Comfort QuiltProgram
Members of the Strawberry Patchers have been making comfort quilts for many years. Quilts are given to community or family members who are ill or in need of comfort during a difficult time. And in some cases, a happy time. Quilts are also provided to the local organizations, and for special events where fundraisers are being held for a specific cause or person(s).
Some comfort quilts are sold at our Annual Quilt Show, in June, in our Country Store Boutique. We set up our Country Store Boutique at the Strawberry Festival, in June, and The Fall Festival, in October. Proceeds from the Country Store sales and the sale of some Comfort Quilts help purchase fabrics and batting needed to make comfort quilts and other items that are donated to local community organizations.
Many members and non-members as well donate their time and materials to help make comfort quilts. Local long-arm machine quilters donate their time to quilt the quilts for the group.
The money raised from selling comfort quilts, 'opportunity' raffle items, and other handcrafted articles is used for the group's Charitable Funding Program. Beneficiaries of the Strawberry Patchers' charitable funding program include local non-profit organizations, libraries, and schools in the Pine-Strawberry-Payson area.
Would you like to help support the Strawberry Patchers Comfort Quilts Program? Your donation of any amount is truly appreciated. Your donation helps the group purchase fabrics and batting needed to make and complete the comfort quilts.
Please, contact Kris Lovetro - 602-390-2046, with any questions you may have pertaining to this program, or donations of fabric, sewing items or money.
The Strawberry Patchers is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Arizona Quilters Guild.
DONATIONS WELCOME - THANK YOU!!
The Newest Comfort Quilts
Beauty Made with Love
By Jane Wilcox, 10/23 for AZ Quilters Guild
Do you believe in the power of healing energy? That a quilt, sewn together with love, quilted with love, bound with love and gifted with love can create enough healing energy that it HELPS someone? The Strawberry Patchers certainly do, which is why our Comfort Quilt Program is so incredibly successful.
I’d like to take a paragraph or two to let you all know what makes our program so successful, and has forever endeared us into the hearts of the communities of Pine/Strawberry & Payson – not to mention throughout the country. In October, we have 3 consecutive days where we bring our machines, and sew like crazy. We finish quilt kits that members put together for us. Constructing borders, bindings, backings, and write on a card what the dimensions are so our long arm quilters that volunteer their time, know what they are looking at for size.
Thanks to the mini grant AQG provides for the applicants – we are able to purchase enough batting to make a LOT of our quilts. Most of the fabric we use is donated. We are able to purchase fabric bolts that are on sale due to the quilt show we hold every year. And, members put together pre-cut quilt kits with a pattern included to make. These come in plastic bags and members sign up and check them out. When completed, the quilt tops are turned in, and saved for our Community Service Days in October to be completed and ready to go to our volunteer quilters. I must mention one member, Maryellen Swanson, completed 10 quilt tops in the month of August and showed all of them at our September meeting. This is totally worth a special mention!!!
Who receives these quilts that are both beautiful and made with love? Anyone that needs one and asks Community Service Chair Kris Lovetro for one. She considers the circumstances, and sends them out, drops them off, fedEx’s them – it goes to very sick people, anyone from our cousins, to aunts, to brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers… and sometimes to entire families. (We had a family in Strawberry lose their house and each member got a comfort quilt). The name alone, COMFORT quilt – describes it perfectly. As a personal recipient of a comfort quilt, I could feel all the hands that touched it to create such a beautiful quilt.
Without our June Quilt Show, The AQG Grant, and the focused dedication of all of our members, we would not be able to put so many smiles on so many faces that are in dire need of something to smile about. It keeps us sewing with a purpose all year around.
If you would like to join us, The Strawberry Patchers meet on the first Thursday of the month at the Pine Library Annex/activity Center. Social time is 9:00am, and the meeting begins at 9:30am. This month, we welcomed another new member, Toni Miller! All are invited to attend a business meeting! Our members-only time is the 3rd Thursday of the month for our Sew Fun Days. We plan classes and do sewing stuff, and have so much fun. For more information: www.strawberrypatchers.com
