do. Good Stitches goes International

This August marks a full year of collaboration at do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}.  We have been adding about 1 new quilting circle per month, to a total of 118 members to date!  When I need a little encouragement, I like to visit do. Good Stitches - Finished Quilts to see some of the quilts that have been made to bless children and families in need.  What a priviledge it's been to work alongside you generous people!!!

Until now, do. Good Stitches has been a virtual sewing bee that welcomes members located any which where, but donates to various US-based charities.  I am so glad to announce that as of August two of our circles are going international!!  A new Australian-based circle will benefit Needy Stitches, which distributes quilts and afghans to hospitals, elderly, poor and disadvantaged throughout Australia.  And another circle that includes both US and Canadian members will be donating some quilts to Victoria's Quilts in Canada.  As our bee grows, I'd love to see circles pop up in the UK and the Netherlands, where we already have a few members. Until then, thank-you ladies for faithfully mailing your blocks across the seas!

But here's the thing, I only have 9 out of 10 members required to form the Australian circle.  So, naturally, I thought of you!  If you live in Australia, this is your moment.  I'm looking for a quilter who enjoys working with a modern style of quilting and is active on Flickr.  To raise your hand, please contact me on Flickr or fill out the new members form.

do. Good Stitches Love Circle blocks, for June

But wherever you live, if you would like to get involved with our bee, please don't hesitate to say so.  The best way to register is to fill out the new members form and from there you'll be added to the wait list.  Here's a few details about how this quilting bee works:

do. Good Stitches is designed to minimize shipping and fabric costs by working from our own fabric stashes. Each circle makes ONE quilt per month.  There are two levels of membership:  quilters and stitchers.  Each circle needs 5 quilters and 5 stitchers, and we always need quilters most!  A quilter is responsible to plan and assemble a quilt approximately every 5 months (or only as long as you'd like to be involved).  I love doing this work and totally look forward to my turn to quilt.  And, you don't need to be an expert to be a quilter.  So long as you've finished a quilt or two, you do have the skills!  Everyone in the circle, both quilters and stitchers, makes approximately 2 blocks each month for the collaborative quilt.  Directions for what blocks to make are posted each month to the Flickr group discussions, which is why active Flickr membership is important.  For more details, see the The Rules.

I hadn't had a chance to show you the hexagon blocks above I made in June for the Love circle of do. Good Stitches.  This block is designed by Lee of Freshly Pieced.  As it happens, she just posted about the finished quilt top.  Take a look!

Photo by Lee of Freshly Pieced.

What a fun layout!  I'm also about to mail blocks to Melissa of the Faith circle.  These 4 blocks are destined to become part of 4 different quilts.  The quilts are for siblings that recently suffered a tragic loss.  I love that Melissa knew what characters/themes would appeal to each child, so that these quilts are thoughtfully personalized.

Thank-you, once again, to all the good folks who have joined hands with us in the past year.  Your commitment has been a blessing to so many!  Let's keep up the good work!