“SWEATSHOPS”

See the February 2011 Sweatshop slide show.

Community Service Quilts Distribution from January 2011 to May 31, 2011 = 155 quilts

This year we have donated quilts to: The Good Samaritan Shop, the Good Shepherd Center, The Boys and Girls Club, Lakewood and River Oaks Nursing homes, Branches (The women abuse Center in Madisonville, Lenoir City Dialysis and CACA in Loudon and Monroe counties, UT Cancer Center and many other charitable organizations.

Julie Best, Rose Hunt, Gail Lyman and Sheila Tew are the leaders for the Community Service Team for 2011. All of the leaders receive donations of material, batting, quilt tops and blocks that are given to our quilt guild each month. They also handle the distributions, monthly to the growing list of deserving groups and charitable organizations. Every effort is made to fulfill each request for auction worthy quilts for fund raising events throughout the year in our community.

The increasing needs of our community have enlarged our productivity and from 2004 until May of 2011 we have distributed 1877 quilts. The community service group are forecasting that they will meet the mark of 2,000 quilts given to local charities will be in the fall of 2011. Our goal is to enjoy and expand our love of quilting and while making worthwhile contributions to our community.

Our community program began in early 2004, and had been supported by the Village Quilter Membership and by the guild's fund raising efforts such as the biennial quilts show scheduled for the fall of 2012. We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our membership and friends of the guild for their help and support.

The Community Service team wish to thank all of our quilters who have donated their time and talent to making our community service quilt out reach program so successful. Because of the generosity of so many, our fabric closet has a huge selection of fabric and batting to make a great variety of quilts to distribute each month.

Members and guests of the guild are welcome and encouraged to attend our monthly workshop on the first Monday of each month. We have pulled together kits and projects that need sewing, and quilt tops that are in need of batting and pinning. Please consider taking the time, remembering the date, joining our group and sewing with very friendly quilters. You will enjoy a fulfilled morning at the Chota Recreation Sewing Room from 9am until 12pm. If you are an advance or a beginner quilter and everyone in between, you will fit right in. We invite you to join us for lunch afterwards.

The next workshop dates for 2011: July 4, August 1 September 5, October 3, November 7 and December 5

Come sew with your Community Service Quilting friends, bring your sewing machine or help cut fabric or pin quilt tops with us. If you have any new ideas for quilt blocks or quilting designs, please share them with us. We always welcome new suggestions that will aid our efforts to bring a little joy and warmth to those who need it the most.

PREVIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Kid's First Stockings

Some of the sweatshop ladies got together to make stockings for Kids First. Here are some pictures of their busy workshop.

Nancy, Pat and Sheila are working away.

Santa's helpers display their stockings.

December, 2008

The sweatshop ladies of our guild created and stuffed 85 stockings for the members of Adult Community Training. They also made quilts, pillows and mattresses for 13 doll cribs that were made by the Tellico Village woodworkers group and donated to Toys for Tots.

2007—Village Quilters Celebrate 1,000 Quilts

The Village Quilters have attained an auspicious milestone – the making and distribution of 1,000+ quilts for local charitable organizations. The “plus” acknowledges the unknown number of additional quilts made but not recorded in the early days. Arliss Barber, past President of Village Quilters says, “Making these quilts is the best thing that our quilters do! They love it and just look how much we have accomplished. Our goal has been to enjoy our love of quilting and make worthwhile contributions to our community.”

The backbone for making the quilts is the Sweatshop, established in February 2004 and led by Pat Patterson and Marilyn Rambo. Pat says, “Actual counting of donated quilts did not begin until October, 2005. It finally occurred to us that we should keep records as to number and places that we support. Initially, we had about 20 people involved. Now we have 25-30 attend each session with over 75 members participating.”

Village Quilters Sweatshop meets the first and third Mondays of every month. Here quilters of all levels of skill join together to make the quilts. Five or six people work on each quilt; it is a true group effort. Pat Ziobro said, “We have our largest crowds on holidays. I think it is because of the cookies that are served!” As well as the Sweatshop, additional quilts are provided by individual members quilting at home and special projects by the various Village Quilters Quilting Bees.

This community program is supported financially, in part, by guild fund raising programs like the biennial Quilt Show.