Quilting Queens raise money for Save the Family

Submitted by Steve Carr on behalf of Save the Family.

If you measured a quilt created by six East Valley quilters in basketball terms, it would be taller than 6-foot-8 LeBron James with a wingspan wider than Shaquille O'Neill's 7-foot-1 stretch from fingertip to fingertip.

But the East Valley Quilting Queens measure it by how much money it can raise for Save the Family, a Mesa-based non-profit that provides transitional housing for homeless families with children and a pathway to jobs for self sufficiency.

"We toured Save the Family and were very impressed with the services they provide, and we love the way they hold the people who come through there accountable," said Sheila Pulford, one of the quilters who contributed to the 75 collective hours it took to create the 88-by-94 inch quilt.

"It was quite a process. We contributed everything from the fabric to the batting and the sewing. When we came up with the idea for the design, we shared the work with some cutting out the design, some sewing and others ironing."

The group is working on 80 pillowcases and baby quilts for the organization to give to families accepted into the program.

Save the Family is offering the opportunity to own the quilt through the Save the Family Mother's Day Quilt Raffle. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Complete registration information is available at www.savethefamily.org/events. The winner will be chosen May 1.

Made from batik fabric in a Carpenter's Star pattern, the queen size comforter was hand-cut, pieced and stitched together by Pulford, Janie Badger, Becky Lamson, Candy Schadle, Beverly Stevenson and Diane Weldon. They began working as a team five years ago while taking a quilting class at Mulqueen's Sewing Center in Mesa, a retail store they still call home.

"We have all made quilts for charities in other groups, but decided "a couple of years ago to focus our effort on one single charity," said Pulford, who knew about Save the Family while working at AT&T until her retirement. "And, we wanted a non-profit that was local to where we all live" which includes Mesa, Fountain Hills and Sun Lakes.

Working on this quilt involved what Pulford called "sew days" which ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in addition to regular two-hour get togethers every other Friday.

"What makes this gift to Save the Family particularly heart warming is how deeply the Quilting Queens believe in our mission because they know that everyone has been touched by someone whose family has landed on hard times," Save the Family Chief Executive Officer Jacki Taylor said. "We are very grateful."

For more information about Save the Family, visit www.savethefamily.org.