Create for a Cause

Island Batik’s February challenge is to make a quilt for a cause.

I started this challenge nearly at the beginning of January, as I had to get it to the long arm quilter. I was lucky enough that I had be in isolation all Christmas vacation and my super great friend, Tina, who had been in remote Alaska for a couple weeks, came home and we were able to sew together before I had to go back to school. We had not been able to get together, without masks, and in close proximity since August! It was wonderful gift–to sew with my friend.

I chose a great pattern by Latifah Saafir: Clam Toss. I also used her 8″ clamshell acrylic to cut it out. It was a fun, easy pattern that I used the fabric collection, Melody by Claudia Pheil of Claudia Pheil Design for Island Batik. I used Schmetz Needles (70/10 for all my piecing!). I love how sharp they are—leaving the tiniest stitching hole. I also ALWAYS us Aurifil 50 wt thread for all my piecing.

My great friend, Martha Branson of Compass Rose Quilting, put it all together and quilted an all over pattern to complement the clamshell pattern. I had Martha quilt with Hobbs Heirloom cotton Batt. It’s just buttery soft!

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The quilt all bound looked like this:

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pictures taken by Tina Fairbanks

I had originally wanted to donate this quilt to an organization who are working on the human rights crisis of Missing and Missing Indigenous Women. Which is a huge problem in Canada and Alaska (as well as other US States). According to Wikipedia “In the US, Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience violence than any other demographic. One in three Native women is sexually assaulted during her life, and 67% of these assaults are perpetrated by non-Natives. The federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was reauthorized in 2013, which for the first time gave tribes jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute felony domestic violence offenses involving both Native American and non-Native offenders on reservations. In 2019, the Democratic House passed H.R. 1585 (Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019) by a vote of 263–158, which increases tribes’ prosecution rights much further. However, in the Republican Senate, its progress has stalled. Law enforcement, journalists, and activists in Indigenous communities in both the US and Canada have fought to bring awareness to the connection between sex trafficking, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the women who go missing and are murdered.”

As a lifelong Alaskan I have seen the need for strong, well funded programs that focus on supporting women/children’s safety. Many programs still have to do much fundraising to make full good budgets that support their mission. It is with this in mind that I choose to support the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center.

This quilt will be donated to:

Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center Mission Statement:

The Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) is dedicated to strengthening local, tribal government’s responses through community organizing efforts advocating for the safety of women and children in their communities and homes, especially against domestic and sexual abuse and violence. Through the voices, languages, and teachings of tribes, survivors and advocates, and in partnership with our allies and other stakeholders, the AKNWRC provides a voice at the local, statewide, national and international levels for life-saving changes needed in laws, policies, and social norms. The Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center envisions our Tribal women, communities and families free from violence, healing the trauma and utilizing the wisdom of our ancestors to create effective community/Tribal responses to domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, trafficking, sexual assault, and related injustices.

What We They Do and How They Do It (from an Indigenous based view)

* Develop training and technical assistance tools and other resources with villages based on our curriculum and village-specific needs assessments. * Empower tribes and strengthen local responses to domestic violence.Increase access to resources including access to tribal protection orders. * Create public awareness materials such as webinars, social media, toolkits, and fact sheets to bring attention to domestic and gender-based violence including sexual assault, sex trafficking, and missing and murdered Indigenous women. * Identify and remove system barriers for the purpose of improving access within villages to victim services. * Organize an annual Unity Meeting Pre-Alaska Federation of Natives * Provide information and legislative and policy updates at the NCAI VAW Task Force and the Alaska Tribal Caucus.

This week, you can win either a 10” Stack or a 2-1/2” Strip pack from the Mystery collection designed by Claudia Pfeil. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. The giveaway ends February 12th at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be notified via email on February 13th and announced February 16th. If the winners do not respond within two days of being notified, two new random winners will be chosen.

A Stack or Strip of Mystery by Claudia Pfeil)

Please check out Island Batik’s Blog for giveaway entry

For my own Blog giveaway I will randomly select a person who comments below on/about February 18th and send the 35 “extra” blocks I have left over from cutting out the quilt. These were cut using Latifah Saafir’s 8″ Clammy. Please check out my fellow Ambassador’s blogs–there are some amazing quilts and Causes.

I used Island Batik’s great fabric in this quilt. Aurifil thread was used to piece this quilt. Schmetz Needles are ALWAYS in my machine and I used their 70/10s everyday, all day. I used Hobbs Heirloom Premium Cotton Batting in it.

See schedule below

February 1:

• Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts
• Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

February 2:

• Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
• Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

February 3:

• Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
• Pamela Boatright, PamelaQuilts

February 4:

• Janet Yamamoto, Whispers of Yore
• Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

February 5:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

February 8:

• Megan Best, Bestquilter
• Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

February 9:

• Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter
• Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

February 10:

• Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
• Jennifer Eubank, Archipelago Quilting

February 11:

• Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
• Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

February 12:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

February 15:

• Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs
• Joanne Hart, Unicornharts

February 16:

• Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
• Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

February 17:

• Sally Manke, Sally Manke Fiber Artist
• Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

February 18:

• Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
• Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky