All proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to the Brain Mahaffey Memorial Fund.
Butterfly Kisses Quilt
91 x 91
Machine pieced; custom quilted by Pooregirl’s Quilt Co., McDonough, GA
$1.00 donation per entry requested. Drawing will be held July 12, 2010. Need not be present to win. Tickets are available at the shop or by calling 678-413-1611. Cash or checks made payable to Brian Mahaffey Memorial Fund please.
Our local community suffered a terrible tragedy last month when Rockdale County Deputy Brian Mahaffey was shot and killed in the line of duty May 8, while executing an arrest warrant. Deputy Mahaffey had just celebrated his 28th birthday with family and friends the night before his death. He leaves behind his wife, Diana, two year old son, Trenton, and three month old daughter, Aniston, parents, brother and many, many friends.
Brian was the first Rockdale County deputy killed in the line of duty in our community since the early 1920s. This tragedy was particularly personal for us because he was a friend of my youngest son and we were acquainted with his parents through school and soccer activities the kids had been involved with through the years. Brian was also a co-worker of my daughter-in-law, who is also a Rockdale County Sheriff’s Deputy. Anyone who has a law enforcement officer in their family knows this tragedy could have just as easily happened to them!
The Conyers/Rockdale County community has come together to honor this young man and offer love and support to his family. A memorial fund has been established at Georgia Federal Credit Union, and we have put together an opportunity at Sweet Home Quilt Co. for the quilting community to help. Please participate in our Recycled Fabric Fundraiser to honor this fallen hero and help support the young family he left behind. There are three ways you can help:
1. Donate:
Raid your stash and donate your unwanted fabric in
fat quarters, 1/2 yards or full yard increments only.
Bring fabrics pre-cut into fat quarters, 1/2 yards or full yards.
We will accept only clean, quilt shop quality
100% cotton fabric.
No pet or smoke odors, please.
For each yard you donate you will receive a coupon for
$1.00 off a yard of new fabric – no limit! Share your
coupons with family & friends if you can’t use them!
Each coupon valid for one yard of regularly priced
fabric on the bolt, limit one coupon per yard. No other
discounts apply; not applicable for Sweet Rewards.
Coupons expire July 31, 2010.
Drop off your fabric during our normal business
hours Friday, June 4th through Wednesday, June 9th.
2. Buy:
All donated fabric will be sold for $2.00 per yard with all proceeds donated to the Brian Mahaffey Memorial Fund.
Saturday, June 12th ONLY
10AM – 5PM
CASH ONLY – All Sales Final
3. Volunteer:
We need volunteers during the event to
measure and sell fabric. Please call the shop
at 678-413-1611 to sign up.
Thank you in advance for your support of this fundraising effort. Quilters are by nature generous, supportive people and I hope you will find this a win-win opportunity to do something important for a family in need while de-stashing and doing something good for yourself, too!
Melisa
On Tuesday before I headed off to Minneapolis, I attended the annual Just for You Celebration meeting of Gwinnett Quilters Guild. I’m not always able to attend the guild meetings, but I try to never miss this particular event.
Just for You is a charitable program the guild sponsors to provide quilts to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Scottish Rite and Egleston Children’s hospitals) which are given throughout the year to sick children in these two hospitals. This program has been a mainstay of the guild for 9 years, and each year guild members outdo themselves in this area.
330+ quilts were made by guild members and donated for Just for You this year. The quilts are gathered up and displayed in the sanctuary of Cannon Methodist Church (where we meet) for everyone to enjoy and to be blessed by the minister.
The love and talent evident in this room is so awe-inspiring, and the wonderful stories that are shared by families who have received these comfort quilts are both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. This is what quilting is all about – using our God-given talents for the comfort of others. If you’ve ever doubted the love and generosity of quilters, I invite you to get involved in a charitable cause like Just for You and I guarantee you will be blessed many times over!
