Hands2Help - Here's The Schedule!!

“What does love look like? 

It has the hands to help others. 

It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. 

It has eyes to see misery and want. 

It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. 

That is what love looks like.”

Hi, all!


Things are all falling into place for this year's Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge!  I'm so excited to get this started - so this is an important week for everyone!


We have a great giveaway that will be drawn from all the people who sign up to participate in the H2H Challenge. Sue of Sue Daurio's Quilting Adventures has generously contributed.....

...and...

....so there will be two lucky winners chosen from those of you who sign up to participate in this year's Hands2Help Challenge!!


And here are this year's guidelines!  You will be signing up to make a quilt or quilts for one or both of two charitable causes.

St. Bernard Parish after Hurricane Katrina

First up is something I'm calling The NOLA Project.  Quilts will be distributed to grade-school children in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans.  St. Bernard Parish was hit incredibly hard by Hurricane Katrina - storm surges took out virtually every building in the parish, and flood waters stood at 7 feet in most of the homes.  The children that remain there have suffered through family changes as spouses split up over the decision to move or remain in the parish, and mothers tend to suffer from depression which affects the children deeply.  Gladeville Baptist Church in Gladeville, TN has taken multiple work groups to this area since Hurricane Katrina, with the thought that returning to do mission work in the same area reinforces that these people are not forgotten, and puts an exclamation point on God's love for them.  When the parish residents see the same faces over and over, relationships are built and God’s love is shown in many ways.  The senior high school students at Gladeville have been going three times a year since Hurricane Katrina, and for the past few years have been working with the grade schools to provide physical education activities for the children while they are there during the school year, and summer camp activities during their summer trip. The children and the teachers look forward to their return each year!  Quilts for this project can be any size from 50" square to twin size and will be sent to me here in the Nashville, TN area to be distributed in St. Bernard Parish this fall.

Our second charity this year is an ongoing project of Emily of Em's Scrapbag.  You can choose to make quilts for Happy Chemo, an organization that provides quilts and comfort for chemo patients.  They also collect up and provide information about freebies and discounts that may be of use to chemo patients.  Emily has been championing this cause for a while, and last January set a goal of providing 1500 quilts to Happy Chemo.  She’s at 382 right now, and I’d like to see her numbers grow!  She has generously agreed to be part of this challenge, and is excited to see what comes of it.  Here's what Emily has to say about Happy Chemo...

"The first time I met Ginger Johnston, founder of Happy Chemo, it was my first visit to a chemo lab.  I was scared and unsure of what the future held for me.  In walked Ginger, bald and boobless but determined to bring a little sunshine into the chemo lab.  So before she started her treatment she took everyone’s name and drew prizes.  It so changed my experience that I knew I needed to help her in her quest.  I started making quilts for her to give.  Because I can’t sew as fast as cancer strikes I started asking for help.  I just want to bring a little comfort and joy to those who are facing the fear and uncertainty that trips to the chemo lab bring.  

I accept quilts that are 45” square to 60”x 72”.  Any style of quilt is accepted as cancer effects men and women, children and adults.  Thank you for any help."

Quilts made for this project will be sent to Emily to help her meet her goal of 1500 quilts donated to Happy Chemo....

If you're torn between the two charities, feel free to make more than one quilt!  Just think how many wonderful designs you can try.... ;-)


With two charities to choose from this year, you can choose a wide variety of sizes and styles of quilts - something for everyone!!


Another change this year, to allow more international participants - if you live outside the United States and want to participate, you can send your quilt top and back to me and I will quilt it for you, to save you from having to pay huge international postage to ship a finished quilt.  Or in the alternative, you can choose a local charitable cause to give your quilt to.  So come on and join in, all you Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, and Canadians!  And anyone else who wants to join in!  

Here's the calendar for this year's Hands2Help Challenge:

Signups will be next Sunday March 18th through Saturday, March 24th.  You will receive one entry for signing up, and can get additional entries for putting the button on your blog sidebar, and/or posting about the challenge to encourage others to join in!  When you sign up, let me know if you want a partner to choose a color palette for your challenge quilt.  This can be a fun way to stretch your design muscle, as your partner may not choose a palette you would normally choose.  If you don't feel comfortable with this, though, just say you'd rather not!  I'll match up people who do want to and let you know who your partner is.  There'll be more details about this on March 18th.

The following Sunday, March 25th, we'll announce the winners of the signup giveaway.  There will also be a linky party where you can post links to your favorite on-line tutorials!  It could be a tutorial for a quilt pattern, or a technique like machine binding, or even a recipe for your favorite "while-I'm-quilting" snack!  You don't have to write the tutorial, you can link up to another blogger's tutorial.  If you love it, someone else might too!


In the weeks following, we'll have guest bloggers to share simple quilt designs that you might like to use for your challenge quilt.  I can't wait to see what these wonderful bloggers have in store for us!  Here's the tentative schedule of guest bloggers...

April 1st - Amy Smart of Diary of A Quilter

April 8th - Annie Toy of Annie's Ruby Slipperz

April 22nd - Miki Willa of Miki's Fabric Creations

April 29th - Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts

May 6th - Lisa Roddy of Shiner's View

There will also be check-in dates like last year, when you can link up and show your progress....  April 15th and May 13th.


Quilts should be completed by Sunday, May 28th.  There will be a linky party (May 28th through June 2nd) to link your finished quilt and show it off, and giveaways for people who link up their quilts.  I'll have more information about the giveaways next week, but let me tell you, we've got some great sponsors this year!  Winners will be announced on June 4th.


Quilts should be mailed to the appropriate place by Friday, June 8th.


Whew!  That's a lot of information to digest - but the important thing to remember is that signups are next week!   You can also start early by posting the Challenge button on your blog and/or doing a blogpost about the Challenge this week!


Woohoo!!  Let's get started!!


Hugs!


Sarah


PS - if you've commented on any of the H2H posts and you haven't heard back from me, you are probably a "no-reply" blogger!  Check here for instructions on how to correct this problem, or leave your e-mail address in your comment so that I can reach you!  If you don't feel comfortable leaving your e-mail address out in public, you can e-mail me directly at salliesue(at)clearwire(dot)net.