Mostly because I’ve always wanted to sew for charity, and even more after discovering that Katherine Bell, who wrote this book, is a gradaute of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop (in my poetry days—yes, I had my poetry days!—several teachers spoke highly of the writing program). I found out about the book on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog today and reading about it makes me want to run to a bookstore at lunch to get myself a copy! (Though, I do have some points to spend on Amazon, which carries the book, too!) Katherine Bell says of her project:

…it’s a collection of stories about quilters who quilt to change the world. I interviewed an extraordinary assortment of women (and a few men) for this book. Some have organized groups of quilters to provide warm bedding to people made homeless by poverty, violence, or natural disasters. Some make quilts to comfort those who are sick, hurt, or grieving. And still others use their craft to raise money and draw attention to a cause—the AIDS quilt is the most famous of these. The quilters I encountered during the making of this book had a few things in common: practicality and old-fashioned resourcefulness; considerable persuasive and organizational skills; a firm belief in justice and people’s responsibility for each other; and a faith in patchwork’s ability to absorb the maker’s care, respect, and on occasion outrage, and to let whoever touches the quilt feel those as well. These needle-wielding activists made me believe I could do so much more to make a difference in the world, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.

It includes patterns and projects for newborns in need, quilts for soldiers, blankets for the homeless and gifts that support breast cancer charities, among others. Definitely something to look forward to in the new year: sewing projects that make a difference!