As you’ve probably heard, there was a terrible shooting at Pulse nightclub here in Orlando last weekend that took the lives of 49 people and injured 53 others. I’m still trying to figure out my own reaction to it – I’m heartbroken, I’m traumatized, I’m angry, and I’ve been processing a lot of emotions over the past week. I’ve been keeping busy doing what I can to reach out and help those who have been affected. I’m filled with hope and warmth as I look out and see several hour waits at blood banks, trucks full of water and juice and food being unloaded at places like The Center and the Zebra Coalition for anyone who needs it, and our community coming together to help each other get through it. Orlando is a weird, hot, sometimes annoying, beautiful, diverse, and loving city and it breaks my heart that something like this has happened here.

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild has set a goal to give quilts to the victims’ families, the survivors, and the first responders to the scene. It’s a huge undertaking, and we’ve already got so much support from all over! Major companies are donating supplies, quilters are sharing patterns on their blogs, and #QuiltsForPulse is taking over Instagram. We can use all of the help we can get, so if you’d like more information, please check out our website to see how you can contribute!

Below you can find links to free patterns, tutorials, collection sites, and other resources to help you get involved in the #QuiltsForPulse movement. You can also find some supplies (most of which I’ll probably be using!) on Amazon that are easily available if you don’t feel like trolling through a fabric store for the perfect fabric for a few hours (but why wouldn’t you want that?!). This list will be updated as more information becomes available!

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild – official post with details about our quilt drive

The Modern Quilt Guild – here is the MQG’s main post with information and sign-up forms for our quilt drive

Collection Sites & Sew Days

Gotham Quilts, NYC – a collection site for quilts, patterns, charity sew day on July 24

Patterns

CluckCluckSew – heart block pattern/tutorial

Life According to Sydney – video tutorial for making the heart block

Don’t Call Me Betsy – foundation paper piecing heart block

Happy Zombie – love quilt pattern

Threaded Quilting – modern heart block pattern

Rebecca Mae Designs – love wins quilt

Sotak Handmade – pixelated heart block/pillow

What The Bobbin – love wins heart block pattern

Sew Mama Sew – love wins hearts block pattern

Crimson Tate – scrappy heart block pattern

Hunter’s Design Studio – paper pieced heart

Supplies (these are NOT required to get involved – just suggestions if you want something quick and easy)

Quilter’s Candy Color Wheel Fat Quarter Sampler

Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton White Charm Pack

Simply Colorful Moda Charm Pack

Colorful Fabric Jelly Rolls — great for making binding!

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I seriously cannot say enough about how much it means to me and our whole guild that so many people are reaching out and getting involved in the #QuiltsForPulse movement. We’ve had major companies offer supplies and we’ve had tiny guilds send pictures of all the blocks they made at a sew day together. Your support truly means the world to me, and to the guild as well. Thank you so much — now go get quilting!