks she added?

The block design was picked by Haus of Stitches, the local store in Humboldt. It was a great block to choose because it went together so quickly. So instead of people making one block, they made many. Instead of making just a quilt top, people finished their quilts. I've never seen so many finished quilts donated to a drive like this! And I've heard of many people learning to quilt because they wanted to make one of these quilts.

Me, being me, had to play around with the suggested layout though. I did not do conventional borders too. I might have skipped borders all together, but I didn't have enough good greens in the stash to simply make more blocks. The hashtag effect was unintentional though. Totally appropriate, however, considering the spread of the news and support via social media. 

The original goal was 200 quilts. Last count is about 700 and the deadline is still a few days away. 

Quilters are amazing people. The global response to this horrific tragedy is beautiful and almost overwhelming. This, simply, is what quilters do. We take our desire to create beautiful things and spread love and comfort through the quilts. It often feels like the least we can do when we aren't able to bring meals, provide shoulders to cry on, make people laugh, and look people in the eye with love. It often doesn't feel like enough, but it does help. 

In Saskatoon my friend, another synchro mom, drove me to the store. Her cousin's son was on the bus and the entire family is in awe and so appreciative of the support everyone is getting. Recovery for everyone is going to be a long, long road. These quilts will be one small thing in that journey

Broncos Block - Quilts for Broncos

Like most quilters, most creatives, when bad things happen I respond by making. It helps me process my own pain or emotions. It also gets me to start thinking about how I can help others heal. This is, of course, by making and giving a quilt.

So when the horrific news out of Saskatchewan about the Humboldt Broncos bus crash rolled in, I immediately thought of making. I designed a quilt block with my daughters help - I was decorating a cake so I dictated numbers and a sketch to her. Initially, it had 14 HSTs, but it had to be updated when the death toll changed later that day. The design is a simplified, modern version of a horses mane. I was looking at the Broncos logo and thinking about what I might be able to do. This is it.

Making may help heal my emotions. Making or receiving a quilt may or may not do something for the families, the boys and woman still injured, the first responders, and team affected. But I do know that any show of support - when the entire country is behind you - can only help in the long run. So I will make. You can too.

Broncos Block

Cutting Instructions

Feature Fabric:

• 8 squares 4'' x 4''

Background Fabric:

• 8 squares 4'' x 4'' (from one strip cut 4'' x WOF)
• 1 square 3 1/2'' x 3 1/2'' (All cut from one strip 3 1/2'' x WOF)
• 1 rectangle 3 1/2'' x 6 1/2''
• 1 rectangle 3 1/2'' x 9 1/2''
• 1 rectangle 3 1/2'' x 12 1/2''

Assembly Instructions.

1. Draw a line on the back of the background 4'' fabric squares, corner to corner on the diagonal.
2. Pair a background 4'' square with the feature fabric square, right sides together. Line up and sew 1/4'' from the drawn line on both sides.
3. Cut on the drawn line. Press towards the darker fabric.
4. Square up the half square triangles to 3 1/2'' x 3 1/2''. Use the 45 degree line on your ruler (or something like a Bloc Loc ruler) to make sure the seam line is straight from corner to corner.
5. Sew together 5 blocks, end to end, with the feature fabric in the upper right corner for placement. Make a row of 4 blocks, then 3, then 2. Note: You will have one HST leftover.
6. Press the rows in alternate directions.
7. Layout the entire block the following way  and sew the rows together and press the seams open or all in one direction:

• 1 block plus 3 1/2'' x 12 1/2'' background
• 2 blocks plus 3 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' background
• 3 blocks plus 3 1/2'' x 9 1/2'' background
• 4 blocks plus 3 1/2'' x 3 1/2'' background
• 5 blocks

There is an official quilt block/quilt drive hosted by Haus of Stitches, the local quilt store in Humboldt and the Prairie Patchwork Quilt Guild. They are coordinating to make and receive at least 200 quilts to be distributed among survivors, families and billet families, first responders, and the team. The block they've chosen sews together very quickly. Full details here.

I am making blocks like above, plus the Quilts for Broncos blocks as per the official instructions. Everything I make will be donated to the official drive. I am also gathering, for local to Calgary quilters, any work they do and delivering it to Saskatoon. It will then go on to Humboldt from there. 

This tragedy is devastating. I think every parent can imagine their kid on that bus. I have hockey playing nephews, my own kids have played, my daughter does bus travel for her sport. It is an accident, plain and simple, but it hits hard. I know 3 people - with no connection to each other - who had connections to kids on the bus. That's how hockey is in Canada. It's why we are seeing kids wearing Jerseys to school, sticks left out on porches, professional sports teams honouring the team for their own connection to their past, and why quilters are making. We can't heal the deep wounds, we can't make the pain go away, but we can make and show support. No one is alone in this.