Hey Everyone, welcome back to Coffee Talk Saturday.

The other day in my in box was an e-mail from the African Fabric Shop and Magie was talking about this quilt they are going to cut up into planks after the Festival of Quilts show in Birmingham, UK. I thought that sounds very interesting and read on. I wasn’t quite sure what a plank was but it is just a piece or section.

Just to back track a bit I met Magie Relph at the International Quilt Festival in London, Ontario this past spring. She did a talk all about African fabrics – how and where they are produced and the history of these fabrics. It was very interesting and I was able to purchase some of those fabulous fabrics from her which I have done nothing with yet. If you recall I did a few posts on the fabulous quilts that were there from Africa – Inspiration From Africa, More Inspiration From Africa.

Magie’s friend Helen Conway has made a quilt called the No.1 African Quilt Shop and has agreed to cut it up into 30 planks after the quilt show. The planks were available for purchase and so I bought one. The proceeds from the planks will go to help fund a medical clinic in Gambia where Musa lives. The challenge is called the No.1 African Quilt Shop Challenge.

Did you take a look at the quilt? Do you think you could cut it up? I am not sure I could but then it is going to a very good cause and a very dear to the heart cause of the quilt designer so a good reason to take scissors to it.

Magie purchases the Indigo and Kola nut dyed fabrics from Musa and has done so for the past 10 years.

Helen is going to cut up her quilt into 30 planks, send them off to the 30 quilters so we can create our own masterpieces using a piece of Helen’s masterpiece.. These masterpieces will then be displayed at the Quilt & Stitch Village April 2014. The designer will have the option to keep her quilt or donate it to the auction to raise further funds for the clinic in Musa’s village.

I am really looking forward to receiving my plank and seeing which section of the quilt will be mine.. I even went shopping the other day and purchased some fabrics that should go very well with this plank. They have an African feel and look to them. The photo at the top of the page is of them. I bought them last week on my Road Trip to Jordan at the shop called stitch- A Sanctuary for Knitters, Quilters and Needle Artists.

As soon as I get the plank I promise to post a picture of it.

Happy Quilting!