“It’s not about the pieces, but how they work together.”
I’d love to take credit for this philosophical nugget, but have to admit that it’s not an original and I have no clue of the source. I can share; however, that I think one of the great things about quilting is its ability to bring people together for a cause.
For a short while today, I was able to sneak off from the hubby and join the Iowa State Fair Sew In (one of those aforementioned causes) sponsored by the Des Moines Area Quilters Guild (DMAQG).
I don’t even know where to start about this amazing activity.
You basically take some highly-skilled organizers, toss in 66 scheduled volunteers, mix in 720 (last year’s stat) drop-in volunteers, and add to that piles and piles of donated fabric.
Wave a magic wand, and just like that you end up with hundreds of kid- and teen-sized quilts for those who will benefit from a little TLC.
OK. It’s not quite that easy, but they seem to have all of the pieces working together seamlessly.
This year, the programs that will be blessed with these works of love are the Angel Tree Camp, Camp Dodge Counseling Program, Bidwell Riverside, Child Serve, Lutheran Social Services, Adoption Saturday in Polk County, and Lutheran Hospital Behavior Department.
DMAQG has set a lofty goal of completing 450 of these comfort quilts and was approaching 300 when I left there today. If you’re attending the fair, stop by to share your time and talent with this amazing group. If you’re not, consider organizing a similar event—big or small—in your area. You just might be that missing piece to making it all work together!