Fleece Blankets from Yelm Middle School

We received the following message from Bethany M., of Yelm Middle School:

"We did a much better job of timing fabric sales this year, involved about 55 students from the 7th grade and 9th grade leadership classes (Jen N. and Laurel R.'s classes), and made 29 fleece blankets to donate to Children's through the guild.  Jen took some of them up on Thursday and I will drop off 13 fleece blankets and two quilts tomorrow.  I think we still will have one more trip with the rest of the blankets.

"We did not coordinate a picture of all the blankets and kids this time around, but I attached pictures for the 13 blankets that will go up with me tomorrow."

Here are the photos of the 13 fleece blankets mentioned above:

 Thank you, Bethany, Jen, Laurel and all of your students from Yelm Middle School for this generous gift of 29 fleece blankets and 2 quilts to patients at Seattle Children's Hospital! 

A gift from kids to kids is especially meaningful, blessing both the giver and receiver in special ways.  
Reminder: our guild welcomes kids as Junior Members!

A Dozen Originals from Bonnie P.

Bonnie P.  is a quilter of great talent. She carefully creates richly-colored, cheery, heirloom-quality quilts for Katie's Comforters to donate to Seattle Children's Hospital's patients. In addition to making her original creations, Bonnie generously helps us resolve fabric questions and other issues. Her talents are many, and she shares them generously.

Here is her latest dozen

 ...and close-ups of them, including views of front and back, and Bonnie's beautiful quilting stitches...

Fabric from Africa

 Bonnie even makes her own labels:

Thank you, Bonnie! We are grateful to you for sharing your talents with our guild and patients at Seattle Children's Hospital!

Cami Does it Again!

Camille has made another donation - this time, 12 fleece blankets - to Katie's Comforters Guild. We are greatly blessed by her friendship and support.

Look at these cute and cuddly-soft blankets:

There is something for everyone here, and two of several of the patterns, to make up the 12.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity, Cami! Twelve patients are going to be very happy when they receive your blankets!

Quilt Tops from Frances M. - Can YOU Help?

I received a note from a nice woman named Amelia B., who said that her mom loved to quilt, and would like to donate some quilt tops to our guild. I said, "Yes, please!"

A box arrived, filled with treasures...

gorgeous, jewel-toned quilt tops

each one made with care and artistry

by a woman I've never met - Amelia's mom, Frances M.

...and it's clear that she does love to make quilt TOPS - beautiful quilt tops...

...and she does not love to make the rest of the quilt.

If you are reading this, would YOU like to help us finish these beauties, so that children in the hospital can wrap up in - and be comforted by - them? If so, please contact me in the comments here, or on facebook!

Thank you, Frances M. and Amelia B.!

A Surprise Gift: The Elation Foundation

Katie with her comforter, recovering from chemotherapy and surgery

At Katie's Comforters Guild, we are always grateful for gifts; your donations of time, talent, materials and funds enable us to create blankets and quilts which bring tangible comfort right into a child's hospital room. There are no words adequate to describe this gift, from both sides - giver and receiver - and I know this is true, as I have now been on both sides of the experience.

We use funds in order to be able to meet particular needs: sometimes we need funds to ship blankets or fabric; sometimes we need to buy materials. We have been in need of satin blanket binding for a while now. A kind wholesaler in Oregon has been our source, but that she is no longer able to sell it to us, and we are seeking another supplier from which to purchase satin binding. It is expensive, so buying it from retail stores simply doesn't make sense.

As I have said in the past, Katie's Comforters Guild functions on an "economy of grace;" just when we need something, it seems to appear. We received evidence of this economy of grace once again, in the form of a generous donation from The Elation Foundation. This 501(c)3 sent a check to us all the way from Utah. I am thankful to them for finding us - and for considering us worthy of their generosity. With their gift of $500, we can buy needed materials - especially satin blanket binding - to keep patients at Seattle Children's Hospital wrapped in comfort.

Thank you, Elation Foundation!

Gratitude for Gifts from Joanie R.

We recently received a surprise: the gift of six warm, soft, knitted blankets from a generous local donor named Joanie R. These are beautifully knitted with great precision and care; the colors are as soft as the yarn she used. The children who receive these will be wrapped in comfort and tender caring.

Thank you, Joanie!

Linda W. & Liberty Bay Books' Knitters

I just opened a bag and found these treasures inside. Linda W. has made a variety of quilts with her creativity which will delight each recipient in the hospital! Also included was a darling knitted blanket from the Liberty Bay Books' Knitting Group.

Check out the upper right-hand corner of this close-up photo and see what Linda included with the quilt:

a pair of ballet slippers, to match!
Slippers are always welcome in the hospital - what a great idea.

Linda is a talented quilter, and you can see that she has a real eye for design, color and pattern.
Thank you, Linda W. and Liberty Bay Books' Knitters!

The Fearless Quilters of Rolling Bay

The Fearless Quilters of Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church have made another generous donation to Seattle Children's Hospital through Katie's Comforters Guild. This time, they brought us 17 beautiful quilts in a variety of colors, patterns and sizes.

Isn't that a beautiful star on the left? And check out the adorable Raggedy Ann fabric on the right!

Glorious colors

 They make their own labels, with a loving message to the recipient.

 Look at the details on these quilts! The one on the right has flannel applique squares on it.

They even included soft, fluffy receiving blankets for babies (on the left, below)

Here is a closer look at the fish swimming across the squares in this quilt, surrounded by a watery blue border. I can imagine a patient who loves the outdoors being so delighted to receive this.

A special quilt was included in this batch, made from a pattern in a magazine. I believe the photo is going to be submitted to the magazine in which the pattern was found.

I delivered this batch of quilts to the hospital a couple of days after the Fearless Quilters donated them to our guild. That was the day on which we were part of a photo shoot on the Cancer Care Unit with nurses and a patient (more about that in a couple of months). It was a deeply moving privilege to see her face light up as she chose the blanket she wanted, and as she took it from my hands. The staff took care to tell me how much they love giving our quilts and blankets to the patients.

That was also the day in which I posed for a #strongagainstcancer photo, and met Macklemore while he was visiting patients on the Cancer Care Unit. (He told me that he has noticed our blankets on his visits, and we had a little chat about how our guild came to be. He was very kind.)
 
Thank you, Fearless Quilters, for your on-going support of Katie's Comforters Guild! We appreciate you. Your beautiful handiwork is delighting patients, families and staff.