Gratitude for Support from Liberty Bay Books

We are blessed to have an independent, locally-owned bookstore in our town. Liberty Bay Books may be located in a small town, but it has a HUGE heart! The store hosts a knitting group which kindly supports Katie's Comforters Guild with their time and talent. Here is their latest donation:

four knitted and crocheted blankets in a variety of colors and textures, all warm and cozy.

Thank you, Suzanne Droppert and 

Liberty Bay Books Knitters!

Lucile and Noble Do it Again!

Our dear Guild members, Lucile and Noble Nilsen, have done it again, donating 21 new quilts and blankets recently donated.

 When she is short of satin blanket binding, Lucile makes her own - sometimes combining different coordinating colors for a completely original look.

These are the quilts - the rest are fleece blankets, which I was not able to photograph.

Thank you, Lucile and Noble!

and

Happy (belated) Birthday wishes to you, Noble!

Lucile & Noble's Latest 30

Last week, I had the fun of introducing Lucile and Noble to my mother for the first time. Lucile and Noble are so inspiring to all of us, and as a fellow guild member, my mom had been wanting to meet them. It was a treat for everyone. It was also exciting to see what they had brought with them:
30 new quilts and blankets!

I would have liked to take all of these out of their bags and photographed them to show you, but I have pulled a muscle in my back and cannot do tasks like that for the next week or so. You'll have to imagine them.

Lucile and Noble amaze me with their generosity and work ethic. Lucile always says, "I've got to keep busy!" Remember, she is in her 90s, with Noble nearly 90 himself. What a wonderful example of a productive, happy, healthy marriage partnership and retirement!

Thank you, Lucile and Noble! 

Next time, I hope to be able to show off all of your handiwork (after my back heals).

A Fleece Experiment

Yesterday, I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought enough fleece to make a few blankets. I have been wanting to try an experiment.

When making fleece blankets, we typically cut a square out of each corner before we cut the fringe into the blanket. I don't like to waste fabric, so I have saved a batch of those fleece corner squares (friends like Cami have also saved and donated them), and I have been thinking of ways to use them.

Tie-dyed fleece with corner squares from other fleece blankets

Today, I sewed some of them onto blue tie-dyed fleece, using a zigzag stitch around all four sides of the squares. I chose colors that would coordinate with the blue, and give it a little bit more "pizzazz." I made two of them, using different-colored squares for each.

What do you think of the finished product? 

Have you ever used your leftover fleece in this way?

A Package from Colorado

We miss our guild's friend Sally T. of the Fearless Quilters on Bainbridge Island, who moved to Colorado to be near her family. We understand - and we're happy for Sally and her family - but we miss sorting fabric and chatting together, as well as seeing her clever, creative quilt designs.

It was a so nice to receive a message from Sally, telling me to be on the lookout for a package she was sending. When it arrived, I was in for a real treat- and now, you are, too. Here is what she sent, made with fabric that we donated to her group, the Fearless Quilters of Rolling Bay:

It's amazing what she was able to create with all of those varied pieces! These quilts are so cheerful and original - the patients are going to treasure them.

Thank you for making and sending these two beautiful works of art, Sally!

Grateful Patient & Family

One of our friends stopped by the other day to visit and deliver two beautiful quilts.

This friend was a patient at Seattle Children's Hospital at one time, and his mother has expressed her gratitude by making quilts to donate. We were thrilled to receive two of her fun, soft, cozy quilts, and we know that the patients who are gifted with these quilts will be, as well.

Thank you, Des & Judy!

Family Support

We are deeply thankful to our family members who support Katie's Comforters Guild.

Recently, we received a pretty card and generous check from Ellie & Phil B. (the parents of our president), which will enable us to purchase materials for blankets and quilts. This is so important, especially because our guild has not hosted any fundraisers, so we operate on an "economy of grace."

Thank you, Ellie & Phil, 

for contributing generously 

to help keep Katie's Comforters Guild 

members producing comfort!

We have some gorgeous quilts ready to auction to raise funds for our guild's supplies, so if any of you have expertise in ETSY or other online shopping sites, we would welcome a donation of your time and talent to help us organize and host a fundraiser!

Good Neighbors

We have wonderful neighbors who generously support Katie's Comforters Guild.
One of those is Cami H., who is a great fleece blanket-maker. Cami has done it again with a "nod" to the Seattle Seahawks. Here are five of her latest bright, cheerful, team-spirit blankets.

These are certainly going to brighten the days of young fans who are spending time in the hospital - and the Seahawks who visit them!

Thank you, Cami!

Yelm Middle School, Part II

Do you remember THIS posting about the Yelm Middle School fleece blanket project? Here is a happy follow-up to that posting.

A couple of students from YMS have been treated at Seattle Children's Hospital, so when I sent the funds from our guild to help pay for the fleece which the class would make into blankets, I also included a copy of my book, "Because of Katie." I thought it might help the students and staff to understand what their friends were experiencing.

We received a sweet note from the staff members in charge of the project, Bethany and Jen. Here is what they said:

"Dear Karen,
Jen and I wanted to thank you so much for your generosity toward our project. Your knowledge you shared in your book and generosity from the guild helped many of our students and staff members. Jen and I are planning to repeat the project next year -- we've already started accumulating more fleece (and watching for the 70% off sales). We love watching the students give back to to others their age and loved giving N. an opportunity to help others at the hospital too.
Thank you so much for everything you do.
--Bethany and Jen"

This lovely note was accompanied by a signed photo of the class with their fleece blankets. It made my day!Thank you again, Yelm Middle School staff and students!

We can't show the photo of the students (for privacy reasons), but you can see their lovely messages

If you know of a school or group who would like to make blankets to donate to Seattle Children's Hospital's patients through Katie's Comforters Guild, please contact me here, on our facebook page or at KARENLBORENatYAHOOdotCOM.

Jill, Austin and Alexis Make a Donation

I received a note from my friend Jillian D. a little while ago. Jill is the very lovely mother of adorable Austin and Alexis. Alexis is a cancer survivor who was treated at Seattle Children's Hospital, and her big sister, Austin, aspires to be a doctor. Their family has done a great deal to raise awareness of pediatric cancer, and to raise support for the hospital. Both of the girls are active and multi-talented.

Jill's note said that on her next visit to Seattle Children's Hospital, "I will be bringing the quilts (4 of them) that my neighbor made. I would love to give them in honor of Katie's guild."

Jill's neighbor, Mary F., is clearly a very talented quilter!

Austin and Alexis donating Mary's quilts to Seattle Children's Hospital through Katie's Comforters Guild

Thank you, Mary, for your generous donation of four bright, cheery quilts, and
thank you, Jill, Austin and Alexis for delivering them through our guild!