Just One Slab - 2 Years Later

It is the anniversary of the big Alberta Flood. Two years ago the rains came and washed the water from the mountains and it all came downstream, both thundering and seeping. It cleared away and stole people's histories and homes. Quilters around the world rallied and delivered quilts and blocks to provide some comfort to those flooded.

The Just One Slab campaign was launched to allow people to contribute a single block, or more, to relieve efforts. I worked with local volunteers to get the 2300!!! slabs into quilts. Donations came in for batting, backing, and binding. People helped organize and finish quilts. It was incredible. I thought I would get maybe 200 blocks, but I did not expect this response!

The first round of finished quilts went with the Quilts for Calgary door to door donation. Quite a few went out directly from quilters who finished the quilts to neighbours and friends directly affected. More were donated through Quilts for High River. For a few months last fall I sat with over 30 quilts in my dry basement waiting. They were destined for a seniors home in High River, but we were waiting for the facility to reopen. When it did I hand delivered those quilts. Now I have a handful left to deliver, likely, to some long term care residents who never received a quilt and spent much time in distress two years ago. There are also some blocks left and those are going to be sent down to Flood Texas With Love.

On this anniversary I realized I never did share the last round of photos from that donation in the fall. My plan was always to photograph each and every quilt. Some got away from me as quilters finished and donated on their own, so if you missed your block, rest assured that it got used.

Flood Texas With Love

Well, we know too well the power of water. But thankfully we also know the power of quilters and community.

Texas has been hit hard with flooding recently. I was contacted by Sara and Karri about using the Just One Slab concept for their own efforts to make quilts for people affected by Texas flooding. Of course I said yes! So now they, themselves, are accepting donations of Just One Slab to help Flood Texas With Love.

All the details of the donations are here, on Sara's blog. If you can swing Just One Slab, or a donation to help out then all the details are there.

It doesn't take long to make a slab. And trust me, they add up! Beautiful quilts, comfort of strangers. It is all worth an hour of your time to make and mail a slab. Each slab should be squared up to 15.5'' x 15.5''.

From Sara's post...

If you can't make a block(s) you can donate through Paypal to sara_stetson@yahoo.com in any amount.  All money will be used for quilt materials (batting/backings/thread/binding), shipping and long arm services. Any excess money collected will be donated to the Red Cross of Central Texas.  (I am happy to provide documentation if requested to show the donations are used correctly!)

Please email me at sara_stetson@yahoo.com or send me a private message on Instagram @supersara20 when you are ready to ship your blocks and I will send you my mailing address.

Just One Slab 1 Year Later

The last of the Just One Slab quilts are making piles in my little studio. That is 15 finished quilts right there. Handfuls are in various states of completion - waiting for binding, quilting, or still assembly. This is not to dismiss the probably 50 or so that were assembled by volunteers through Traditional Pastimes, a local store, then paired with a backing and sent out to long armers. Those quilts, as finished, have been donated to flood victims.

So, if you sent a slab, or twenty, know that they are all either in a finished quilt or already giving a big  hug to those who need it. Anything in this last group will get photographed by me and posted here. Not all the quilts assembled and quilted by other volunteers got a snapshot, so you may not see your block. But, again, I assure you that they've all been used and made into quilts for donation.

This past weekend marked the 1 year anniversary of the flood. In the week leading up to it we had rain, rain, and more rain. Here in Calgary it didn't amount to much, thankfully. Many communities in Southern Alberta, however, did have overland flooding, sewage issues, and washouts. No one needs that. And when nerves were already raw too.

One of the local stores, My Sewing Room, has been working all year on gathering, finishing, and giving out quilts for flood victims. The focus of their giving has been on the community of High River. So, on Saturday, they had a volunteer appreciation day for the quilters who worked on donations. I went out to meet more quilters (and sign books). But one of the things I loved about the day was the scrolling images of recipients on the store's 3 TVs. The huge grins on the kids' faces, the shy smile of some men, the look of relief on others. Anne, the store owner, told me of all the tears shed by volunteers, staff, and recipients.

