Cross Plus Quilt Charity Drive

In 2017, I participated in Jessica Bloomberg's Blue RK Block drive to benefit fallen police officers' families. It was an incredibly worthwhile and fulfilling opportunity for me and for countless others. As I quilted my first #BlueRKblock quilt, I had so many emotions. This is what I said on Instagram back in October:

"I’ve had this quilt finished for a couple weeks now and I’ve hung on to it for a few reasons: 1️⃣ I kinda just want to keep it and 2️⃣ I’ve struggled with some major emotions during the process of assembling, quilting, and binding this quilt. They were fairly repressed feelings and memories and they kind of blindsided me. I’m so grateful for good officers like jessica @craftycop. I’ve grown up respecting all law enforcement, servicemen and women, and civil servants. And then I married an amazing, intelligent black man who has spent his life trying to make things better for minority kids. As I’ve gotten involved in helping with efforts to educate (as a teacher and an advocate) of and for minority kids, I’ve seen some less than stellar officers. And I’ve seen some officers who step up and intentionally serve in hard areas in an effort to help. The overwhelming emotion that I had while quilting was a gut-wrenching sadness. There are lots of tears on this quilt. I was sad because the heroes whose families will receive these quilts had to give their lives. I was sad because both officers and advocates for POC are vilified and politicized and viewed as diametrically opposed. I was sad because I wondered if the outpouring of love would be the same for minorities senselessly killed. I was sad because my country was in upheaval (I quilted this during Charlottesville protests). I was sad because I felt helpless to help kids who need so much. So, I reached out. I’ve been talking with several groups, including black lives matter and Shaun King, to come up with a way quilters can help minority kids in awful situations. I’m glad I had this kick in the pants and the inspiration of good people to take this step. I believe in the goodness of people. I believe our goals and intentions are not really all that different. So stay tuned for some ways to help, probably in January."

Yeah, it was a lot of emotions and lots of other processing happening at that time. But I knew I had to do something. Not because I'm an either/or when it comes to Police or POC (People of Color),  but because I keep feeling like I can do more, do better. So I started researching what would be of most help. As I said in emails to several different activist groups, "We're quilters. We aren't rolling in money but we're collectively an incredibly giving bunch." I know there is power in harnessing that desire to do good. There are hundreds of ways that quilters give to their communities and I want to be a greater part of that giving. 

I researched groups who benefit homeless youth, groups that help minority kids in high school, groups that fund outreach programs in their community, and so many others that fill specific, unique needs. But how could I decide which one would be of the most use to harness the power of quilters? And then lightning struck. Why decide? Why not help them all? 

So, this is the plan:

1. On the first of the month, I'll send out a call for blocks (see instructions below). I'll also do a blog post on my recently resurrected blog (I'm really trying to be better writing) about that month's organization/charity. 

2. At the end of the following month, I'll raffle off the finished quilt. Tickets will be $1 and there is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase.  IF we end up with enough blocks for multiple quilts, we'll raffle off all of them!

3. At the end of the raffle, I'll draw and ship the finished quilt to the winner.  I'll post how much was donated for that month's organization/charity and send the donation directly to them. I've set up a separate paypal account specifically for this drive, so that the funds do not get mixed up with other projects. The donate button on my blog will go via friends and family (no fees) to the account I've set up for the donations. 

4. If you'd like to donate to this effort (pay for backing, batting, quilting, shipping, etc.), but don't want to enter the raffle, please feel free to email me (simplypurplepoppy@gmail.com) or message me on Instagram (@purplepoppyquilts). 

Now, on the the fun part! We're making cross plus blocks for our charity drive. This is a cross plus block. 

And this is what it looks like when combined with it's fellows. 

As you can see, we're going for bright, happy colors. We're using the tutorial from Bad Skirt's blog, with a couple changes. The cutting instructions are different (listed below) and we're not cutting the bright fabric on the bias. The original block is 8" and our blocks will be 10.5" unfinished. 

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

For each block, you'll cut the following: 

Fabric 1: (center +) 4- 2.5" squares

                                1-  2.5"x 6.5" rectangle

Black fabric: 4-  2.5" squares

Low Volume: 8-  2.5" squares

*Bright corner fabrics: 4-  4.5" squares

*Remember that these fabrics are NOT cut on the bias, as outlined in the tutorial. Also, because we want these fabrics to pop, please only use RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, AQUA, AND PURPLE fabrics. Feel free to use up funky fabrics, as long as they're not navy, gray, or brown. And please make sure you use 4 different fabrics/colors in each block. 

I'm hoping this will be a scrap buster project for you. They're highly addicting and so much fun to put together. Once you finish your blocks, just message me on Instagram and I'll send you my mailing address. 

I'm so excited for the opportunity we have to help teens and young adults who've had some serious struggles in their lives. I know there are great needs. I also know we can do some real good with scraps of fabric. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out for any reason. I can't wait to see your blocks. Happy sewing!

LOVE, Briawna