The Hands 2 Help kickoff!

 Hello everyone, and welcome to the temporary home of the Hands 2 Help Challenge for 2022! For those of you who are here for the first time, double welcome! Today's post is an overview of what the challenge is, how it works, and a calendar for the challenge. Read on for lots more information!

 

 

 

UPDATE: Roseanne has been kind enough to create an actual button for sharing on blog sidebars. See the bottom of this post to grab the code and add it to share the button. And thanks Roseanne!

 

What is Hands2Help?

Hands2Help is a comfort quilt challenge started by Sarah at her blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, where quilters from all corners of the country, and many from other countries, make and donate comfort quilts in various sizes. This will be the twelfth year of the challenge! You can make as many quilts as you like, but the challenge only asks for you to make and donate one quilt in any size by June 1, 2022. 

Who do I donate to?

We have several great organizations for the challenge this year, and most of them will be familiar to long-time participants. Here is the list of organizations, with preferred quilt sizes:

Little Lambs Foundation for Kids

Quilt size requested: Baby quilts, from 36 by 40 to 40 by 45 

Little Lambs Foundation is a favorite of many H2H quilt makers, and this year they are requesting baby quilts. Little Lambs is a 501(c)3 organization that provides backpacks full of comfort items for children from newborn to 17 who are transitioning into foster care, emergency shelters, or hospitalization. Often these backpacks are the only things that children can call their own, as they may have only the clothes they are wearing. A little comfort quilt can go a long way! Bonus-- there is a special way to ship quilts to Little Lambs that will significantly cut your cost, especially if you donate more than one quilt.

Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo

Quilt sizes: Any size from 48 inches square to about 60 by 80

 

 Emily is once again collecting quilts for Quilty Hugs, an organization that gives quilts to chemo patients through hospitals and infusion labs. This has been a favorite H2H quilt recipient for a long time, and accepts quilts in many different sizes. 

 

 

Mercyful Quilts

Quilt size: lap size, from about 50 by 50 up to about 60 by 80

 

Mercyful Quilts was started a few years ago by Bernie at Needle and Foot, and collects quilts for the palliative care unit at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento. These quilts comfort dying patients and then become a memory quilt for the family when their loved one passes away. They need quilts in a good lap size, to cover patients while in bed, and I know that they appreciate quilts that would be appropriate for men and also some for veterans. IMPORTANT: many of you know Bernie, but please do not mail your quilts to her! She is in the middle of moving across states, so I have an alternate address to send the quilts.

 

 

Victoria's Quilts Canada

Quilt Size: 50 by 70 inches, TOPS ONLY

 

Victoria's Quilts Canada provides handmade quilts to people living with cancer in Canada, providing both physical and spiritual comfort. Victoria's Quilts asks for quilt tops only, in 100% cotton fabric. Though they are in Canada, they are happy to take quilt tops from people anywhere in the world. If you're in the US, sending a quilt top is significantly cheaper to send than a finished quilt!

Your own favorite hometown organization

Quilt size varies

While the organizations above are specifically for this challenge, you may find that an organization in your own area is particularly in need of some quilty comfort. This is especially true for anyone who might be joining us from outside the US. Make and donate a quilt for them! It's sure to be loved and appreciated.

Okay, those look like some great and very deserving organizations! They're asking for quilts in different sizes and styles, so there is sure to be something there that you would enjoy making. Try out a new design or color combination, and donate it with love! This would also be a great place to use some of the fabric that's been hanging around your sewing area too long. Put it in a quilt and let it get some love! Or use up some of those orphans or leftover blocks. They deserve a quilt, too, and you don't need many to make a cheerful baby quilt.

The schedule!

 

Of course, there is more to the challenge than just sitting alone in our sewing rooms and turning out quilts! This is a community event, and there will be some friends sharing patterns, some link parties to share your own easy patterns and your progress in the challenge, and a final link party to show off your creations. And of course there will be some prizes, too. Here is our schedule for the challenge:

Everyone likes to try a new pattern, and this year we'll be sharing our patterns/ tutorials for easy and stress-free quilts that turn out looking great and are perfect for donations. I'll be sharing a couple of patterns on February 27 and March 6. 

 

Meet back here on March 13 for information about prizes and giveaways!

Signups "officially" start on March 20, with a signup giveaway on March 27. That's also the day of our first linky party, where you can share your own original easy and stress-free donation patterns.

Guest bloggers will share their own easy, stress free patterns and advice on April 3, April 10, April 24, May 1, and May 8.  

On April 17, we'll start a linky party so you can share your progress on your quilts!

May 29 will be our final linky party to show off all your beautiful donations. This is Memorial Day weekend in the US, and your quilts should all be sent by the end of that week.

The challenge will end on June 5 with the announcement of the prize winners.

That is quite the schedule, but I'm sure we'll all be able to make it and donate a large pile of quilts! 

 

 

Just a few more things

 

This challenge is pretty impossible to run without a little bit of help, so in addition to making your quilts, here are a few other ways you can help out:

Share information about the challenge far and wide! Feel free to grab the picture at the top of this post and share it on your own blog or other social media. (Unfortunately, I don't know how to make a "jump" button, but if you do, please get in touch!)

Consider sharing and linking up your own simple pattern that you've used for an easy donation quilt. It would be fun to see how others make it, wouldn't it?

If you have a connection to anyone who could donate a prize, please talk to them about it, or consider donating yourself! Digital patterns are really good for donations, and so are gift certificates to online fabric shops. Of course, fabric always works, too!

Offer to help out someone who would like to donate a quilt but can't afford postage, if you are able. Or quilt up a top for someone else so that another quilter can donate a quilt.

Share your own quilts and be sure to mention the challenge on your own blog!

 

 

Wrapping up for now

 

That's all the information I can think of right now. I'm sure there is something that I missed! You can go ahead and ask any questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them. If I don't know, I'll find out!

 

Finally, I have to ask for some patience and understanding as we go forward. I'm new at this, and I have a complicated life, like everyone else. Sarah made it really easy to step into her shoes temporarily, but I'm still juggling everything and I'm sure I'll make some mistakes. You also need to know that I usually only answer personal email at lunchtime and after work, because I need to give all my attention to my students, so you may not get a response for several hours. Be assured that I will answer you! 

I think that covers it! Warm up your machines, and let's get this party started!

See you again on the 27th with a simple pattern and tutorial!

CODE FOR THE H2H BUTTON: <div style="width:100%;text-align:center;"><span style='margin:5px;padding:5px;border-radius: 5px;border:1px solid lightgrey;display:inline-block;'><a  rel=_nofollow href='https://academicquilter.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-hands-2-help-kickoff.html'>           <img style='border: 1px solid gray;width:150px;height:150px;' src='https://www.homesewnbyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/H2H2022.jpeg' alt='The Academic Quilter'></a></span></div>