Melisa
We were happy to host this talented group of Girl Scouts and the Gwinnett Quilt Guild’s “Just 4 You” Committee on Saturday as they made donation quilts for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite Hospital. This is the second year this group has helped make quilts for this effort, and it is fun to watch their quilting skills evolve. Robin, the troop leader, is a friend through Batty Babes, and she does a terrific job mentoring these girls. The girls were tasked to use their teamwork skills as they paired off to complete their quilt tops. The group worked hard to finish their quilts, and were rightfully proud of them! They turned out great!
Debbie Frey (pictured here helping one of the girls pin her quilt rows together) is the committee chair of the guild’s “Just 4 You” program, and was the impetus for starting the community service project in 2001. The guild has made and donated hundreds of quilts to this effort over the years, and the three quilts made by this group will be added to the hundreds that will be donated again this year.
Debbie also brought along a surprise visitor on Saturday…someone we’ve never had the pleasure of seeing at SHQC.
Can you see him? It’s FLAT STANLEY! Debbie’s niece from Ohio sent him on his journey as part of a 1st grade class project. Flat Stanley has had quite an interesting visit with Debbie – he’s been to tennis matches, the dentist, shopping at Calvin Klein, the Cheesecake Factory (yum!), and to a guild meeting. Debbie’s husband took Flat Stanley to Italy and NYC, too! And now, he can add a visit to SHQC to his travel adventures! What fun!
Our thanks to Debbie for inviting us to host this event, and to the girls for their participation. It was a fun day for everyone, all for a great cause!
Melisa
Last week was the Batty Babes’ annual Christmas party, and as usual we shared many laughs and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. This is the one time of the year where we have a potluck meal (usually the host provides the meal for our gatherings), and we all have our specialties that show up on the menu year after year along with new favorites, too. We draw names for a gift exchange, and have a white elephant gift exchange that is always a hoot (more on that in a sec)! A couple of years ago we decided that rather than give each person individual gifts, we would instead do a community service project. This year we each made kids’ pillowcases that will be donated to ConKerr Cancer through SHQC. As luck would have it I had made arrangements to meet Lisa Rowell, our ConKerr Coordinator, the following morning to drop off the 171 pillowcases we collected during our Thanksgiving pillowcase drive at the shop, and I was able to add another 173 pillowcases made by the Batty Babes! WOW! 334 pillowcases! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — quilters have the most giving spirits and this group in particular!
Our Christmas gathering was hosted by Ardis this year, and her home was beautifully decorated for our party. Every nook and cranny held little Christmas surprises that made me smile. The table and buffet were beautifully set with china, candles and live greenery. We were ‘warned’ to watch out for little unwanted guests from the live greenery, which she had cut from her yard earlier in the day. Fortunately, none made an appearance during dinner!
I mentioned our white elephant gift exchange earlier, and it is absolutely one of the most fun things we do at Christmas. There are a number of white elephant gifts that are truly dreaded — we’re talking hideous things, ya’ll — and we go to great lengths to disguise the packaging so the recipient won’t be able to “avoid” certain gifts. The rule is that whatever white elephant gift you get, it must be prominently displayed throughout the year whenever you host the Babes at your home. Occasionally someone gets a white elephant gift that they actually like and in those cases they are allowed to introduce a “new” white elephant to the mix the following year. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s white elephant gift exchange.
Jo Beth got the dreaded “head” this year. This is a ceramic Victorian Lady bust that has made the rounds of the Babes for years! No one wants to end up with this!
Liz was the proud recipient of the hideous felt Christmas card table runner this year. I had it last year, and in an attempt to disguise it I put it into a (new) pizza box tied up with a big red ribbon knowing that someone would be curious enough to have to see what was in the pizza box! It proved irresistible to Liz! This thing is hard to describe. It was made by Ardis’ mother years and years ago as a Garden Club project, I think. The backing is green felt and it has cut outs from Christmas cards glued onto it with some bling here and there, topped by white tulle netting and bound with gold braid and tassels. And it is BIG! It stretches down my dining room table end to end … ugh!
Everyone thought they were safe after Liz picked the dreaded felt table runner, but Ardis threw us a curve ball by introducing a matching bell pull!!! Lucky Deanna was the recipient as you can see. Oh Joy! Can’t wait to have my turn with this monstrosity!
