April Cross Plus Charity & Block Information

It's April and time to introduce our second non-profit that benefits the needs of impoverished or minority kids and teens.  If you want to know the catalyst behind this project, check out the original Cross Plus Charity Drive post. My goal with this endeavor is to help minority teens and young adults get the help they need to set them up for long-term success. I'm hoping this endeavor will help a wide variety of organizations that meet the needs of these teens/young adults. There are so many who strive to help a specific population and my goal is to reach a variety of groups. I do not get any sort of compensation for supporting these organizations. I just do the research and find the organizations to help. If you have an idea or suggestion for an organization to support, please email me at simplypurplepoppy@gmail.com

On the first of each month, I'll post the details about the organization/charity we'll be donating to. I'll also include the block instructions at the bottom of the post.  I'll post reminders on instagram, so make sure you're following me there (@purplepoppyquilts) for updates on this undertaking. You can send blocks any time of any month, the monthly reminder posts will just be...reminders. The last week of the month will be the raffle ticket purchase/drawing. Raffle Tickets are $1 and there's no limit to how many you can purchase.

**If you'd like to donate to the construction of quilts (i.e., batting, backing, quilting, binding, shipping, or the money to purchase these items), please contact me via Instagram or email (Simplypurplepoppy@gmail.com).

APRIL NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT: MOCHA AUTISM NETWORK

Because this month is also autism awareness month, I wanted to highlight this non-profit. Parents of autistic children are constantly thinking about their children's safety, as well as their quality of life. As one such mom, I can relate to the heartache, mourning, and loneliness of diagnosis and therapy. I've watched my son struggle and overcome so much. We've come a long way in autism awareness, education, and treatment. But as with too many programs and systems in our country, autism education and awareness often skips latino/a and black communities. And that's where the Mocha Autism Network comes in! Currently, they are serving families in the Bay Area, CA. But hopefully with enough funding they'll be expanding soon. Here are some details from their website. 

The Mocha Autism Network is an organization motivated by love and fueled by our beautiful children on the Autism Spectrum. What we found was that there was not much information about Autism circulating within Communities of Color. Currently, Black/Latino children are diagnosed as many as 2 year later than other children. 

As the identity of people on the Autism Spectrum becomes more recognizable and diverse, it has become clear that if our children are to be properly taken care of, it is up to us to stand up and be noticed on our own. We know that we can no longer look to others for answers to the day to day questions and assistance the people in our communities need and require. 

It is our time to stand and be noticed.                          
                     
The goal of the Mocha Autism Network is to provide what we call the 3A Strategic Mission:

Awareness

We will help promote awareness of not only Autism Spectrum indicators but the assessment process, how an Education plan is done, and the rights of Parents/Students. 

Advocacy 

We will promote and help develop strategies/tools for parents and children. Parents/Children need to know not only who to ask, but what to ask for.

Alliances

We will provide networking opportunities for parents and children that are working through the Autism Spectrum. 

I'm so excited to be able to help this grassroots non-profit and hopefully help them expand. Please help me make that a reality!

Raffle Details:

During the last week of the month, you can purchase raffle tickets and/or donate via the "DONATE" button on this blog. If you'd like your donation to go to the construction of the quilts, instead of to the specific organization, please email me/message me on Instagram and we'll make other arrangements for you to donate.

On the last day of the month, I will draw a winner from the raffle ticket purchases and send this quilt to you! I will also publish how much money was raised and make the donation to this month's organization.

Cross Plus Block Construction: 

I chose this block and resized it so that you can hopefully use up some scraps! Change the world and use up scraps! It's a win/win! You can use a jelly roll strip or charm squares for almost every part of this block. For this block drive, we're using the instructions on Bad Skirt's blog, with a couple changes. 

1. Your cutting instructions will be slightly bigger because our block will be 10.5" unfinished, instead of the 8" in her tutorial. You'll need one print for the center +, one black print for the outer edges, a variety of low volume prints, and 4 bright, happy squares, as pictured in the diagram below. Because we want bright, saturated fabrics, please stay away from NAVY, GRAY, AND BROWN for any part of this block. 

2. The tutorial has you cut the larger squares on the bias. You don't need to do that for this block. Just cut your 4.5" squares as normal. 

Make the outer "spokes" first, pressing towards the middle (aka, the darker fabric). Then assemble the center + and black prints, pressing towards the center + fabric. Then assemble the rows. 

You can see in this photo the pressing directions. When you assemble your rows, press towards the middle. Same when you finish the block. If you feel strongly about it, you can also press all seams open. 

When you finish your block(s), please consider doing a 1/8" staystitch around the edge. I promise, the person assembling the quilt and the quilter will love you for it.

When your blocks are ready, just message me on Instagram or email me at simplypurplepoppy@gmail.com and I'll send you my shipping address. Please make sure your blocks are sent in a waterproof bag. I'd hate for all your hard work to be ruined by the postal system!

I want to take a brief moment to thank you in advance. First, for reading through this entire post (phew!). And second, for your good, kind hearts. In working with at-risk kids in schools and communities, it's so easy to get discouraged and feel helpless. I know it may not feel like you're changing the world by making a few quilt blocks and using up scraps, but I've seen so much good come from small acts of love. So, thank you for being so wonderful and good in a world that often only sees the negative. I feel lucky to be a part of this amazing creative community.