This year begins a new round of charity quilts made by clusters of quilters round the world. Do Good Stitches is an online quilting bee, which I founded in 2010. It’s still plugging along with some 14 active circles, including a brand new one opening in Europe this February! Learn how you can get involved here.

I am the organizational host for Comfort circle, a group of Dutch and UK quilt makers glad to donate some of our fabrics and time to make an object of comfort for someone in need. We donate collectively about 8 quilts per year. Our quilts are usually donated to children via Salvation Army, but I am looking into a local foster home for my next Comfort project.

Here’s the start of my January blocks! January’s lead quilter, Eva-Marie, asked for buttery yellow, gray and petrol blue. Since each member only makes about two blocks for each collaborative quilt, the month’s assignment is usually doable with fabric scraps. Eva-Marie said we could swap in scraps of the same color, when necessary. Can you spy my fill-in fabrics? I was going for a very close match!

Those scraps are fast becoming a bear paw block. We’re using a free tutorial from Material Girl Quilts, available as a 6” or 12” block.

And here they are finished! Now I’ll pop them in the mail to Eva-Marie.

This bee prompt reminds me of this quilt, which I made for my book, The Quilters Field Guide to Color. Just in case you’d like to imagine what it might look like finished, but in totally different colors!

Are you interested in charity quilt-making? It’s kind of amazing to do something we love with leftover fabric that can bring comfort and joy to someone in need. Many of the Do Good Stitches circles are quite stable, with the same members sewing year after year. But, every once in awhile, we have a need for new members or enough people on the waiting list to launch a new circle. In fact, right now we need a new team member who lives in the USA and is willing to take a turn leading the collaborative quilt.

Wherever you live and however you feel you can participate, please don’t be shy to sign up for the wait list using this form! Or, contact me if you have questions.