Annual Heart of the Isaiah 117 House Quilt Fundraiser❤️

Hi! I am writing this as of 10-15-25, which means Part 1 of the annual Heart of the Isaiah 117 House Quilt Fundraiser is officially wrapped! We asked for 442 log cabin quilt blocks to make 12 quilts for foster care kids around the country--and you all filled up those sign-up sheets speedy fast! This means the log cabin blocks, as pieced tops, are now being finished by longarmers and finding their way back to Houston, TX. While I'm waiting on the quilts to arrive, it might be a good time to write a blog post about what the heck is going on, if you haven't already figured it out!

💛 What Is Isaiah 117 House?

When children are removed from their homes due to safety concerns, they often wait for placement in a child welfare office—scared, tired, and unsure of what’s next. Isaiah 117 House changes that story.

Each Isaiah 117 House (there are now over 40 across the U.S.!) opens its red door to children entering foster care, providing a warm, safe place to wait. Volunteers welcome them with clean clothes, a cozy blanket, a hot meal, and the kind of love that every child deserves.

Their mission is simple and powerful:

• Reduce trauma for children awaiting placement

• Lighten the load for child welfare services

• Ease the transition for foster families

It costs about $300-$400 to lavishly provide for just one child’s needs during that stay—and that’s what we’re busting our tails for to make these quilts and raise some money.

🧵 Why Quilts?

Every year, quilters from all over join together to make log cabin quilts, a block that symbolizes home, warmth, and heart. That red center square isn’t just fabric—it represents the heart (or traditionally, hearth!) of the home, just like Isaiah 117 houses' red doors.

This community project started as one quilter’s way to help and has turned into something much bigger. Together, we raised $5,000 in 2021, $9,500 in 2024, and—fingers crossed—we’re hoping to blow past that in 2025.

✂️ Part 1: Blocks Complete!

This summer, hundreds of quilters signed up to make blocks for quilts like:

• Pink Baby
• Blue Baby
• Pastel Throw
• Earthy Throw
• 70s Throw
• Floral Throw
• iSpy Twin
• Holiday Twin
• Scrappy Queen
• Rainbow Queen
• Red King
• Blue King

Each quilt has its own color thang and a volunteer long-armer SUPERHERO behind it. As of now, the blocks are in, the quilt tops are being assembled, and long-armers are hard at work. I’ll be photographing all the finished quilts soon so you can see exactly what your creativity has made possible.

🎟️ Part 2: The Raffle (Coming This November!)

Mark your calendars—raffle tickets open in November!
Every dollar raised goes directly to Isaiah 117 House, helping them lavishly love on foster kids in need. Each $300 we raise represents another child who’ll walk through a red door and find comfort, dignity, and hope waiting for them.

Keep an eye here and on Instagram (@ruthlesslyhandmade) for raffle launch details, quilt photos, and ticket links.

🫶🏻 From Me to You

If you missed block sign-ups and still want to get involved, please spread the word and share, share, share! I've said this in the past, but this quilting community amazes me! Watching blocks pour in from all over the country -- and other international countries, too! -- is a reminder of what we can do when we get together to make some good trouble!

And if you missed it, I'm organizing a similar fundraiser for the Trevor Project organization for the Winter/Spring months. I'll post about it on my website when the time comes, with another huge working document like I did for this 2025 I117H one!