So Many Quilt Needs, I believe in Sharing

As you all know, I believe in Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 so much that I have registered it as a special charity in Washington state (meaning we raise less than $5000 per year) and recently had a new design for the blog and logo made and that logo is now a registered trademark in Washington state.

The next step is working on our dot.com/org pages and that is coming right around the corner but takes more money to get it up and running and right now I am working on that as well as with Becky to get our FB page, Etsy and Zibbet pages all to look the same.

We are still in need of quilts for 911 dispatchers and I need so many of you to put our button on your blog, to let other quilters know about us, to share with your quilt guilds, friends, bloggers, church members about us.

We need to fill the shelves with quilts and I need to be able to rent a storage facility or build a quilting shop where we can store them, but right now, it seems we are in the midst of a dry spell and while we still have needs, I have had no quilters step up to take them, so I prod along and get them out as quickly as a I can.

I just made a quilt for a family who is trying to finalize their adoption of a little girl in another country that froze adoptions after they started, it is not much but it is here:

Adoption Quilt

 I finished the little dress quilt below and have it listed in my Etsy and Zibbet shops and whatever monies I receive from those sales go directly into supporting the ministry of Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.

We are quilters, but unless you have been ill or lost everything you don't know how much a quilt will bless your spirit and make you feel special. I know, because Marilyn Lewis an amazing quilter and supporter of this blog made one for me when I was ill a month or so ago, I feel so humbled and special.

Marilyn runs a Binkie Patrol in Vacaville, CA, makes quilts for them, for us, for children of prisoners, for friends AND she has a full-time job. You can see her stuff and the articles about the Binkie Patrol at North Hills Quilter.

I believe we all do such wonderful work and we all have so much love and make so many quilts, that I want to let you know about one more event that will help others in need, it is the Hands to Help Charity Quilt Challenge which is going to be collecting quilts for three amazing charities (not this one) but three that need just as much help as we do.

Just head over to Sarah's blog at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and read all about the ministries collecting quilts and the fun time we will all have participating in this event.  

I have posted the button on the side of this blog because I feel it is extremely important to share with quilters everywhere about those that are reaching out to others.

I believe if we each made 2 quilts a month and sent them to 2 different charities a month, we could bless 24 quilt ministries a year.

Yes, Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 has immediate needs, yes, we could use more quilts, but I know somehow, we will make it!

We Did It! You Did it! Layers of Hope Quilting 911 & It's Logo Is Trademarked!

First of all, I cannot ever begin to thank all of you who have stepped up to make quilts, have donated quilt tops, batting, postage, fabric, thread and always encouragement for me to keep this going, it is because of you that we are one step closer to becoming a non-profit.

As stated early on, a non-profit charity, is NOT owned by anyone. I may be the founder, but all of you are the foundation that keeps this going, the momentum behind me that won't let me stop until this is what God means for it to be!

Today, in mail, I received from the State of Washington my certificate of trademark for the Layers of Hope Quilting 911 logo that was lovingly and wonderfully created by Becky at The Cutest Blog on The Block (go over and show Becky some love!) she is just the very best.

I can now begin ordering business cards, thank you notes, letterhead, etc. and know that it is okay. I truly hope and pray that someday this will be bigger than I have ever dreamed possible and that more quilters and people will come aboard and realize what these wonderful men and women due for us that we never see!

So, be it known from this day forward that Layers of Hope Quilting 911 and its logo is a registered trademark with the state of Washington and cannot be used without the express written permission from myself.

Of course it will probably always be given to all quilters, but I will not allow it to be used for anything but our unseen heroes. I will not be part of a mass calling scheme to collect funds and if you ever receive anything from Layers of Hope Quilting 911 that you are leary of, Email me or leave me a message to contact you!

What We Do Is Reaching Out

I just wanted to share with you what the purpose of this blog is about so we are all on the same page so to speak.  I do not want to mislead anyone.

I set this blog up so we can reach out to 911 Dispatchers and their families, but we go beyond that and I wanted to say, we also reach out to police officers and fire fighter families and the public or victims affected by tragedies.

If you think you won't or can't make a difference with one quilt, or you think someone else will step in so you can wait until 'next time,' or you have to much time in any quilt to give them away, I say you can make a difference.

Here is a post from 911 Cares 5 years after Hurricane Katrina and while I wasn't there physically in body, I was in another way:

'Along life’s way, you meet some extraordinary

people. Some make you smile, others weep and

some take your breath away. 

Jean does a little of each. Jean has retired since Katrina but she will always be a dispatcher at heart. She asked us to connect her with people that had lost everything. She would then call that individual or family and ask for their favorite colors. Jean and her nimble fingers then made god knows how many quilts. She would ensure their delivery and start on the next one. Amidst loss and mud, she brought some sense of normality and comfort to so many.' 

Since then, I made quilts for the entire Virginia Tech team after the shooting there, Broome County New York got quilts for their children, a dispatcher in California with cancer got one to keep her warm during chemo, a dispatcher in Washington state received one while recovering from a major accident, many dispatchers children's have received them from preemies to very ill children.

I sometimes receive cards and pictures back and sometimes I never hear back at all, it is to be expected at times like this, times when people have no homes, they are watching a loved one dying or perhaps they are ill themselves.  You give because you care, not because you want recognition.

That is what all these emergency responders have in common, they go to work everyday and do their job at times when most of us would walk off the job to check on our homes or families.

I have several books of the quilts I have made and sent and several more I forgot to take pictures of.  I have thank you cards, pictures and these I will leave for my family, my great grandchildren someday to see that I made a difference.

There are so many of you that made a difference during Aurora and here are a few of the pictures of quilts that were made:

Debbie Burns

Pat Chubb - Former 911

Marilyn from North Hills Quilters

 

 

 

 What was so amazing to me was how many quilts so many of you made and then when Newtown hit, well many quilters jumped in and wanted to help before we even knew anything!

I can't make 1, 3, 6 or even 10 quilts in a week like I used to, suffering from Fibromyalgia, Arthritis and Silent Migraines as of late, I make about 1 a month maybe 2 if I am using a panel I can make a few if my hands hold up.  But together, together we made quilts for the entire Aurora and Newtown dispatch centers plus survivors of the Aurora tragedy.

Together, we can make a difference and that is what Layers oHope is about. We are but one layer in the healing process, we make quilts while others provide counseling, building supplies, shoe boxes of things needed during a disaster.

If you want to be a part of this outreach effort, please follow me here and let me know and when we have a need, we will get in touch with you.

This is but just one layer in the process.  I am working on a second layer and hope to have it up and running soon. Keep ya'all posted!