As quilters we know the value of a homemade quilt. And it isn't just the time. Think about the excitement you feel as you create, the giddiness of looking at the finally finished project, the anticipation of the recipient's reaction. Knowing all that, think about a moment, if you've been lucky to have it, where someone gave you a quilt. Because you know what that feels like you know how much love you immediately feel.

For the recipients of the Just One Slab quilts, and all other thousands donated after the flood, this is the feeling they get. I remember from the donation day back in September and from stories I still hear about people feeling they don't deserve the quilt, or that it should go to someone who needs it more than they do. Well, I say that everyone deserves to feel loved, and that's what these quilts do.

With the help of more volunteers - many of my friends in the Calgary Modern Quilt Guild are helping out - the last of the Just One Slab quilts will be done shortly. The plan is to donate them to seniors still displaced from their homes in High River. I will share pictures of all the quilts I've got before then, as well as donation details.

Thank you so much to absolutely everyone who donated fabric, time, slabs, and extra hands to get these quilts to the people who deserve to feel that love.

High River Handicrafts Guild

Last week I had the tremendous honour to teach in High River. You may not know or remember that High River was one of the communities devastated in last year's flood. It is a small town south of Calgary. The Highwood River runs through it and during the flood that was a bit of an understatement. The Highwood River barrelled over, under and through it.

A few months back I got a call from a quilter from the High River Handicrafts Guild. Would I be interested in teaching Slabs to the Guild? How they found me is the best part.

One of their members received a donated quilt after the flood. She loved it so much she started researching it. And it contained slabs! But the story goes further back than that. The quilt was made by someone else that I taught slabs too in one of the other local area guilds. She turned her slabs into a quilt, then donated it. Shirley, in High River, received the quilt. Shirley told me that the quilt has become her 'blankie'. Providing all the comfort that the word implies and then some. 

On top of that, I know the original quilt maker outside of quilting because her grandkids and my kids are friends, we live in the same neighbourhood and they go to school together!

It was crazy!

Not nearly as crazy as the flood and the fact that the community is still dealing with the aftermath. The centre where the class took place is a block from the river. The houses and apartments surrounding it are either still empty or you see the evidence of recovery in the form of new windows. Crews were moving earth and rocks outside to fortify the shoreline as we head towards spring run off. All morning phones were going off with alerts as they were doing emergency services testing in the community. 

Then were the quilters telling me about living in hotels for 6 months or more, the stress on disabled family. How they were just getting carpet installed that day. How they couldn't go home. What the wall of water was like. And about the generosity of other guilds in donated fabric and machines to replace all that was lost. How they themselves decided to give back as a first project once they could sew again.

The entire morning was humbling. There were tears and a lot of laughter. And so much sewing. 

Thank you to the High River Handicrafts Guild for having me.

And I can tell you this for sure, I am super motivated to get the last of the Just One Slab quilts done. There are about a dozen in various states of completion at my house. The rest have or are being finished and donated. All will be in by the flood anniversary.

Long Arm Lesson

A few weeks ago the chance came up to have a long arm lesson at the recently opened Sparrows Studioz here in Calgary. Matt Sparrow, also known as the Man Quilter, is the APQS rep for this part of the world. He has a big studio in Edmonton from which he sells, quilts, leases space, and rents long arm machines. And now he has a smaller version here in Calgary. Joanne Flamand, who is running the place down here is making sure all the local guilds get their chance to play and learn.

So one night a handful of us from the Calgary Modern Quilt Guild went up to the Wonderfil Threaducation Centre for a night of learning and play. So. Much. Fun.

To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would ever long arm my own quilts. I really enjoy the quilting part and when the tops pile up or a deadline looms I have an excellent long arm friend, not to mention a handful of others. But I did think it would at least be interesting. And now I would totally do my own quilts.

The long arms at Sparrows Studioz here are not computer guided. That means the quilter is still doing the work - whether it is entirely free motion or pantographs. There are certainly tools that make it easier, like guides, but it is still always up to the quilter to move the machine over the quilt.

