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Surgeries Happening in India

This little boy, wrapped up in a beautiful raggy quilt, experienced some distress during his surgery and had to be put in ICU. His parents stayed up with him all night. Knowing that, this photo just about breaks a person's heart. Good news: he bounced back and is doing fine!

They've just gotten started on surgeries.. I hope we see more quilt photos!

Venezuela Needs Us! Can You Help?

Cumana, Venezuela: Mission In Need

We have the team. We have local funding. We have patients lined up. Now, all we need is YOU.

If you have ever considered making a donation, now is a perfect opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Three large donors have generously offered to match up to $35,000 in contributions for this mission. Will you come together to match their contribution?

Read more and think about helping, if you can!
Click here.

Quilts in Bangladesh

Believe it or not, this woman is not the child's mother; it is his teacher! I am impressed.

Rotaplast is finishing up a week of surgeries in Bangladesh. I have been particularly touched by the photos and the stories about this trip. The people and surroundings are beautiful, the children adorable, and the transformations are amazing. I want to continue to be a part of this good work. Don't you? We can all help by making quilts for kids and sending them to Wrap a Smile. Leave a comment if you need more information.

Does anyone recognize the quilt in this picture? Is it one of yours??

Quilts in India

A Rotaplast mission is finishing up in India. I found these pictures at their blog. They may be Sunshine quilts or may be from another source, but these are representative of why we make quilts and for whom. We're trying to keep the world warm.... one quilt at a time!







Anyone recognize these quilts?

WTIL Needs Quilts!

Ellen sent this note today from Wrap Them in Love:

We just received a box of quilts from S. in TX. Thank you so much. With the requests that we have been getting lately---as well as the urgent need in Japan for quilts right away -- our shelves are again empty. So, please let others know that there is a need for more quilts.

Everyone, your hard work at sending quilts and also $$ donations to help to get the quilts where they are needed is greatly appreciated.

Please see details about Wrap Them in Love at their website, here:
www.wraptheminlove.org

We Can Help Japan!

Ellen at Wrap Them in Love has a daughter-in-law who is from Japan. She will be traveling there soon and will take along some WTIL quilts. Many displaced people are moving into the area where her parents live, so there will be plenty of people needing quilts.

Let's get busy and make lots of quilts for Japan! Ellen would like to have them arrive by about mid-April which gives us only one month.

WTIL also needs monetary donations; anything you can provide will help with the shipping costs.

Needing More Quilts

If you are new to this blog, maybe you don't know that Sunshine online quilt guild supports two programs:

1) Wrap a Smile -- (here is their website: http://www.wellsrotary.org/Wrap-A-Smile.cfm ) they provide quilts to kids all over the world who are undergoing cleft lip and cleft palate surgery. The quilts are sent along with Rotaplast teams (a Rotary program). The quilts are used at the end of the surgery to help keep the kids warm, and then each kid keeps his/her quilt. Many of the families or the kids themselves have been very surprised and pleased to receive such a lovely gift.

Mission teams go out about once a month, and each mission needs about 130 quilts. So you can see that the need is on-going. Sunnies from all over the world have been making some beautiful quilts for many years. Here are some beautiful (and inspiring) examples:



a few Sunnies spent a day sewing together for the kids



2) the other program we support is Wrap Them in Love. This group gives and sends quilts to orphanages around the world and also to children in need in the USA (such as flood and storm survivors). The director of Wrap Them in Love recently announced that her supply is low, and she is in need of more quilts. Her most recent supply was sent to India. Here is the WTIL website: www.wraptheminlove.org
Here are more quilts made for WTIL.. don't we wish we could find more than 24 hours in a day to keep sewing and helping the kids???







Join us if you can! There are many ways to help, both big and small.

Quilts in Memory of Bev

Most of us have been busy making quilts to send to Wrap a Smile in memory of Bev. We are hoping to supply a complete Rotaplast mission, which means 130 quilts! The mission we are aiming for is going to Peru in January. (We are also making 9-inch nine patch blocks in memory of Bev.. we have nearly 2,000 of them so far! You can see we will be making nine-patch quilts for quite some time! Bev deserves to be honored in a big way.)

Here are a couple of quilts I have made, along with a couple of pictures I found at the Rotaplast site, for inspiration! I love to see the kids with our quilts (and quilts by other groups).

a nine-patch IMOB quilt

IMOB quilt made from orphan blocks

a recent Rotaplast mission to India

also in India

Does anyone recognize these quilts in the pictures from India?

Remember our IMOB quilts for the Peru mission need to be to Terry or Gail by around December 1, 2010!