Robin was the lucky one when it came to the Elvis Liquor Decantor! Remember these??? I’m a HUGE Elvis fan, but I draw the line at these – no way do I want this thing at my house! Robin actually seems quite pleased, doesn’t she? Maybe because that thing is still filled with liquor???
How many Babes does it take to untie a bow???
There are a few Babes who should have been politicians – they are masters at “appropriating” gifts for themselves! Here Deanna attempts to steal Ardis’ gift by hiding it under her sweater! And it actually took Ardis a minute to notice the “square” tummy – all she knew was that her gift was missing!
Shared laughter, good food, good friends and the sights and sounds of the season – Christmas memories in the making!
Sweet Home Quilt Co. sponsored two charity events during the Thanksgiving holidays, and I am happy to report that once again, our faithful and giving customers came through in a BIG way!
We recently partnered with ConKerr Cancer to make pillowcases for sick children, and to serve as a drop-off site for other individual and group participants. I knew there were lots of people interested in this cause since I’d been getting inquiries for a while. So I put the word out that SHQC would provide pillowcase kits for a $5.00 tax-deductible contribution, and I scheduled our first Pillowcase Stitch-in for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I set a goal to collect 150 pillowcases even though I had a number of nay-sayers who thought that goal was too lofty; I was determined though (I’m stubborn that way!)
Donna and Nancy brought in 94 pillowcases made by the Crossroads Quilters at Crossroads UMC here in Conyers. Wooo Hooo! We were on our way!
We had a number of individuals who couldn’t attend the stitch-in but came by and purchased kits to make on their own time. And we had 8 ladies come to the stitch-in on Saturday after Thanksgiving, where we added another 41 pillowcases to our count!
Page, Ruthanne, Jane and Frances are shown here with some of the pillowcases completed at the stitch-in. Nancy, Dee and Anne had already left by the time I remembered to drag out the camera!
I took home 47 pillowcases to wash and iron over the weekend. Ordinarily, ironing is not a favorite past-time for me, but in this case, I enjoyed each pillowcase so much that it really wasn’t a chore. I could just see the delight in each child’s eyes when they received a bright, fun pillowcase to add a little cheer to their hospital stay.
Our final tally for the event was … drumroll, please … 163 pillowcases!!! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in this event. We’ll be scheduling regular Pillowcase Stitch-ins in 2010 for this ongoing effort.
In years past, we’ve sponsored food drives and toy drives as a charitable event, but this year I wanted to do something different. I remembered reading last year about another shop that sponsored a Panty Raid Weekend to collect new packages of womens and childrens underwear to donate to a local shelter. I contacted the battered women’s shelter here to run the idea by the Director, and she was thrilled with the idea. So once again, I designated the weekend after Thanksgiving as ‘Panty Raid Weekend’ at SHQC, and put the word out to our faithful customers.
The response was overwhelming! We’ve even gotten donations from within the community – people who are not quilters, but heard about our effort from a quilter and wanted to participate.
Today, I’ll be meeting up with the Director of the battered women’s shelter to deliver … are you ready? Fifty-four packages (317 pair!!!) of new women’s and children’s underwear!!! Holey Moley! Needless to say, the shelter administration was thrilled when I called and so appreciative of the effort.
I am a firm believer in giving back to the communities who support Sweet Home Quilt Co., and so appreciative of the giving nature of our customers. I know that I can always count on you to come through with flying colors for our charitable efforts! Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to you!
Oh, I almost forgot! Congratulations to Penny who won the Panty Raid gift basket. Penny is a new quilter and she was very excited to have won the goodies!
I first learned about the 3/50 Project from a blog post made by quilt shop owner, Roseann Kermes, who owns Rosebud’s Cottage in Minnesota. I clicked over to the 3/50 Project website to learn more about this effort, and realized very quickly that the concept exactly mirrored thoughts I’d been mulling over recently – what will become of small-town America if we don’t stop the loss of small businesses?
