Community quilts 1 - recent finishes

We've recently had our last community sewing day for 2020 - socially distanced still as the pandemic continues. Four of our regular monthly all-day meetings had to be cancelled, but we have met each month since July. 

While we've always acknowledged that our community sewing days are about much more than the sewing, as important as that is. That has never been more obvious than in these recent strange months. Isolation is about more than staying home - the cancellation of regular activities, regular contact with others for a common purpose and connection has significant implications for mental health, so we value the opportunities to resume these casual friendly days, whether we achieve much sewing or not. 

But we have continued to make quilts, and to support and connect with each other. And we are looking forward to the first one for 2021 after a short break.

There's nothing like a stack of newly finished quilts ... these were all
handed in at our November community sewing day.
It's a lot more than a stack of quilts though - it's a stack of generosity,
skill, time, work, fabric love, welcome, friendship, community,
checking in on each other, problem solving, keeping things together,
collaboration, laughter, some tears, lots of caring and belonging,
and long years of sustaining all of it.

Julie found this quirky panel scrunched up in the community
stash and rescued it. 

Lynette dug deep for some flannels that will both
brighten and warm someone's days.

One of a number of panels Lynette and Robin B sourced
through the social enterprise shop The Sewing Basket.

One of several 'SuperStars' quilts made by Dawn.
This one was quilted by Laura, striped binding from
the community stash added by Lynette.

Robin W sews at home for our community quilts
collection for children, from her own stash of
beautiful saturated prints. Lynette quilted this one,
and added the binding.

Elaine B worked with a collection of co-ordinated
scraps from the community stash for her quilt, and
then found the long length of the pretty green and
pink print that made a beautifully complimentary
 border, backing and binding.

Julie made these two children's quilts from small
pieces found in the community stash, and quilted them
herself using the serpentine stitch on her machine.