Finally, My Own Digital Program

Today, I finally got our digital camera program uploaded on my computer, so now I can take pictures and add them to my blog at anytime of the day or night without having to ask DH when he will be off his computer.

The quilt pictures above are of the front and back of a quilt I just completed for some homeless teen in our area. After speaking to several homeless teens in the area, the one common thread they all shared was how wet and cold they get in the rain all the time and that there are no places to hide from the rain because local businesses won't let them in their shops.

This quilt was made with that in mind. It has double batting as well as a layer of waterproof material between the layers. I am hoping that this will work well, but some have said it will be hard for the middle layer to dry, so I am still trying to perfect a quilt that will help protect these

Speaking of young men and women of our community, I wanted to share with you some pictures of a quilt that while I put it together, the students from North Beach High School in Ocean Shores, Washington did all the art work you see on the quilt.

As an Americorps worker, we worked with a group of 7th and 8th grade junior high students from North Beach in teaching them what they can do as a group of young people in their community that have no money. They choose in the end to work with the local animal shelter and clean it up and I can tell you that I have never been prouder of a group of kids as these.

They were ready to go on the bus on time and they loaded wheel barrow after wheel barrow of trash, debris and tires to be burnt or recycled. They walked dogs, groomed cats and cleaned and sanitized the bathing area & they did it with smiles and jokes and friendship.

During the weeks that preceded their project, they were supposed to be given pieces of paper to make a quilt with, however, being I am a quilter, I wanted them to have something more permanent, so I gave them all a white quilting square and asked them to think about their community and draw something on each square they felt was important to them and made their community.

The following quilt pictures are the quilt they helped put together and that is now hanging in the Ocean Shores City utilities department for everyone to see when they come in to pay their bills.
Some of the quilt squares showed an Eagle (Eagles can be seen frequently in this area or in the Quinault Rain Forest). One showed McDonalds (it is the only fast food business in the area), another showed the importance of the tourist industry to the area by making the sign from the Days Inn. There is the IGA (the local shopping market), one that just says PEOPLE, several that show the beach & sun.

Since ferns grow naturally and wild in the area, I bordered each picture with fern fabric and then did the border and back in a pink & green Batik as the vote for the group was pink for the fabric #1 & #2 was green.

If you ever hear of a group of students in Ocean Shores calling themselves the 'Vroomin Ninja Elephants,' rest assured this is not a gang, but it is the group of 15 young students who took part in the Civic Engagement responsibility project with the 2007/2008 Americorps team from Grays Harbor County.

If you know of any of these young students, tell them thank you for caring!