And let me tell you, it is not as easy as you think it is! The machines move really well, which means it is easy to get it going in the wrong direction quickly. It requires standing and shifting your weight all while finding a rhythm to your movements. And it means that a lot of control is required, especially for the free motion or custom work.

Here are my observations and lessons.

1. When a long armer asks for 4'' extra backing fabric on the top and bottom they really need it. They aren't out to get you to waste fabric, they use that to load the backing and keep it in place when quilting. Don't scrimp and there will never be puckers.

2. Custom long arming is worth every penny, and probably more than what you are paying. It takes a lot of skill and time to do that work so don't ever feel like you are paying too much for it.

3. Pantographs are totally okay to use.

4. This is not the kind of sewing that you would do in bare feet. You need good shoes to support yourself.

5. Almost anything is possible on a long arm, but that doesn't mean everything is easy.

During our lesson we played with pantographs, a bit of free motion, some guides, as well as loading and unloading quilts. In theory, we could go and rent the machines now to quilt our own quilts. (I'm not sure I will get to that, although I would really like to.)

And it was total coincidence that a Just One Slab quilt got loaded up on the machine for us that night! But I may get more up there. I am trying to get the last of the quilts finished and in for distribution prior to the one year anniversary of the Flood and that is coming up in a little over a month.

Just One Slab Update - Getting Close

2280 blocks.

Makes 114 quilts.

106 quilt tops.

38 completed quilts.

337 packages received.

Close to 750 participants (estimated)

23 guilds.

11 quilt shops.

Nearly every Canadian Province and Territory.

27 US States.

8 countries.

Not to mention the time of the volunteers helping sort mail, put together quilt tops (like Andrea, Jen, Lee, Becca, my SIL, and others), long arm quilters (so many that I don't know them all!), and an army of people making and attaching binding and labels.

Traditional Pastimes is incredible for gathering quilts, distributing kits for making quilt tops, assigning backing fabric and distributing to long armers, and hosting volunteers who are still meeting to finish the binding and labelling.

Then there are the corporate donations from companies like EE Schenck and Robert Kaufman. For batting, backings, and extra wide backings we thank you. It makes finishing up the last quilts a lot easier.

All donations - from 1 slab to a roll of batting - are greatly appreciated.

(And thank-you to my husband and family for helping, donating their time, and tolerating the proliferation of packages, fabric, piles of quilts, and giant rolls of batting.

At this point I am still rallying volunteers to help finish the quilts. I have a stack of quilt tops ready for quilting, enough blocks for about 15 more tops, the binding to get on three more, and then all the labelling. This is on top of the 60 or so quilts that Traditional Pastimes coordinated finishing.

(I am also planning a big thank you for all participants here in this space. Stay tuned.)

Winter indeed arrived in Calgary this week, so the quilts are going to be timely. I'm sorting out the distribution details, but the plan is for a date in early December.

Thank you. Thank you all so much.

Quilting For Calgary Delivery Day

Saturday was the Quilting For Calgary delivery day. And what a day it was. It kicked off with the requisite speeches by organizers and politicians. A wonderful send off for volunteers, really. My favourite quote came from Naheed Nenshi, our mayor," It's not the sandwiches or the quilts, it's about knowing that people care."

And that is where quilters showed their mettle. Over 1350 quilts were donated that day. Fabric, quilt tops, completed quilts, and countless hours to get all that done. From all over the world quilters sent in hugs made from quilts. And let me tell you, every last one of them is appreciated.

The first person to get a quilt that day was actually Mayor Nenshi. His tireless leadership and commitment to the community was recognized in this #napfornenshi quilt. You see, he went for a few days straight without any sleep during the height of the flood. At one point #napfornenshi became a rally cry and trending topic on Twitter. The man deserved some rest! So Bernadette Kent at Traditional Pastimes created this quilt for him. The front is an improv piece that includes images of the flood, copies of tweets and hashtags, and even his famous quote about the Darwin Law.

The name of the local longarmer who quilted it escapes me right now, I'm sorry. All I can remember is an L. Bernadette says that the quilt really comes from all the quilters. A wonderful sentiment.

