8 McCall’s Quilting January/February 2020
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Share your high-resolution digital photos of your McCall’s Quilting projects. Email to [email protected]. Include people
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Quilter to Quilter • stories
Dear Lori, Tracy, and Ginger,
You all make a great quilting podcast with interesting and educational
topics that have inspired me to push my own boundaries and try
new things. The Quilt for a Cause episode left me questioning how
I could give back in a way similar to what Terry Grahl of Enchanted
Makeovers does when she refurbishes women’s shelters. Terry inspired
me because she accomplishes so much. I reached out to three of my
friends, Marta Sigmund, Angela Moreno, and Trisha Schulz, asking if
they would be interested in a summer volunteer project and they all
unanimously said, yes!Within a few hours the stars aligned, and our volunteer project was set.
We decided to update and refurbish a shelter for homeless families
at Family Promises of the Mid-Willamette Valley in Salem, Oregon.
There were two rooms at the shelter that we were offered to update,
a kids play room and a nap room. The kids playroom was dark and the
curtains blocked the window light. The director explained that every
time they tried to open the curtains, the curtains would fall down.
There was a play kitchen, but no play food or dishes available. The crib
in the nap room had chipping white paint. The twin mattress rested on
metal springs with no headboard or footboard. With the majority of the
shelter’s funds funneled to helping families, donations are relied upon
for the furnishings.We put together a decoration plan and it was approved. Over the
next four weeks we gathered supplies, trying to keep costs as low as
possible. We got really lucky buying paint and found it all at half price.
In the days leading up to the makeover I felt nervously excited,
similar to what I feel before going on a fun vacation. On the day
of the makeover we met in the morning and we worked until after
sundown. We chatted as we worked and caught up with each other.
We discussed life and how it can be hard and confusing and always so
incredibly busy. The time slipped by quickly as we worked together.[Letter edited for length. Please go to QuiltingCompany.com to
read the full letter. To listen to The Quilting Company Podcast, go to
quiltingcompany.com/podcast, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever
you listen to podcasts.]Thank you,
Melanie Patterson
Millersburg, OregonOn this page we usually share photos of quilts our readers make using McCall’s patterns, however
we recently got a letter from a listener of our podcast that was so inspiring we just had to share it
with you. If you were inspired by a pattern, article, or The Quilting Company Podcast, we would love
to hear from you too!Before
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