It seems to me that in our little community, local businesses are closing in alarming numbers, unable to sustain themselves for very long under the economic stresses facing all of us.  The Olde Town area of Conyers is no longer the bustling commerce center of small, locally owned shops that it was two or three years ago, with many of the charming historic buildings sitting vacant and a little forlorn.  I’m sure this scenario is being repeated all across the country, too, so the 3/50 Project certainly has a timely message.
What, exactly, is the 3/50 Project? Basically, it’s a grass roots effort to save the little guys while thanking customers for the positive impact their decision to shop locally has on the local economy! The idea is for consumers to commit to spending $50 a month to locally owned businesses, total, to help keep those businesses thriving. It’s as simple as buying those party cupcakes at the local bakery rather than the big box grocery store where you usually grab them! Local businesses are more personable, have better service and are more flexible and adaptable to the needs of the local community. Supporting local businesses strengthens the local community, which is a win-win for everyone.
 According to their website, the 3/50 Project is based on three simple numbers:
3:Â Â Â Â Pick three locally owned businesses you’d miss if they were gone, then stop in to say hello, buy something you need or something that just brings a smile to your face, knowing that those transactions are helping keep that business around.
50:Â If half the employed population spent just $50 per month with locally owned businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.
68:Â For every $100 spent in a locally owned business, $68 returns to the community through payroll taxes, property taxes, sales tax, salaries, and other business expenditures. If spent in a chain or franchise, only $43 remains local. If spent online, nothing comes home.
In essence, the whole thing boils down to “Pick 3, spend $50, and help save the local economy.”  And yes, as a small business owner, I have a vested interest in seeing this concept take root! But it’s not just about supporting Sweet Home Quilt Co., it’s about the local dry cleaner, the mom & pop restaurants, the bakery, the hardware store and all of those people just like me who fit the definition of an independent business according to the 3/50 Project - someone who sleeps little, eats on the run, balances their checkbook over the breakfast table, combs through order forms in bed at night, and is capable of sorting invoices, signing paychecks, fielding questions, responding to emails, and faxing confirmations while simultaneously explaining to a new employee how to check in UPS – yep, sounds like the life of a small business owner to me!
 We recently received a personal “thank you” from the owner of a local restaurant for sending hungry quilters their way during Shop Hop. At the time, I was simply giving directions to a nearby restaurant with good food and fast service, but after talking with the owner later, I realized that this is the sort of thing that I can do as a business owner to support other small businesses in my community!
Forget Washington and Wall Street! The onus is on all of us as consumers and business owners to do our part and support the small independent businesses in our local communities. Thanks to all my customers who continue to faithfully support Sweet Home Quilt Co. You’re the key to our success!
Oh, and which three would I miss? Definately, Mad Dog’s BBQ (!), along with Skip’s Printing and The Sandwich Factory. (What does it say that 2 of my 3 are eateries???) So, it’ll be Sandwich Factory for lunch, Mad Dog’s for dinner and a visit to Skip’s this afternoon to get 3/50 Project flyers printed to hand out to our customers!
I signed up to support the “Pick 3, Spend $50, Save the local economy” idea. I hope you will, too!
Melisa
Each year as one of their primary community service projects, Gwinnett Quilters Guild members make quilts for children that are patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Scottish Rite Hospital. When a child (ages birth to 18 yrs.) arrives for major surgery, long term treatment, or other serious illnesses, they are given a quilt to keep; something to comfort them during a very difficult time. Typically, guild members donate more than 200 quilts to this effort each year.
On Saturday we hosted a Kids Sew 4 Kids event at the shop with a local Girl Scout troop and members of the guild. We had five young ladies, and twice that many guild members helping out. The guild committee provided pre-cut quilt kits, and the girls made the blocks and sewed the tops together. In addition to helping the girls, the guild members also worked on donation tops, too. I think there were 10 or 12 quilt tops completed! I managed to get a few shots of the group hard at work and a couple of the finished tops, too.
Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and some terrific quilt tops were made for a great cause. Now the Just 4 You committee members will quilt and bind all the tops for donation to the hospital in May. Thanks to everyone who turned out to support this effort!
Melisa