The back of the quilt is a representation of the Quilting For Calgary logo. (Made from a slab). Here is the mayor with Bernadette (above) and Bev Rogan (below). Bev is the local quilter who spearheaded the Quilting For Calgary efforts.

Then it was time to deliver the quilts. This is just some of the quilts. Each table had 70-80 quilts on it and there were 16 tables, I think. Each table was loaded into a vehicle destined for a flood ravaged community in the city. It was an awesome sight to see the quilts all together like this. And to see the room filled with volunteers ready to go out into the city.

It's been 12 weeks since the flood and no doubt people are tired. There is such a thing as donor fatigue. But quilters are rallying folks. As are the people at Mission Possible who coordinated so much of the delivery day.

Once the vehicles were loaded volunteers headed to their designated communities. Dumpsters and signs of construction are still evident all over the city. Mud still cakes some sidewalks, planters, BBQs, and curbs. Many homes are empty or homeowners are living in the shell, no means or time to get the rebuilding done.

Quilts in arm they started ringing doorbells. This included my two girls (with the The Garbage Truck supervising from the stroller). My girls insisted on helping and this makes their Mama very proud.

We got through all the streets in our designated neighbourhood. Unfortunately, many people weren't home. Many residents didn't quite understand that these quilts were essentially free hugs. It was one thing to have strangers come clean the muck or give you a meal, quite another to have them hand you a quilt and want nothing in return. People tried to pay us but we politely declined. And people politely decline a quilt too, saying that there were more deserving folks for them. Another act of kindness, really. People with dumpsters still there and they are saying others are more deserving. I heard that this happened in many neighbourhoods.

I want to thank every single person who had a hand, a stitch, a dinner cooked for a quilter, an email sent to a guild, a post office clerk who handled another box, and all the cheerleaders and organizers for this effort. The Quilting for Calgary Facebook page is getting notes from people thanking the anonymous donors and volunteers. Worth a read.

Our group consisted of Vic, Pauline, Bill, Cathy, as well as the kids and I. We ended up stopping folks out walking their dogs and joggers as much as we rang on doorbells. And for every quilt we gave we received a story, a hug, a smile, a sigh. And always a thank you. May the stories of everyone live on.

If you want a bit more, the media did cover the day as well. Here are a few links:

Global National (the story is at around the 15:15 mark.)
Calgary Sun
CBC

Oh, and this is the first round of Just One Slab quilts that were finished in time for this delivery. Thanks to awesome volunteer assemblers, quilters, and binders for getting these done. All the rest of the Just One Slab quilts will be completed in the coming month or two (I already have a stack growing) and donated in one fell swoop again.

I do want to also mention that My Sewing Room is still gathering and delivering quilts to High River. In fact, they too had a donation day recently where hundreds of quilts were given away. Go quilters!

Second Round of Just One Slab Quilts

Wow!

So many volunteers helping get this round of quilts together. You have no idea how much their help is appreciated. Thank you so much Linda, Carla, Kathy, Jen, and Becca. Not to mention all the volunteers picking up sets of slabs to sew together from Traditional Pastimes and Addie's.

Right now there is a backlog of 100 quilt tops, or so, making its way to quilters. I've got a stack returned and awaiting binding. More are out with long armers and more will be going. Oh, and did I mention that slabs are STILL arriving?

Wow.

First Round of Just One Slab Quilts

This was the stack of slabs a week ago. A few more hundred added, a few hundred taken away to make quilts. Total count as of this morning is over 1900 slabs received, not counting finished tops that have been sent.

Last week my sister-in-law, Lee, and Andrea came over to have an afternoon of sewing to get some quilt tops done. It was a fun, frenzied afternoon. We ended the day with 12 tops done. A few bundles of slabs taken home for more sewing, and prep for more sewing. Only 80 some more tops to get done!

This response is overwhelming! In a good way. I'll be honest, I'd hoped I would get 100-200 slabs for quilts. To get 10 times that is insanely awesome! One way or another these quilts will get done and donated to flood victims. If anyone local wants to assemble tops, quilt, or bind then let me know. Another sew day is set up for today and I'm putting together sets of blocks for people in town who can assemble quilts at home.

