Connections and Teamship

As I think about all the quilters who have supported Wrap-A-Smile this past year I also think about how interconnected we are.  While WAS was on pause during the pandemic, we partnered with Quilts Beyond Borders to share quilts both locally and abroad.  Now that the Rotaplast medical missions have resumed and we are officially collecting quilts again, we have met many new friends through these collaborations. 

Another way we make new connections is through word of mouth (or in our digital lives, through online posts with our virtual friends). Many of our dedicated WAS quilters have found us through the posts of Cathy L at saneandcrazy.blogspot.com For many years she has been a cheerleader for both WAS and QBB. Today's eye candy is the dozen quilts recently received from Cathy for WAS.

Thank you, Cathy!

The Sunshine Online Quilt Guild continues to be a great resource for all of us interested in charity quilting.  Ideas are discussed, fabric scraps are shared, motivations are turbocharged…and every couple of years some of the members meet at an in-person retreat.  This past April, 14 of us met at Flat Rock, NC, and sewed for 3 days creating 160 tops which were then sent to various finishers around the country. Completed quilts were sent to WAS, QBB and to Covered in Love, the 3 charities officially sponsored by the Sunshine quilters.  Thank you to Kathleen R, longtime supporter of both WAS and QBB, for planning the retreat.  New friends were made, and more quilters learned about our interconnected network.

Sunshine Retreat ~ Flat Rock, NC, 2023

Guessing that we would all rather buy fabric than spend money for shipping, the ladies at Merrymabelmarket.com kindly made a video showing our suggested way of vacuum packing quilts to get them into the smallest (least expensive!) boxes.  Thanks, ladies.....it's a fun video! Enjoy the link at the end of this post. 

As the saying goes, "It takes a village".... and reflecting on this past year I am truly grateful that our Village continues to grow, allowing us to continue to share HOPE and HUGS, one warm quilt at a time.

With heartfelt thanks to all of you,

~Ann

For more information

Quilts Beyond Borders:  https://quiltsbeyondborders.wordpress.com

Sunshine Online Group:  https://mewe.com/group/5a7149071e2875313992d085

Covered in Love: https://katandcatquilts.blogspot.com

Merrymabelmarket video for vacuum packing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siAhPGM9dzo