COMMUNITY SERVICE

As part of our commitment to participate in charitable projects, the Guild makes and donates lap quilts to Families in Transition (FIT) in Manchester, NH.

Members make a quilt for each child whose family is admitted to the program. We assign each quilt to a specific child and place a label on the back with that child’s name. We aim to make each FIT quilt unique - no two children receive identical quilts. We want each child to feel special – the quilt was made just for him/her. Children's ages range from infant to age 18.

The Guild has a stash of fabric that has been donated specifically for charity quilts. Use fabric from this stash and/or 100% cotton fabric from your stash to prepare the top, back, and binding. Use this donated fabric ONLY for guild-sponsored charity projects.

GUIDELINES FOR MAKING FIT QUILTS

Contents (To jump to a specific topic, click on it.)
Making the quilt top
Batting
Quilting
Tracking and logging the quilts

Making the quilt top: Make the quilt large enough that a child can use it for at least 2 years. Because they are LAP quilts, please make quilts no larger than about 55 inches by 65 inches.

The block design and setting for the quilt can be relatively simple. If you use a panel or "cheater" fabric, choose one with a large motif and add some piecing – perhaps by adding some borders - rather than having a un-pieced top.

Batting: The Guild supplies batting. If you want to use it, please contact the Community Services Committee (CSC) chairperson and provide the dimensions of the completed quilt top. She/he will cut a piece of batting about 6 inches longer and wider than the top (3 extra inches on each side) and take it to you at the next guild meeting.

Quilting: Expect these quilts to receive hard wear. To hold the layers together, quilt or tie them no more than 3 inches apart.

Several volunteers quilt many of the FIT quilts on a long-arm machine. If you use this service, please prepare the top and back as required for long-arm machine quilting. Requirements include the following:

1. Make a backing that is at least 6 inches larger than the quilt top – an extra 3 inches on each side.
2. “Square off” the top and the backing: Make them straight on all 4 sides, the same length on both sides, the same width on top and bottom, and make the top and bottom perpendicular to the sides.
3. Prepare the binding in advance and keep it with the quilt top and back OR attach a note that you still have the binding.
4. If you supply the batting, be sure it is suitable for machine quilting. Square it off, just as for the backing. Like the backing, it must be 6 inches larger than the top in both directions.

Tracking and logging the quilts: When you are ready to pass the quilt or quilt top to someone else (because it’s complete, someone else will quilt it, and/or someone else will apply the binding),

1. Attach a piece of paper containing your name, the size of the quilt top, and a brief description (such as pattern, colors, gender and age for whom you made the quilt top).
2. Give it to the CSC or ask that it be logged. If the quilt is not yet complete, CSC will record the name of the next person designated to work on it, thereby keeping track of the quilt until it is complete. At your request, CSC will also assign it to a volunteer quilter.
3. When the quilt is complete, give it to the CSC, with your name and the size information attached. Members store the quilts until they are assigned and delivered. (One reason they are not delivered immediately after completion is that all children in a family receive their quilts at the same time.)

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Email: BFQGWeb@seldensoft.com