It's really fun putting together these quilts. Playing with colour and ideas is addictive. Here is the first crop of quilts, enjoy the show!

At Home Retreat

Somehow, someway, this week is going to be a bit of a retreat. At least I hope it will be.

My SIL is here to sew, but so are two of my nieces and nephews. The four big kids are in camp, so The Garbage Truck is still home. He's getting into everything and being a teething, sucky, creature. I hope he'll let me sew. Fingers crossed.

On my list:
Slab quilts!!! (1630 slabs in my sewing room as of this moment.)
Finish my voile quilt top
Play with these colourful fabrics
Get that last hand stitching done on the binding of the anniversary beast.
Start a baby quilt

I predict only one or two things on that list will get tackled in between thrift store shopping, drinking gin and tonics after picking up the kids from camp, and that cuteness of a baby bothering me.

My SIL is hoping to get two baby quilts at least pieced. This is her fabric pull for the boy quilt. And, as I type, she is nearly done cutting things to make a shwack of half square triangles for the quilt.

Just One Slab Mail

Just two weeks of mail. And that's not counting the boxes in my garage or the stuff I brought back with me from the Vancouver and Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guilds!

I've got a lot of processing to do. Just so you know, I enter every single package into a spreadsheet and label every single slab with the maker's name. That way, I can make labels for each finished quilt. Quilts need their history documented, even the donated ones.

This week is the deadline for receiving any donations. Assembly starts next week!

If you have sent a package, I'm sorry, but right now I cannot confirm if I've received it. There are just too many awesome donations to respond individually by email. Once I've caught up on processing I will post a list of donations (modified so everyone's name is not splashed all over the internet). Keep an eye on that list for your donation.

If you've responded to a post looking for a mailing address and you haven't heard from me, that's because you are a no-reply commenter and I cannot send something back to you. Please email me: mamaark AT gmail DOT com.

Just One Slab - Midpoint Collection Update

276!!


In just two weeks of email this is the stack of slabs you awesome folks have sent in. 276 slabs as of this morning, before this week's mail delivery starts.

It is impossible for me right now to email everyone to say your slab has arrived. I apologize for that, but  almost 100 envelopes have arrived. I take each parcel, open it with my girls, then fill out my big spreadsheet with names and addresses so proper a thank you can eventually be made.

I'm blown away by the generosity of many. 36 blocks made from hand dyed scraps!? So many simply gorgeous blocks made with love by all of you.

Considering that each quilt will be made with 20 or 25 blocks, we are well on our way to over a dozen quilts. And with more volunteers emerging here in Calgary to assemble and long arm the quilts I am thrilled to know so much love will be available come delivery time in September. And with the news that temporary housing for folks still displaced is delayed this makes the project even more important.

I should also acknowledge the quilt tops and finished quilts coming in. Last count had 6 complete quilts and over 30 quilt tops sent in to me for donation. Those have all been taken to the local shops coordinating the big effort.

Can't wait to see what arrives in the mail this week. My awesome mailman has taken to delivering our mail last on his route, so he can come in his car!

**** Please make sure you send me at email to get a mailing address.**** 

mamaark AT gmail DOT com 

I cannot respond to all comments here, especially if you are set to be a no-reply commenter.

Just One Slab Deadline

Wow!

Slabs are already pouring in. I had to warn my mail man about the packages when he delivered 6 the other day. I even had a highway pick-up that felt slightly illicit, but way more fun. I'm blown away by everyone's enthusiasm.

To answer a few questions:

DEADLINE - July 30, 2013.

I plan on assembling the blocks, with the help of some local friends, in early August. And Andrea has offered to long arm the quilts. Then, I assume a big binding party will happen!

Once you've squared up your block it is helpful to sew a stay stitch around the edge of the block. Just a regular stitch, about 1/8'' of an inch from the edge of the block. It helps prevent seams splitting when the block is going to get handled repeatedly before final assembly.

If you would like to donate quilt tops, completed quilts, backing, or batting I will take those donations as well and make sure they get to the organizations that will be finishing and distributing quilts here.

Thank you so much!