Quilts for Fort McMurray

Can you imagine what it would be like to have to leave your home with only a moments notice? You don’t even have time to pack a bag… not even so much as a toothbrush?

When we lived in Florida, we evacuated several times for hurricanes and tropical storms. We lived in a double-wide mobile home. A nice double-wide but a mobile home nonetheless. I’d seen what hurricanes could do to them.

We never sheltered in place. We always evacuated. I know all too well that feeling of wondering if our home would be there when we returned or if we’d go back to nothing.

By now many of you will have heard about the devastating wild fires that swept through Fort McMurray, Alberta last week causing the evacuation of the entire city of 80,000 people.

In Florida, we always had advance notice that an evacuation might be necessary. We had time to prepare. Time to pack. Time to gather our children from wherever they were and make sure we were all together and ready to leave.

The people in Fort McMurray didn’t have that luxury.

Even more than a week later, many don’t know if their home is one of the ones that the fires spared. Many don’t know if they will have jobs to go back to.

Dave and I have made our donations to the Red Cross and will donate more to local Fort McMurray organizations once people are allowed to return but in situations like this a person always wishes there was something more concrete, more tangible they could do to help.

So when I read the post from Stacey @slostudio on Instagram asking for Maple Leaf Quilt blocks, I knew I had to make some.

Can you spare 2 fat quarters and an hour of your time?

If so, I’d like to encourage you to make some as well.

And to help with that, I’ve written a step-by-step tutorial that will give you two 12 ½” Maple Leaf quilt blocks that you can donate.

Click on the photo to be taken to the tutorial!

They don’t have to be red and white. You can use any of the colors in the Alberta flag (pictured above) to make them.

Then once you’ve made your blocks, here’s the info from Stacey’s blog of where to send them.

“Along with some others from the Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild, I am collecting quilt blocks to make quilts that will be sent to those who have lost their homes in Fort McMurray. We would be grateful for blocks that you might be able to contribute:

• * Maple Leaf quilt blocks at 12.5″ square (unfinished; so they can be joined and finish at 12″ square)
• * Colours can include blue, yellow, green, red and white (like the Alberta flag) but two-colour blocks are preferred (i.e., use two of these colours in combination, like blue/yellow); any mix of print or solid fabrics are fine
• * Use any Maple Leaf pattern you’d like, or you can make an improvised leaf block – it’s up to you. Here are some examples of 12.5″ unfinished Maple Leaf tutorials online:
  • * From “All Patched Up”
  • * From equilters.com
  • * My basic tutorial here

Please mail blocks by June 30, 2016 to:

Quilts for Fort McMurray, c/o Mad About Patchwork, 2477 Huntley Road Stittsville ON, K2S 1B8, CANADA

If you are in the Ottawa area, you can drop blocks off in person to Mad About Patchwork.”

Click here to go to the tutorial!

I would be so pleased if you chose to share by clicking on one of the buttons below!