Community Quilt Day 2025

In November of 2017 I was asked to provide an interactive experience at a Hartford artisan market and the idea of the "Community Quilt" was born. Essentially I brought in a handful of the scraps we had created during class, taught people how to sew them together using an improvisational method, hung them on a design board, and we called it a day.

Fast forward 8 years, and we just wrapped up our 6th Community Quilt Day (COVID being an obstacle for a couple of years), and this year's tally? TWENTY FIVE quilts to be donated to Journey Home.

What started as a pop-up event back in 2017 morphed into a single day (and a little work afterward) by 2020, which in turn became a "sew at home or take shifts in the studio" during 2021, and this year, it became a five-month project!

Starting in November 2024, I asked our community sewers to join our "100 Block Drive" before the end of the year. The goal was to get 100 12.5" x 12.5" improvisational blocks donated—this is about five quilts' worth.

Every day, I would come into the studio to find more blocks waiting for me. That drive alone generated 160!

Our official Community Quilt Day was held at the end of January this year, with more volunteers making blocks at home, coming into the studio to sort our scraps by size and color, donating supplies ( a huge thanks to Americana Fabrics for donating 2 bolts of fabric for the backing!), and joining us on the day to sew in the studio.

After all the blocks are created, the tops need to be assembled, and the quilts sandwiched, quilted, and bound! Finally, about two months after the Community Quilt Day, we are ready to donate them to Journey Home so they can distribute them to their clients who are transitioning out of homelessness.

And what exactly does 25 quilts look like? Mostly the most beautiful rainbow you've ever seen...

Every year, I reach out to Journey Home to ensure our quilts are still welcomed and needed (I never want to impose a donation on someone that causes more grief than help). Every year, they accept them willingly and with a request for other items, such as bath supplies, kitchen supplies, toiletries, etc. 

Despite their assurance that the quilts are welcome, I always wondered if it was one of those projects that the creators found more joy in than the recipients. This past year, my family and I spent a fair amount of time volunteering with Journey Home with their move-ins. It has been an incredibly impactful experience in so many ways: some clients have the basic furniture already and are getting some finishing touches for their new apartments to make them feel like homes, while other clients truly don't have a bed to sleep on. While the essentials are very essential, I appreciate more how these beautiful quilts help create the home our neighbors deserve.

If you participated in our Quilt Day this year--- thank you from the bottom of my heart! This community never fails to amaze me. If you'd like to help next year, follow us or subscribe to our newsletter for information about this year's block drive. And if you'd like to host your own Community Quilt Day, be sure to reach out-- I'd be happy to share the details!

Until then... Happy Stitching!

xx Laura