Sunday, June 5, 2022

Hands2Help Grand Finale'!

 Hello everyone, and welcome to the final wrap-up for the Hands2Help Challenge for 2022!
 
 
There are a TON of "thank yous" in this post, but first, let's see how many quilts were donated through this year's Challenge:
 

562 quilts!!

 
Good golly! That's a lot of quilts and a lot of comfort! Friends, I think we did great! If you haven't filled out the form to count your quilts, you still can, just to get a final number. If you haven't finished up your quilt yet, please count it when you finish it.
 
Many, many quilts went to the organizations listed for the challenge, but some people opted to give closer to home. A lot of those quilts went to Project Linus, children's hospitals, local hospices, and foster care programs. It was heartening, too, to see some quilts go to women's shelters and other such organizations. Great job, everyone!

First, the thank yous:



 
There are so many thanks to go out! First, many thanks to our guest bloggers:

Sandra at mmmquilts!
Alycia at Alycia Quilts
 
Thanks so much, fellow bloggers! I couldn't have done it without you!
 
Next, thanks to the quilters and small business people who donated to the prize pool:

Jane and Beth at Plain Janes and Co. Quilt Shop
 
Every time a small business person donates, the prize is coming directly from their own income, so be sure to show these quilters some support whenever you can! 
 
Other single quilters donated prizes, both fabric and gift certificates, but wished to remain anonymous. Thank you! You are tremendously appreciated!

A huge thank you as well to all of the larger companies and shops who donated:




Warm and Natural quilt batting


A very, very large thanks to all! Be sure to remember these supportive companies whenever you are out shopping, and thank them for their support when appropriate!

Then the prizes:

 

Ah, the prizes! We all know the prizes aren't the point, but they are nice to have. Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed by the volume of the prizes and how to divide them up fairly. You know how some things can be so big in your head that you just dread them? Yeah, it was like that. Here's where a huge THANKS goes to Lisa, who came over and helped me turn this:



into this:


It was amazing and so, so helpful. Thanks Lisa! We used a random number generator to choose the recipients of the prizes, so everything was as random and as fair as we could make it. There were 102 prizes for nearly 200 quilters, so randomness and fairness were important to me. Each person only received one prize. A special note to our international participants-- the postage for physical prizes is overwhelming, so when your name was chosen, you received a digital prize instead. I know they're not fabric, but I hope you enjoy them!

Some of the prizes have been sent already, and I've sent out the emails for the digital prizes. The rest of the prizes will be mailed out this week. Some of you have offered to pay the postage for your prizes. After seeing the cost of the postage, and after a great deal of thought, I will reluctantly and gratefully accept. No obligation, but if you are so moved, please get in touch.

As for who actually got which prize, I've compiled a spreadsheet that you can find HERE. (You need to have the link to view the sheet, and it isn't editable.) I've listed the prizes by first name and last initial plus your city. You can find yourself on the list, or just wait and see what shows up in the mailbox!  And as promised, as soon as the rest of the prizes are sent out, the sign-up forms with your information will be deleted.

Finally. . .


The biggest thanks of all goes to all of you who made quilts and donated them to others. Thanks so much to all of you for coming on this adventure and doing some good this spring. I've gotten a lot of emails thanking me for taking on the challenge this year, and really, it was my pleasure to do so. This been a great experience, and I hope it has been for you, too. 
 
Now that our challenge is finished, if you are up for another to take on this summer, jump over to Preeti's blog and join in on the Positivity Quilt Along. The schedule is very relaxed, and you'll really like it. 


 
All best wishes to our friend Sarah, the original mastermind of this challenge, and many prayers for her good health. Happy summer, everyone, and happy stitching!

20 comments:

ButterZ said...

Well done Mari. You have done a great job

Preeti said...

Nailed it. Hit a homerun. Out of the ballpark!
You know that I am not a native speaker of the American language, so my words are limited but my appreciation for your dedication and hard work is boundless. Kudos to you, girlfriend. Love you so much!!! There is a dish of coconut curry chicken waiting for you whenever you get here :-D

Julie in GA said...

Mari, thank you so much for stepping up and taking charge of Hands2Help when Sarah was unable to do it this year. You have a done a wonderful job of keeping us all on track, and the final numbers are very impressive!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Fantastic final number - many hands DO make lighter the load. Seeing so much comfort going into this world makes me happy. Congratulations for running a VERY successful annual event. WELL DONE!!!

Jan @Cocoa Quilts said...

Mari, the biggest thanks go to you! You stepped up and took on the giant. A great number of quilts for some wonderful charities. Thanks to you again.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Mari, you've done an amazing job organizing H2H this year, and we all owe you a huge Thank You! So many quilts sent off to people who get comfort from them! Thanks for all your hard work!

quiltingbydawn said...

Wow! So many quilts donated to great causes! Thank you so much Mari for taking on this challenge. I was disappointed originally when Sarah posted H2H wasn’t happening this year, but overjoyed when you stepped in. I love this challenge and seeing all the beautiful quilts being donated! Love the idea of giving back! Thanks again Mari! 👏🏻 👏🏻

piecefulwendy said...

Thank you, Mari, for taking this one in Sarah's place. I know she appreciates it, and so do we! I hope you find some time soon to put your feet up and enjoy your summer!

Kathleen said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You did great stepping in for Sara and so much quilty love is going to comfort those who need it. It is a good thing, and good to be done. Again, hooray for all who contributed time, talent and treasures!

Linda Swanekamp said...

Thank you for keeping it going. I was glad to be able to do 3 baby quilts!! You did a super job! Think of all those happy people who will have a new quilt!

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

572 quilt gifts is awesome!!! Great job everyone!!! And great job, Mari, for all you've done to facilitate and encourage!!!

sue s said...

This was fun Mari! This is my first year and I promise to have more done next year. You did a marvelous job.

Nikki said...

Thanks for stepping up. You did an amazing job. Well Done!!

MissPat said...

Mari, you had big shoes to fill, but you were up to the challenge, with a little help from your friends. I'm sure Sarah is proud of everyone for carrying on this great project. For the second year in a row, life got in my way and I couldn't participate, but I plan to resume and can't wait until next year.
Pat

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

Thanks for stepping in for Sarah this year to continue the H2H tradition!

Sara said...

The biggest thank you goes to YOU for organizing and hosting this wonderful project this year. Only 1 quilt from me this year but I'm already thinking ahead to next year.

Kathryn said...

I always love participating. Thanks to YOU, much good sewing was done.

Bernie Kringel said...

Mari - so many thanks to you for all of the work. It is so much to organize something like this. I think lots of people don't really get how much time goes into it. Mercy Hospital received beautiful quilts and it was great to boost the stash of quilts. We are grateful!!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

wow!!! That is an amazing amount of quilts!!
Pat your self on the back - or better yet - put your feet up!!
Thanks for hosting this year!

Danice G said...

Wow, so many quilts! You did do a great job hosting the H2H event. Thank you for the prize as well. Will let you know by email when mine arrives.