Placemats for Meals on Wheels

Each year FKQG makes placemats for the local Meals on Wheels program.  In 2025 we donated 523 placemats in time for the holiday season.  Placemats should be a standard placemat size, 14" x 16" give or take an inch, (no smaller than 12” x 14”) with a single layer of batting inside. Try to make your placemats as flat as possible by using a single layer of batting or fusible fleece. Use orphan blocks leftover from a quilt or a class project, two fat quarters that you have no plans for, or some fabric you have fallen out of love with - the ideas are endless.  Need some pattern ideas?  There are dozens of tutorials on YouTube. Use your creativity, experiment, and have fun. Anything goes!

Each placemat should have a FKQG label attached to the backside, identified with your full first name and first initial of your last name.  You may pick up labels at our monthly guild meetings, or print your own by clicking the blue button, below.  Placemats will be collected by Helen Abernathy at our monthly meetings.    

FKQG labels

                                                                        KiDZQuilts

Preemies born in Sarasota County and four surrounding counties are sent to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH). Over the past decade, our KiDZQuilts community service project has provided more than 7,000 baby quilts to the NICU.

DESIGN - Cheerful and colorful quilts are best. Traditional pinks and blues are popular, but many folks love bright colors, children's themes and even pre-printed panels that are incorporated into the quilt. Quilts can be a simple design such as a nine patch, or an advanced technique. Scrappy quilts are fun. 
CONSTRUCTION - If you make a quilt that you would be pleased to give to a good friend's baby or grandchild, then you are creating the right quilt. Please carefully check for pins and untied threads. Do not use embellishments such as buttons, lace, bows or invisible thread. The quilts can be machine or hand quilted. No tied quilts, please. Please machine stitch bindings (hand finishing in places is fine). An envelope-style quilt is fine - just remember to machine stitch it together. Quality should preempt quantity!
SIZES - The ideal quilt size is no smaller than 30” and no larger than 38.” Quilts can be square or rectangular in shape.  Larger quilts may be donated to SMH for use in their children's ward.
FABRIC - Use good quality fabric - 100% cotton is best but a blend with some polyester is OK. Do not use fabric with "sparkles." To remove sizing, prevent shrinkage and to keep colors from running, wash and dry at home prior to construction. Flannel should be washed and dried four times, as this fabric has progressive shrinkage. In the NICU, quilts are laundered in a machine with a heat booster; they are too hot to touch at the end of the wash cycle. 
BATTING - Durability is important. Space your quilting following instructions for the kind of batting you are using. A low loft batting is best.
LABELS  -  All quilts should have a FKQG label attached to the backside and identified with your full first name, and first initial of your last name.  Labels are available at guild meetings, or you may print your own using the blue button, below.
 KiDZquilts label
 Please bring your KiDZquilts to our monthly meetings and contact Linda Eichhorn or Linda Forestier if you have questions.

                                                              Tidewell Hospice

We provide many quilts to Tidewell Hospice. They are always impressed with our generosity, productivity and creativity!  When delivered, each quilt is admired, then matched with a hospice patient.  TIdewell Hospice would prefer to receive quilts that are in the range of 40"x50" or 50"x60".   You may wish to search "3-Yard Quilt" patterns online, as these quilts easily fall into the requested size range. 

All Hospice quilts should have a FKQG label attached to the backside and be identified with your full first name and the first initial of your last name.  You may pick up labels at our monthly guild meetings or print your own by using the blue button, below. 

In 2026, FKQG will have three community service sew-ins where you may work on quilts.  You may turn in your hospice quilts to Suzie Weinbach at any guild meeting or contact her if you have questions.
 FKQG labels

                                                                         Fidget Quilts

Cass Bowen is collecting Fidget Quilts for elders with dementia. The more sensory, the better.

All Fidget Quilts should have a FKQG label attached to the backside and be identified with your full first name and first initial of your last name.  You may pick up labels at one of our monthly guild meetings or print your own using the blue button. 
 FKQG labels        Here is a resource that gives some ideas and guidelines: https://hellosewing.com/free-fidget-quilt-ideas/.