Quilting…for the Rest of Us

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This page is a listing of places where you can buy quilting supplies (fabric, embellishments, etc.) and support meaningful causes at the same time. "Social Entrepreneurs" use business to help underprivileged people gain marketable skills and work towards self-sufficiency. I'll keep adding to this page as I learn about new businesses. Leave comments with your own additions as well! (Note--shop at your own risk. I may not have personal experience with all of the organizations listed. I try to do due diligence to make sure organizations are legitimate but sometimes that's more difficult than others. I'm just sharing information I come across.)

Join the "Quilting...for the Rest of Us" Kiva team: http://www.kiva.org/team/quiltingfortherestofus  (For more information about Kiva, go to www.kiva.org first and check it out. Then, if you decide to become a member of Kiva, you can join the QFTRU team with the above link or by clicking on "Community," search for our team name in teams, and join that way.)

Baba Blankets--www.babablanket.com--African fabrics and quilted items. "Our mission is to create inspiring cultural works that provide sustainable income and well-deserved development opportunities for African women & girls." (Aminata Brown, founder and designer of Baba Blankets, was the subject of my interview in episode 29, "In Which We Meet BabaBlankets.") For an article about Brown and Baba Blankets: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_10_38/ai_n25385062/

PeaceQuilts Haiti--www.haitipeacequilts.org--working to relieve poverty in Haiti by establishing and supporting independent women's quilting cooperatives. Sell art quilts created by Haitian women, plus metalwork.  Are also being carried in Macy's. (This has been written up in a lot of places and there's a touring museum exhibition which launched at Bennington Museum in Vermont. I have purchased their book, Patience to Raise the Sun: Art Quilts from Haiti, based on the exhibition.)

Akonye Kena--www.akonyekena.com--"Akonye Kena provides at risk, impoverished and war-affected youth in East Africa the training and opportunities to become self-sufficient." Handrafted beads from recycled papers, hand-dyed silk scarves, variety of quilt kits and patterns. Listeners to "Quilting...for the Rest of Us" can use the promo code Q4REST to receive a 20% discount!

Keepsake Theme Quilts and Wallhangings, Columbus, OH--www.tshirtquilts.com--create keepsake quilts from your t-shirts. Net proceeds from sales of quilts benefit deaf and hard-of-hearing youth, and Keepsake Theme Quilts provides meaningful employment for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing where communication is not a barrier to participation. (I have no personal knowledge of this organization but was impressed by the content on their website. If anyone knows more about this organization, let me know. Thanks!)

Imagine Hope--www.imaginehopeworldwide.org. This is the initiative founded by textile artist Hollis Chatelaine. It's a special exhibit featuring her art quilts plus photography on topics of global issues such as poverty, war, refugees, environmental justice, and more. The Imagine Hope website has a store where you can purchase items such as notecards and a totebag featuring Hollis' artwork, plus lapel pins, bookmarks, and other items promoting the Imagine Hope project. Excellent gifts for anyone--not just quilters!

Women for Women International--www.womenforwomen.org--Their mission is "to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives." Go to their "Gifts that Give Back" page and click on "Job Training." Among other supplies, you can donate the equivalent of funds to provide sewing notions and thread, or fabric, to micro-enterprise projects in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and DR Congo to help women become self-sufficient.