Rays of Sunshine

Louise here, eager to share this lovely batch of quilts. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, because there are TONS of photos today! All these quilts were pieced by the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild and finished by Charlotte K. While you zoom in and have your mind boggled by Charlotte's amazing quilting, I'll tell you more about Sunshine. 

Sunshine is a completely "remote" guild, meeting online using the MeWe.com social media site. MeWe is a bit like Facebook, but smaller and more intimate. Members, or "Sunnies" sew up quilts for charity and share their finishes online. Recently, the guild selected Covered in Love as one of the three charities they support.

About once a year, Sunshine also has an in-person retreat, moving around the country to make it accessible to as many members as possible. East coast, west coast, midwest, south...they've had some diverse retreat locations. The 2023 retreat was in Flat Rock, NC, and all these quilt tops were assembled there.

The guild selects a block or two for members to stitch up in advance of the retreat and mail in to the retreat coordinator. Then the blocks are put together on retreat weekend in a flurry of sewing and camaraderie. Lots of good food, good fun, and local activities are thrown in for good measure. Retreat attendance isn't required, of course, but those who attend report having a most excellent time!

This year's retreat blocks were snowballs and the big blocks in the quilt photo above. Isn't that a neat block? A different local guild donated a huge batch of nine patches. And a handful of Ohio Star blocks were made to honor the memory of a beloved Sunnie, Carol.

After the retreat, the tops were distributed among the members to baste, quilt and bind. The finishes were done by both folks who attended the retreat and other, more remote members. What an amazing group effort! Charlotte, a very active and talented member, finished this big group and her quilting is fantastic!

I joined the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild a number of years ago, and I just love being part of this group. They are the most upbeat, positive, supportive group of quilters you'll ever meet on the internet. 

Membership is open to any quilter, beginner or advanced. I invite you to join, especially if you enjoy charity sewing! The group shares photos, tips and tricks, free patterns...anything quilt related. If you decide to click this link to join, you'll be prompted to set up a MeWe account. I've never had any problems with MeWe, no spam, etc. It's easy to use either on your phone or home computer.

Many thanks to Charlotte and the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild for these wonderful quilts! They are sure to bring comfort to the families that are supported by Covered in Love.