Jul 8, 2010

You can help with Quilts for Kids

We have an extra important article in American Quilt Retailer, Issue 94. One of our freelancers, Linda Griepentrog, was actually able to personally interview Chandra Wilson, yes, Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Miranda Bailey’s Chandra Wilson. Linda was thrilled to visit with her and I was thrilled to be able to tell the story of Chandra’s connection as the spokeperson with the Downy Touch of Comfort, a program supporting Quilts for Kids.

Quilts for Kids provides quilts to children who have cancer, AIDS and other serious illnesses as well as to children who are victims of abuse or poverty. There are Quilts for Kids chapters across the country with volunteers — like your customers — who make the quilts! There are some specific guidelines for making the quilts on the Quilts for Kids website. Be sure to check them out before starting.

Currently Downy is donating five cents to Quilts for Kids for every package of specially marked Downy Fabric Softener sold. The funds collected go towards the purchase of fabrics and supplies to make the quilts, and Downy has set a goal to help donate 10,000 quilts in 2010. There are also other companies from inside our industry who are partnering with Quilts for Kids like Clothworks Textiles, P&B Fabrics, Robert Kaufman Fabrics and the designer, Debbie Mumm.

So how can you help? You can donate bolt ends, sell an extra fat quarter (with each fabric purchase) to be donated and your shop can serve as a drop-off location. There are still more ideas on pages 36 and 37 of this current issue.

Now when Linda approached me with the idea for this story I immediately said, “yes, of course, let’s spread the word!” Then as I learned of the requirements for the quilts, I realized they had a specific size of quilt to present to the littlest of little children — those born less than full term.

copyright iStockphoto, Michael Blackburn

My daughter, Anne, is one of those committed people who cares for these wee, little bits. She has dreamed of being a neonatal intensive care nurse since she was a sophomore in high school and helped care for premature twin boys born to her church’s youth director’s wife. Anne graduated from Indiana University’s School of Nursing in Indianapolis last year and has just recently started her dream job. The tales she tells of the size and fragile health of babies born even as early as 22 or 23 weeks are truly amazing. She gleefully says “I love my babies!” and texted me a few weeks ago saying “14 other people and I delivered triplets yesterday!” You can see I’m very proud of her and her chosen path in life.

Because of Anne, I thought it appropriate for this issue’s FREE-to-use pattern to be a small, little baby quilt. “Little Bright Star Baby Quilt” is a very small 36 inches by 36 inches, the smallest required size for the Quilts for Kids program. It is easy to make, and you can use it to teach some very basic skills. Get a group together and set a goal — see how many you can make for your local NICU! Premature births account for 8 to 10 percent of all pregnancies and these little quilts will provide a small bit of comfort to the babies and their families!

Please note: There is a “wee, little” error in the cutting directions of “Little Bright Star Baby Quilt” in the printed magazine. “Star piece B” should be 2-1/2 inches by 2-1/2 inches, not 2-7/8 inches by 2-7/8 inches. The e-mailed pattern PDF will be a corrected version. For more info, read my blog post of July 7. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Susan