Giving Back - Soy Amado

On Christmas Day 2013 I visited a children's home for former street children in Mexico City.

You can read more about it here plus there is a little video my younger daughter made.

The children have the basics but nothing 'nice' that has been made just for them. So I have started to see if I can send around 70 quilts to the home. In an ideal world it would be great if everyone who read this, made a quilt.

I know that's not going to happen so to make this as accessible and affordable to everyone who wants to get involved, I am asking to be sent 12 1/2" (unfinished) quilted blocks. Maybe you have some orphan blocks lying around? If they are too big, cut them down to size; too small, add a border.

Then you add batting and backing and quilt them as if they were mini quilts. Email me for my address, send them to me and I will assemble them (I need 20 for each quilt) using the Quilt As You Go method.

(If you're using a high loft batting, please could you straight stitch all the way around your block as close to the edge as possible to contain the poofiness!)

I will make sure the quilts get to the home and as and when they are received, I will post pictures on my blog.

Longer term, when I eventually reach my goal, there are other children's homes around the world that I will also be able to send quilts to so please think of this as a long term project and help when you can.

Thank you.

For further blog posts on this, you can go here, here and here

I've also started a Flickr group where you can post pictures of blocks and quilts. I have called it Soy Amado which is Spanish for 'I am loved' (boy) and Soy Amada for 'I am loved' (girl).
If you are on Instagram and want to get involved, have a look at #soyamadoquilts.

Update - December 2015

Having reached my goal, I am now making quilts for a children's home in Johannesburg, South Africa.





An update on the home in Johannesburg can be found here

Update: April 2017

Last year a batch of quilts went to a children's home in Cape Town where children deemed 'at risk' have been removed from their families and placed in the home.

I am still making quilts - currently up to number 117 so if you want to send me blocks or even binding or sashing strips - please do.

Alternatively, if you want to do support someone in the Southern hemisphere, Adrianne has started doing something similar.

I will always keep you informed where the quilts go.