Sue H. and Friends

Sue H. and her friends came over several months ago to help us by going through donated fabric and taking it with them. She has since turned some of it into truly beautiful works of quilted art.

This week, I met Sue for a delivery. She has made some holiday-themed quilts, and others with year-round themes, and donated 17 in all. It was such a gift to see the fabric, which had been sitting idly in storage boxes, transformed into joyful, comforting quilts for patients.

There are 19 quilts pictured, and 17 of them were donated this week!

Quilting is a magical art: you select fabric which appeals to your eye, combine it through creativity and craftsmanship, and voila! The finished work is not only beautiful, but durable and practical, and can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Thank you, Sue! We are deeply grateful to you for your dedication to Katie's Comforters Guild's mission of bringing comfort to patients!

Lucile and 4,155 Quilts

I went to see Lucile & Noble at their home on Monday. Lucile is still sewing nearly a quilt a day; even though her sewing machines wear out and need service, Lucile simply takes the broken one to the shop and turns to a substitute machine. She works those machines so hard that I think she might need a commercial-grade model!

I asked her how many quilts she has made for charity, and beyond the 1272 she has made for Katie's Comforters Guild, the grand total is 4,155! Let me put that another way: Lucile has made a total of four thousand, one hundred and fifty-five quilts for charity! She keeps careful records in a ledger-book, and she showed it to me; I was flabbergasted.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the manufacturer of her favorite sewing machine (Bernina) would donate their heartiest, most durable quilting machine to Lucile? I think she deserves a sewing machine that works as hard as she does! It would be a great advertisement for Bernina, as well.

Lucile donates a great deal of her own time and resources to making these quilts; while we do our best to provide her with supplies, we aren't able to furnish everything. This means that she and Noble are giving much more than just time and effort; they are also using their own funds to pay for materials. If you multiply 4,155 times the cost of fabric, batting, binding and thread for each quilt, you'll come up with a very large number indeed.

When we talk about her quilting, Lucile often says, "I have to keep busy!" Remember, she is in her 90s - and she started sewing as a very young girl. What a wonderful, inspiring lady she is - and Noble is her greatest supporter and #1 fan.

Here are photos of Lucile and Noble at home with her latest holiday creations.

I took these directly to nurse Tracie's house, so that they could be delivered to Seattle Children's Hospital in time for Christmas and New Year's Day.  
Thank you, Lucile, Noble and Tracie!

Dottie Sends Comfort from Idaho

Dottie has done it again - she has created 11 cheerful, cozy quilts, and is sending them to Seattle Children's Hospital, all the way from Idaho! Here they are:

She makes her own labels and binding. The labels say, "A Kiss from Katie." Isn't that sweet? The fabrics are adorable.

Thank you, Dottie!

In the latest Guild Notes Newsletter, there are announcements of holiday events and activities - if you are interested, check your mailbox or email inbox. If you didn't receive one, please contact the Guild Office and let them know you would like to be on the mailing list! Here are a few items from the newsletter:

Ideas for Holiday Support

Support a Patient Family

Participate in our annual Holiday Program and "adopt a family" by providing gift cards for our Social Work Department to distribute to our neediest patient families. Gift cards of $100 or less are appreciated, and our preferred merchants are: Safeway, Costco, Albertsons, QFC, Fred Meyer, Target, Kmart, Old Navy, Macy's, JC Penney, WalMart or VISA or Mastercard gift cards. Last year, guilds contributed over $12,000 to this incredible initiative. Help us donate even MORE this year! (Katie's Comforters Guild's V.P., Mary Ryan, has organized drop off sites for this in Kitsap County: ChocMo and Bon Cheveux Salon [formerly Kenneth L])

Purchase Ornaments and VotivesLooking for the perfect holiday gift? Support the Friends for Life Guild by purchasing a hand-blown glass ornament or votive for that unique “secret santa” or hostess present! Design is inspired by a Seattle Children’s oncology patient and proceeds benefit cancer research. Ornaments and votives are $25 each.

Did You Know?

• Thanks to your incredible fundraising efforts, the Guild Association raised $11.47 million from projects and membership dues in fiscal year 2013. This was $500,000 more than budgeted and $800,000 more than last year! 
• The FY14 Funding Focus will provide $1.5 million to be allocated across three areas: early childhood mental health care; a fellowship to train physicians to provide care for victims of child abuse; and construction of a rooftop terrace in Building Hope.
• In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked Children's Cancer Center 6th best in the country.