THANK YOU
SHENA

For coming to our meeting and giving

GROWLS members information on how

we can be involved with this exciting project.

We live on a fragile planet. What a good way to say NO to

oil tankers/pipelines by individuals

creating squares for quilts. Quilts tell a story.

Maybe we can wrap this wounded world in

a beautiful quilt .

Peace and Love from GROWLS

Taking responsibility

Spotted recently at a BP gas station...

Oceans Day on Gabriola

I spent the afternoon talking up the UnspOILed Coast Quilt project at Descanso Bay campground where many had gathered to celebrate "Oceans of Life".

Did you know that there are a field of hot hydrothermal vents called Endeavour, off the coast of British Columbia, which is home to 12 species that do not exist anywhere else in the world? Or that sea sponges are used in drugs to treat asthma and cancer? And that one oyster alone can help to clean approximately 50 gallons of water each day as it filters plankton from seawater? Just three of the thousands of reasons why we need to protect it at all costs...

Check out the World Oceans Day Website at: http://www.theoceanproject.org/wod/wod.php

The UnspOILed Coast Quilt Project

PURPOSE
To fundraise for the "No Tankers" campaign, to advocate for a permanent ban on off-shore drilling in BC, and to raise public awareness about the issues.

THEME
Use your imagination to make a quilt block in celebration of something special and worth protecting on our BC coast.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME to make a quilt square--quilters, artists, kids, and everyday people.
If you can't sew, don't worry - you can paint or draw on fabric!

SIZE: you can make a square or a rectangle.

o Square: 13” by 13”
Keep your design away from the very edge - leave a half-inch around each side for the seams.

o Rectangle: 13” by 28” (these dimensions may seem odd, but the extra length is needed for the pieces of the quilt to fit together properly).
Keep your design away from the very edge - leave a half-inch around each side for the seams.

o When the quilt is sewn together, the finished squares will be 12" x 12", and the finished rectangles will be 12” x 27”, and anything too close to the edges may disappear into the seams

MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, TECHNIQUES
o You can use any fabric you wish, as long as it is durable. Cotton quilt fabrics are easy to work with, but fancy or unusual fabrics are fine too. Feel free to add stuff to decorate or embellish your square.

o You can use unconventional techniques, as long as your square is durable. Fabric paints, acrylic paints, and permanent felt markers are fine, and so is stitching, of course.

o For advice or fabric scraps, please contact Kristin kristinmiller@shaw.ca

PROCESS
In the autumn, we will sew the squares together and do the quilting. Then the quilt will be covered with numerous black patches and put on display at a fundraising event.

With each donation received, a patch is removed, until the quilt is revealed in all its glory. Then we can decide as a group whether to keep, sell, or donate the quilt.

We want to fundraise for the Dogwood Initiatives “No Tankers” campaign, to advocate for a permanent ban on oil drilling in BC coastal waters, and perhaps also to raise money for grass-roots programs benefiting coastal Louisiana.

DEADLINE to finish quilt squares: August 1st, 2010

FOR MORE INFORMATION please contact Shena Meadowcroft at shenam@shaw.ca

And so it begins...

On May 31, 2010, Kristin Miller, a quilter on Gabriola Island, BC, sent out an email to ten people with the following words: "The terrible mess with the BP oil well off the Louisiana coast has me sick at heart, and feeling the need to do something to help prevent a similar disaster on our coast, and perhaps also to help out in Louisiana somehow..." she went on to outline some of her ideas.

Nine of the ten people immediately responded positively with comments ranging from "great idea" to "I'd love to be part of it" to "Count me in!"
The very next day six of these women met at Kristin's to discuss the concept further.

Within 24 hours a movement was underway...