Flood Texas with Love

The week-end of Memorial Day 2015 brought massive quantities of water flooding through several Texas towns.  The photos on the news that week-end and the days following were amazingly awful to look at and the news of the amount of loss, both the loss of life and the loss of property was heart-wrenching.

When I saw this logo posted on InstaGram by "supersara20", Sara,  I immediately wanted to join in and help with this great drive. 

credit to Brenna (IG - beknitpicky) for this great logo!

Quoting Sara  from her blog Southern Transplant:
The state of Texas is many things to many people.  To millions it is home.  Texas has recently dealt with severe weather including flooding and tornados in many areas, the worst of which was in Hays County and the city of Houston.  I am a resident of Hays County, I have had to deal with flooded roads, rain, high winds and losing a few shingles on my house.  I am one of the lucky ones.  Many others have had to deal with flooding of their homes and the loss of loved ones.  To date there have been 28 deaths associated with the flooding and several of these people are still missing.  There have been hundreds of houses flooded and many completely washed away.  As the flood waters recede people are returning home, to find mud, mold, venomous snakes, fire ants and rodents in their homes making the clean up that much more difficult.

The idea is for the community of quilters to Flood Texas with Love (and with Quilts).

Sara obtained permission from Cheryl Arkison, who has graciously given permission for us use her Just One Slab block from her book Sunday Morning Quilts which is a fabulous book (I own a digital copy).  

 The directions for the color-slab blocks can be found on pages 48-49.  

Cheryl gives directions on her blog, Dining Room Empire.  Click here for the specific post or keep on reading as the following is quoted directly from her post:

If you don't have the book (Sunday Morning Quilts), let me summarize how to make a slab:
Take two pieces of fabric and sew them together. Do that a few more times. Then start sewing more pieces to those first pairs. Sew groups together. Add additional pieces of fabric as necessary to get up to your finished size. Start with small bits or big ones, it doesn't matter. Raid your scrap bins and go with what you've got.

Sara adds to make each block using one color per "slab".  Any color.  Each block should measure 15.5" square.  The hope and plan is to make quilts 60" x 75" in size, in a rainbow of colors.   Sara is collecting blocks through the month of June, then the piecing, quilting and binding will be completed in July.  

So far I have made four slabs....

 an orange one came first...

 then a green one ...

 then not one, but two blue ones!

I discovered that piecing two slabs at a time is very time efficient.  I love this creative way of using up the fabric scraps that I can never toss into the trash.  This is a fun block to piece, perhaps because there are no specific rules. The directions are to improvise as you go, ending up with a block that measures 15.5" square.  I believe improv piecing is quite freeing! 


Thank you to Sara and to Cheryl for this wonderful project.  I have so many friends who lost so much in the flooding, specifically here in Houston, but also all across our mighty state.  The time to heal is now and sadly it is moving forward ever so slowly.  I know it is still hard for many.  I hope that these quilts, when presented to their new owners, will provide them with much love and with new-found strength.

Here is Cheryl's update on the Canadian floods from 2013, with photos of the quilts made then.  Click here.  She also acknowledges the drive we are currently holding in Texas to help flood fellow Texans with love and quilts.  How awesome is that!  Besides piecing slab blocks, I am also helping to quilt and bind the finished quilts too.  An amazing project that I am very proud to be a part of.... truly.


If you would like to join us, it is not too late.  Make a slab or two -- in your favorite color or in whatever color is most predominant in your scrap bins.  If you can't make a block(s) you can donate through Paypal to sara_stetson@yahoo.com in any amount.  All money will be used for quilt materials (batting/backings/thread/binding), shipping and long arm services. Any excess money collected will be donated to the Red Cross of Central Texas.  (Sara is happy to provide documentation if requested to show the donations are used correctly!)

Please email Sara at sara_stetson@yahoo.com or send her a private message on Instagram @supersara20 when you have blocks that are ready to send to Sara in Austin, or contact me in Houston.


Thank you all in advance!


#floodtexaswithlove