One of purposes of our guild as stated in our Bylaws is “to participate in community education and service”. Our guild has several projects dedicated to Community Service.
Current Community Service Projects
*Patient Bags(drawstring bags) are donated to the Women’s Center at Muhlenberg Hospital in Allentown. Breast cancer patients who come there select a bag to use to carry pamphlets and medical products provided to them.
*Large Breast Pillows are donated to Lehigh Valley Health Network. Women use these to protect them from seat belts in cars.
*Clothing Protectors(Adult Bibs) and Walker Bags are donated to Gracedale Nursing Home. The residents and staff greatly appreciate them.
*Tummy Time Baby Quilts are donated to St. Luke’s Visiting Nurse Association. The quilts are provided to new mothers to use with newborns to help babies build strength and neck control.
We prepare “kits” for these projects which can be picked up at guild meetings to take home to sew. If you have material in your fabric stash you can use it to make these projects or donate them to Community Service to use to prepare kits. Please use scent free material.
Patterns for Patient Bags, Walker Bags and Tummy Time Baby Quilts along with video links are listed below. Paper patterns with instructions for the Large Breast Pillow and Clothing Protector are available at guild meetings.
Patient Bags
Clothing Protector Directions
Walker Bag Directions
Click on the Link below to view the Walker Bag directions on YouTube:
Walker Bag Tutorial on YouTube
Walker Bag Measurements:
Tummy Time Quilts
Our guild’s newest project in 2025 is creating Tummy Time baby quilts that are donated to the
Visiting Nurses Association of Allentown.
When a mother returns home from the hospital, the visiting nurse uses one of our quilts to show the new mother how to spend tummy time with her baby. Tummy time refers to placing your baby on their stomach for brief, supervised sessions while they’re awake. This position helps infants develop strong neck and shoulder muscles, enhances their motor skills, and prevents flat spots on their heads associated with spending too much time lying on their backs.
Tummy Time Quilts can be square or rectangular with the measurements being no less than 35 inches and no bigger than 45 inches. Below are some of the quilts we’ve shared. This is a rewarding project for our guild.
Directions for Tummy Time Quilts
Tummy Time Quilt Using 5″ Blocks
Contains: At least 36 (18 light and 18 dark) 5-inch blocks, Four 5-inch-wide strips long enough to make borders, 2 ½ inch strips for binding. The 36 blocks should be arranged in 6 by 6 order, alternating dark and light blocks. After all the blocks are sewn, cut the border strips to the correct length, and add them. The quilt top should be approximately 36 ½ inches square when finished. Sew 2 ½ inch strips together to make binding.
Final Quilt Assembly Options
- Layer quilt top, batting and backing together, then quilt as desired and attach binding.
- Put quilt top, batting and backing together without binding using Pillowcase Technique, then quilt as desired.
- Give quilt top to Community Service Committee to quilt. After quilting is completed, it will be returned to you to attach binding to finish the quilting process.
- Return the plastic bag and any unused blocks or strips to the Community Service Committee so they can be used for future kits.
Tummy Time Quilts Using 4 1/2″ Strips
Contains: 9 strips (5 prints and 4 plain/solids) 4 ½ inches wide by width of fabric, 2 ½ inch strips for binding. Sew the 9 strips together in rows, alternating print with plain/solid strips. The strips are grouped this way in the bag. The quilt top should be approximately 36 ½ inches long by 40 inches wide. Trim the width the same size as the length of the quilt. Sew 2 ½ inch strips together to make binding.
Final Quilt Assembly Options
- Layer quilt top, batting and backing together, then quilt as desired and attach binding.
- Put quilt top, batting and backing together without binding using the Pillow Case Technique, then quilt as desired.
- Give quilt top to Community Service Committee to quilt. After quilting is completed, it will be returned to you to attach binding to finish the quilting process.
- Return the plastic bag and any unused material to the Community Service Committee so they can be reused for future kits.
Tummy Time/Baby Quilt Kit Using 6 ½-inch Blocks
Contains: 36 (18 prints and 18 plain) 6 ½-inch-blocks, 2 ½ inch strips for binding. The blocks should be arranged in rows of 6 blocks, alternating prints with plain block. They are grouped this way in the bag. Sew 6 rows of alternating prints and plain block. Sew the 6 rows together. The quilt top should be approximately 36 ½ inches square when finished. Sew 2 ½” strips together to make binding.
Final Quilt Assembly Options
- Layer quilt top, batting and backing together, then quilt as desired and attach binding.
- Put quilt top, batting and backing together without binding using Pillowcase Technique, then quilt as desired.
- Give quilt top to Community Service Committee to quilt.
- After quilting is completed, it will be returned to you to attach binding to finish the quilting process.
- Return the plastic bag and any unused material to the Community Service Committee so they can be reused for future kits.