A Shadow Crossed Sunshine's Path

two tops quilted by Bev












by Linda Kau

One of our most prolific quilting angels received her wings last week. Bev Bennett, quilter extraordinaire, passed away in Fairbanks, Alaska. What will we do without her?

Bev was indeed one of the brightest sunbeams in our midst. Over the years she has completed literally hundreds of quilts that comfort children around the world. She sent box after box of these completed hugs to our chosen donation points of contact in Sunshine Quilts’ name. What will we do without her?

Bev and I met online in 1997 through a quilting group. Later she became the “Mother Hen” of a spin-off group who enjoyed doing mystery quilts, i.e. the name of the group, Mystery Quilters. As our group grew, some wished we could find a way to share our love of quilting with the world and offer comfort to others, too. After discussion and with the help of Bev, amongst others, Sunshine Quilts was formed. Bev has continued to mentor new quilters and cheer us all with her upbeat posts as well as generous donation of her time to finish up all these many quilts. Comforting children with a hug and a quilt was her mission in life.

When I joined that online quilting group in 1997, little did I know how it would change my life. I gained a wonderful friend in Fairbanks, Alaska. Bev -- quiet, private Bev -- was like the sister I never had. We corresponded regularly since then, met in person, visited frequently and generally had a blast. I’ll always remember the time she drove down from Fairbanks to Anchorage to attend a mystery quilting class with me. I was amazed at the speed at which that little lady could move! Her sewing machine must have had an extra gear in it…..no one else could accomplish as much as she did in such a short time period! She completed an entire quilt top in the time most of the rest of us completed half of the steps in that mystery.

Bev Bennett was a little lady who was a true optimist, no matter what her situation......she never slowed down, either. A retired Army nurse and widow of a retired Lieutenant Colonel, she devoted her later years to quilting for children around the world. I don't know how many children have enjoyed the fruits of her labors.........thousands, literally.

Bev was a driving force behind Sunshine Quilts. We called her one of our quilting angels, because she’d take quilt tops made by others and quilt them on her home sewing machine, bind them and send them off to offer comfort around the world. Even when she was still working outside the home she was quilting 200 to 300 quilts a year! Her finished quilts have gone to Russian orphanages through the International Red Cross, developing countries where children are receiving Rotaplast surgeries via Wrap A Smile, US Indian Reservations with Wrap Them In Love, plus many, many more children in various locations.

Sunshine's motto is "Keeping the World Warm - One Quilt at a Time". That's exactly what she did, and all with love and a smile! What will we do without her?

Bev loved her kitties and dog, too. We all enjoyed her stories about KC Kitty, among others. She posted pictures of moose peeking in her window while her dog sat inside and watched. We shuddered when she wrote about temperatures of 40 deg. below zero during the winter, and we wished for the lovely sunshine she described in the summer. She mentioned stopping along the roadside on the way home from work to watch the Northern Lights. She talked about the beautiful Alaskan wildflowers. She loved Alaska!

Widowed over 25 years ago, Bev still talked of wonderful times spent with her husband, Don. They had little time together, but made the best of those short years. They owned and ran a lodge in Northern Alaska, and she told stories about that time out in the wilderness with humor and fond memories….no electricity, walking the path to the outhouse in the depths of winter, watching the Alaskan wildlife….their togetherness. Don was one of the early Alaskan legislators, something Bev seldom talked about, but when she did, it was with pride. Although I never met him, Bev's loving stories made him real to me, also.

So here I sit, talking through the Internet as I often did with Bev. I won't be able to visit her this way from now on. I'll have to find another way. Perhaps I’ll communicate with her through my quilting adventures as I try to complete more quilts for Sunshine as my tribute to her.

RIP, Dear Friend. You may be gone from this world, but not from my heart.

Remember the Boys

I try to check the Rotaplast blog periodically to see if there are new pictures of kids with our quilts. It's a rare treat when I find one. Lately there have not been many pictures showing any quilts at all. So I thought I'd post a photo of this boy who is among the patients being evaluated for surgery. He was photographed during last year's mission to Peru.

We sometimes don't remember to make larger quilts for the older kids such as this boy. Sometimes Rotaplast even operates on adults! So.. Wrap a Smile can use some larger quilts for these older kids. Also, remember to make boyish quilts, which always seem to be harder to come by, according to people who deliver quilts to kids.

Wrap Them in Love has recently challenged us to make more boy quilts, so let's see what we can do for the boys of the world!

Keeping the Children of Guatemala Warm

The most recent mission that is highlighted on the Rotaplast blog is in Guatemala. I found this tribute to the quilts and blankets (and their makers) and thought you'd enjoy reading it and seeing a few quilty pictures. - Carol E.

