Call to action - Quilts for Québec

Updated to add: We have received all the quilt blocks we need for this project - thank you to all who contributed! If you would like information on how else you can help, please see our most recent blog post. 

Yesterday there was an attack made on members of our community... a gunman entered a Quebec City mosque during prayers and opened fire, killing 6 people and seriously injuring at least 5 others.

Intolerance and hate have no place in my definition of 'Québecois(e)' or 'Canadian', and as our Prime Minister recently said, "Our diversity is our strength." With that in mind, this act of terrorism simply will not stand and in the hopes of sending a little comfort and strong message of support to our neighbours in their time of need, we are doing what we do as a quilt guild - we are making quilts. 

We will be collecting house quilt blocks to make quilts that remind the recipients that this is their home, that they are an important part of this community and that we, their neighbours, are here to support and protect them. We would like to have at least enough for the families of each of the victims who lost their lives in the attack (6 so far), and ideally enough for those who were injured as well, although we do not yet know the final number. 

Image courtesy of Craftsy

If you would like to make a block (or many), here is what we need:

• blocks should be 12.5" square
• solid and non-figurative print fabrics are best (ie: no images of people or animals)
• it would be nice to have the background fabric be a light neutral (white, light grey, cream, low-volume prints, etc) if possible  
• the house can be as simple or as complex as you like, feel free to improvise and customize (examples and tutorials below)
• bring your completed blocks to our Feb 14th meeting or to the Feb sew-in on the 18th

We would like to start constructing the quilts after our meeting later this month, and for those mailing their blocks in, please try to have them in the mail to us by March 11th.

Also, we invite you to share pictures of your blocks on social media, and please include the tag #quiltsforqc so we can see your wonderful work! :)

We are also accepting donations of backing fabric and batting for finishing the quilts, or money to be put towards the purchase of those items, if that's more your speed... please send us an email (mtlmqg@gmail.com) and we can arrange something that works for you. :) 

As for the blocks themselves, there are many different kinds of house blocks you can make ranging from simple to complex. We want our quilt villages to be beautiful and varied! Below are some house block tutorials to get you started; you can also do a search for "house quilt block" on Pinterest or Google, and if you have an idea or tutorial to share, post it in the comments!

• Jacquie Gering's improve/free-style house blocks (no set dimensions)
• Fishstick Designs 'My House is a Little Wonky' tutorial (makes a 12.5" block)
• My Bear Paw's improv house block tutorial (makes a 12.5" block)
• Simple Simon & Co 'Home for the Holidays' block (makes a 6.5" block, will require sizing up or extra background fabric to make 12.5")
• Craftsy's scrappy house block tutorial (makes an 8.5" block, will require sizing up or extra background fabric to make 12.5")
• Ellison Lane's 'Heart of the Home' paper piecing tutorial (makes a 10" block, will require sizing up or extra background fabric to make 12.5")

I know quilts can't fix everything in this world (wouldn't it be wonderful if they could?), but it never hurts to remind people that they are a valued part of their community, and that their neighbours support them. We appreciate any help you can give us in sending that message! :)