We gave five quilts to children in Phrae, Thailand.

The ladies in our quilt group are busy sewing quilts for kids in need.  Recently Linda sent 5 of our quilts to a newly built orphanage in Phrae, Thailand. It’s called Ban Meata which means House of Mercy. They take in children and babies who are in risk or crisis situations or have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Financial support for Mercy International’s operations comes from individuals, clubs, businesses and churches in Australia and other countries. They run three orphanages in Thailand in Khon Kaen, Petchabun and Phrae.

Wendy from Mercy International tells us, “Additionally, if you are interested in supporting one of our other homes in the future, it is based in the province of Petchabun and currently they have 90+ orphan kids in care there, ranging from 18 months thru to 16 years of age. I am sure they would treasure a quilt each too!  Thanks so much for blessing the kids in our care.”

New house for kids in need located in Phrae, Thailand.

One little boy said, “Is this for me? It’s beautiful!”

The kids love their quilts!

Habitat for Humanity Thailand

Our International School Bangkok high school students built houses for Habitat for Humanity Thailand. There were two trips. The students helped build two houses in Lampang and two houses in Udon Thani.

Udon Thani

Udon Thani

These quilts were both made by Debra, a member of our group who now lives in California. Way to go, Deb! The recipients of these quilts were surprised and happy to get a quilt to symbolize the warmth and friendship that went into the construction of their new houses.

History of Bangkok Quilt Group

Doris Gregory started our group in 1998. She taught several of us to quilt. We met at her house every Tuesday, where sewing machines were always set up, rulers and mats on the table ready to use. Doris created beginner patterns using Electric Quilt and made copies for everyone.

In 2001, Linda thought our group should make quilts for charity, specifically AIDS babies, and one of our quilt members took up the idea and then we were all at Doris’s house ironing and cutting and as they say the rest is history. To date our quilt group has made and distributed over 500 quilts. We put together pre-cut kits, patterns, batting and floss. Members of the group supply the labor. We also provide four quilts each year for our International School Bangkok students to take as house warming presents when the students work with Habitat for Humanity on week without walls.

When Doris moved back to the U.S. in 2003, the group decided to meet at a different person’s house each month. We have a coffee morning, every Tuesday morning, when International School Bangkok is in session. When school is out most people travel or go on home leave.

We sent 26 quilts to Le Refuge, a center for girls in Chiang Mai. Here are the girls from Le Refuge with their quilts in 2005.

In October 2005 we sent quilts to Laos with Kathleen and then took the rest to the Pakistani Embassy for earthquake victims in Pakistan. In 2006 we made quilts for Children of the Forest in Sangkhlaburi. Deb and Linda drove up there with the quilts and Deb became involved in teaching the children how to sew and do crafts, on an ongoing basis. In 2007 we gave quilts to the El Shaddai 2 Family in Sri Racha.

Marjolein’s beautiful quilts were in an art show at International School Bangkok. In October 2006 various quilts made by our group members were displayed at a crafts show at Tang Hua Seng department store.

People come and go, and when someone leaves we make a quilt for them. In the past we have made an elephant quilt for Margaret, cups and saucers for Bonnie, Thai houses for Cheryl, butterflies for Mary Ellen, friendship stars for Judie, plates for Barb P., paper pieced hearts for Bev, lanterns for Terri, bookshelves for Kathleen, signature blocks for Ellen and Rose, and coffee cups for Deb:

Mystery object

This is a mystery gift from Linda to each of us in quilt group. What is its real use? And what other uses can you find for it? It is a solid piece of wood with carvings on it, and it is 2 inches long (6 cm). Can you think of a quilting use?

Dharma Dye

Here are some pics of fabric which some of us in quilt group dyed using Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes and the Soda Soak Dye method. There are no pots and pans used, but just ziplock bags. Add fabric and leave overnight. The dye is available in the U.S. in powder or liquid form. The fabric shown here was: white fabric from Cotton House, unbleached muslin, and a white on white print. Here are the fabulous results. Won’t this fabric be wonderful for quilts. Also see my post about where to buy dye in Bangkok