The Quilts and Blankets
by Scott Wheelwright - Saratoga Rotary Rotaplast Chair 2010

You may notice in some of the pictures the beautiful quilts and blankets that enfold the children. As each child is brought to the operating room, she is accompanied by one of these handmade gifts. The operating rooms are air conditioned to provide comfort for the doctors and patients, but to keep the children warm during the operation, each is covered with a blanket or quilt. The child keeps this covering as a gift when he or she leaves the hospital.

The Rotary Club of Saratoga was blessed with gifts of over 300 quilts or blankets. Many of these quilts are pieced together and sewn by hand. Some blankets are hand knit or crocheted. The effort and skill present in each is readily apparent. We are grateful to the many people who contributed their time and money to supply materials, make quilts or sponsor quilts. Contributors include local quilting organizations, church groups, family and friends of rotary club members, and others with an interest in serving these children. We are grateful for the selfless contribution of those who have provided a warm gift for each child.







I also love the beautiful blouses and skirts worn by the women, don't you??

Wrap A Smile quilt totals

We received an update on total quilts received for the Wrap A Smile project that we support. These quilts do not only come from Sunshine quilters but also from many others across the country. As a group of quilters we are lucky to be able to contribute what we do to this wonderful project. If you are interested in helping with these quilts just join the sunshine yahoo group and help us keep kids warm one quilt at a time. 

From Terry, founder of Wrap A Smile:

In 2009, Wrap-A-Smile received 2,169 quilts.
Total that I am aware of since the start of Wrap-A-Smile is 14,593.
Quilters spent $2,690.81 for shipping their quilts to myself and Gail in CA.
This shipping cost does not reflect UPS charges or Federal Express.
Who ever would have believed this project would be what it is today...........

Philippines

Rotaplast has been in Philippines this week. Pictures haven't shown many quilts. It doesn't ever get very chilly there, and I think quilts will be used mostly to lie upon rather than lie under. I'm sure they are just as appreciated. Let's keep sewing!

Do You Recognize a Sunny Quilt?

The picture above is a child in China.

The rest of these pictures are from India.

Rotaplast in India

There is a Rotaplast mission happening in India right now. You can read about it here. There are many people awaiting surgery, most with cleft lip and palate issues, but a few people have burns that need repair.

I am seeing from the Rotaplast blog and pictures that there is a vast age range in the Rotaplast patients. We should remember to provide quilts for older folks as well as the little kids.

--carol e.

Quilts for Africa!

We heard that most of our recent Wrap a Smile quilts went to Ethiopia. It is so fun to hear where the quilts are headed! And such a rare treat if we ever see pictures of kids in our quilts... I have had that distinct pleasure a few times over the years, and it feels wonderful.

Here are more quilts that have been made for our Sunshine projects. No matter where they go, we send them off with a bit of love, and we hope that the quilt brings joy and healing to its recipient.

Quilt Production at Full Speed

From what many Sunshine members are reporting, lots of quilts are being churned out for the kids. We love to see the pictures and hear the stories... the Block Lotto is a huge success, too. Thanks to all who contribute blocks and to Tammy who works miracles with the blocks and turns out gorgeous quilts. Sorry I don't have access to her pictures right now... so I'll just post a couple examples of quilt tops I have made this year for Wrap a Smile.

Our current challenge is to make some "boy-friendly" quilts. Try to choose colors and patterns that will appeal to boys, and avoid the florals and pinks if you can... knowing not all cultures have strict rules for appropriateness of quilt colors for boys and for girls, we still want to remember to make a nice variety that will appeal to all types of kids.

This next Sunday, July 12, is Second Sunday Sewing for Sunshine! If you can, try to set aside some sewing time on the 2nd Sunday of each month, to help make quilts for kids. It's fun to know we are all working together on the same day, helping keep the kids warm worldwide.

--Carol E.

Inspiration!

If this picture isn't inspiration to make more quilts, I don't know what is! This is a child with a new quilt after his/her cleft palate surgery (in either Venezuela or Mexico.. I have forgotten which).

What an adorable little thing! I think it is unusual for them to operate on someone this young, so remember to make your quilts a little larger than infant size. Nevertheless, this picture really got me excited about making more quilts! Does it work for you, too?

--carol e.

Quilts Galore

We must all be very busy making quilts for Wrap a Smile and Wrap Them in Love. We have not been very talkative lately. These photos show some of the quilts that have recently been made for Sunshine kids.

Join us if you can! It's fun and worthwhile making quilts for kids undergoing cleft palate surgery, and also for kids in orphanages around the world.

We are keeping the world warm.... one quilt at a time.