Fundraising Event a Success!

Our first fund raising event, a Chicken and Tips Dinner, sponsored by Laack's Hall in Johnsonville was a big success. Over 500 were served! The proceeds from the dinner and raffles was $4,200.  Numbers from from the NO DINNER tickets are not yet available.  We are VERY pleased with the results and the profits came at just the right time.  Our fabric supplier just informed us he has 2,000 yards of the army waterproof fabric and this fabric was being discontinued.  Having the proceeds in hand enabled us to purchase all 2,000 yards.  This sounds like a LOT of fabric---and it is, but with making over 500 quilts a month this is just a 2 month supply.

For those of you who are out of town, and even out of state you can still be part of this fund raiser by purchasing a NO DINNER ticket. Simply purchase your NO DINNER ticket by sending a contribution for the Camo Quilt Project. Indicate it is for a NO DINNER ticket. See the side bar for information on how to make a contribution.

THANK YOU to all those who donated prizes for the raffle, helped at the dinner and supported the CQP by attending this great event.  Without all of your support and work the dinner would not have happened.  A special thank you to Carl Laack and his staff for sponsoring this event.

Shout Out to M.A.S Industries

Thank you to M.A.S. Industries in Plymouth WI for their donation to the Camo Quilt Project making it possible for us to get a 3' x 5' Banner of our logo.  The banner will be attached to our building (until the time we have an actual sign) and it will be used at CQP functions such as the Chicken and Tips fundraising dinner and in parades.  Besides the banner, we also were able to get 15 signs that show our logo and  WORKSHOP TODAY.  These will be used at the various off-site workshops that are held.  Having the banner and signs will make it so much easier for volunteers to find us.  Please take time to click on the M.A.S. logo and send a note of thanks to them.

Special Request for 7 Replacement Quilts

(UPDATE:  The replacement quilts have been completed and sent to this unit)

The CQP made 14 quilts for the 911th FST that deployed to Iraq in May.  On 10/08/201 we received the following email:

"Dear Linda,  You are the wonderful organization who supplied quilts for our 14 member unit that deployed to Iraq in May.  We have cherished them and all use them. Unfortunately, seven of our members lost all of their personal belongings when their sleep tent was hit by enemy mortar fire about a month ago....inclusive of the quilts you all hand made them.  They are saddened by the loss of these quilts.  I am wondering, Linda, if you could make these quilts for these seven members again and ship them to them.  I know it is alot to ask and you have been so generous to us.  But it would mean so much to these people to boost their morale and give them back some very good memories.  I have a list of the names and  their address of the base they are stationed at.  They are in a very very remote austere environment and  would truly appreciate that touch from home."
 
It saddens us that these 7 soldiers have suffered such a loss, but we are thankful that they were able to reach safety and were not injured.  Although we have over 1000 quilts on order, we want to do what we can to make new quilts for these 7 soldiers and to get them sent to Iraq ASAP. Cost to make them would be about $140 and it would cost another $25-$50 to send them to Iraq.  There are already several volunteers who have said they would work extra hours to help make the quilts. If you would like to help cover the cost of these quilts please let us know.

Orders, Orders and more Orders!

No, I am not talking about the military orders our young men and women in the service receive. I am talking about orders for camo quilts. Right now we have about 1100 quilts that have been ordered and need to be made. It is a bit overwhelming---but our volunteers are working hard to complete the orders. Wouldn't YOU like to be one of our volunteers?

Where do the orders come from? A parent might request a quilt for their son or daughter. Sometimes it is a grandparent or other relative that orders the quilt. Orders have also been received directly from Iraq or Afghanistan. It might be a commander ordering a quilt for the entire unit or it could come from an individual who received a quilt who then orders one for the rest of the unit. An order may be for 1 quilt going to an individual or it could be an order for anywhere from 20 to 200 depending on the size of a unit.

With all the publicity the Camo Quilt Project (CQP) has had lately, the orders are rolling in---now we just need more volunteers to come and join us in making the quilts.

How much does a Camo Quilt Cost?

The quilts are given to our troops free of charge. If you would like to donate money for a quilt, it costs $25 for the materials to make a quilt. Those who request the quilts pay any shipping charges to send the quilt to their soldier/marine/airman. Besides the cost of the quilt, it takes 3-5 hours to complete each quilt depending on the experience of the volunteer. Here is the break-down of the various tasks: 10 mins for pinning; 10 mins to zigzag 2 vertical rows; 30-60 mins to do the quilting, 10 mins to press 4 ties & 1 binding (7 yds); 45-90 mins to bind the quilt and 15-30 mins for miscellaneous tasks such as cutting, winding bobbins, trimming quilt, cleaning up, inserting card/brochure/cool-tie and rolling the quilt. Of course, the time to make a quilt at the shop depends on how much "chatting" goes on among the volunteers. :)

How to Order a Quilt

If you would like to order a quilt for armed forces deployed overseas, email Linda at linda.camoquilt@gmail.com, or call her at 920-627-3460.  The quilt is a GIFT of appreciation, however, we do ask to be reimbursed for the cost of shipping. When ordering a quilt, please provide the following information:

1. Name of the serviceman ( if ordering for a unit, the name of the unit and # of quilts needed)
2. Area of deployment (If not yet deployed -- the expected date of deployment)
3. Branch of service (Army, Air Force, Marine, if Navy, the branch they are serving with)
4. Shipping address.  (We will let you know what it cost for shipping so you can reimburse us)
5. Contact person - who to contact when the order is shipped so we can advise them of the cost of shipping.  Approximate cost is $10 if a single quilt is shipped.  If 10 quilts or more are shipped the approximate cost is $3 per quilt.

Keep in mind that we often have a backlog of orders, so it may be 6-12 weeks before we can fill an order. Orders are usually completed on a first come, first served basis.

Quilt Kits are also available for those who want to make a camo quilt to be given to a family member or friend who is deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Kits include pre-cut fabric for the quilt and cool-tie and instructions for sewing them. Kits are free of charge, but we ask that postage be reimbursed. Please specify that you want a kit to sew when you place your order. Also specify if you want us to send the batting or if you will purchase the 100% Warm & Natural batting yourself (2 yds of 45").