Polly's Helping Little Hands

Polly C. has a great blog called "Helping Little Hands." She has been posting in-depth looks at the gorgeous batch of quilts that she and her church group made for our guild.

Please stop by her blog for a visit, take a good look, and let Polly and her friends and family know how much you appreciate her work - it is filled with love, and comes all the way from the other side of the mountains in central Washington.

Here is a link for you: Polly's Helping Little Hands

Thank you, Polly!

Gratitude for Our Members

We received a special donation recently, from our junior member. Did you know that young people can join the guilds at Seattle Children's Hospital as Junior Members? They can, and they are able to make a great impact, as we know from the fabulous work by the Pink Polka Dots Guild, among others!

If you know any young people who might like to join our guild, please let us know - they are very welcome indeed!

Our guild has one junior member, and her name is Briana. She and her mom recently donated 2 beautiful fleece blankets which Briana and her friend Abby made (double sided and knotted):

Aren't they cozy and cheerful? We so appreciate Briana's time, talent and generosity.

Thank you, Briana, Mary and Abby!

While I was delivering the quilts, I had the opportunity to walk down the hall in the hospital where all of the endowment plaques are posted. 

Here is Katie's Endowment's plaque, in case you haven't seen it. 

It makes me proud to see it there - 

proud and GRATEFUL

 to those who have generously donated to support cancer research in Katie's memory. Great progress is being made at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research through Seattle Children's Hospital, and Katie's endowment supports this work.

Polly's Helping Little Hands

Check out this fabulous project over at  

Polly's Helping Little Hands blog!

Our guild shared donated fabric with Polly, and she shared it with her friends. You'll see what great things they accomplished with your donated fabric.

 

Thank you, Polly, and friends of

Katie's Comforters Guild!

Lucile Does it Again

Lucile & Noble visited me last week to pick up some fabric for sewing, and to donate a batch of 24 new quilts and fleece blankets. Here is part of their latest donation:

It was so nice to see them, and it is always inspiring to be around two people - of any age, but especially in their 90s! - who are energetic, happy and kind.

Thank you, Lucile and Noble!

Beth's Conference Project

A while ago, I received a message from a woman named Beth. She was working to help coordinate a professional conference (the ALM Summit), and had an idea for a project:  an activity in which the attendees would be invited to make fleece blankets for patients of Seattle Children's Hospital. We had a few conversations via email and a phone call, and from those, I knew that Beth was a person with a deeply kind heart.

What a pleasure it was to receive the following note and photograph from her:
"We did it! It was a success. So many people participated, sometimes we couldn't keep up with the demand. What a special gift you have created in memory of your daughter, you have touched many people...All the supplies were provided by Keith P. / Guided Design - conference chair."

They made 100 blankets!

Thank you, Beth & Keith, for contacting Katie's Comforters Guild and creating this wonderful project! 

Thank you for your bountiful generosity, and for demonstrating how simple it is - how each one of us is able - to bring comfort to a child who is a hospital patient.

Michelle F. and Linda C.: Generous Friends

Our guild has a good friend and "ambassador" in Michelle F. She has hosted an online fundraiser, two quilting events, and has recently donated seven new quilts to Seattle Children's Hospital through Katie's Comforters Guild, even involving her children's nanny and a neighbor. Here is a photo of her latest donation:

The top 6 quilts were made by Michelle & Shannon; the bottom one is from Michelle's neighbor.

We also have a great advocate in Linda C., our guild's treasurer. Linda is a person who works quietly and expects no fanfare - but she deserves it. She faithfully keeps the bank records for our guild, submits our annual report, makes reimbursements when needed, and has even assembled her own group of quilters up in Arlington. They are so selfless that they didn't even tell me about their year-end donation of 11 quilts - they just quietly delivered them to the hospital! For that reason, I don't have a photo to show you - but I hope to have one next time.

Thank you Michelle & Linda (and friends)! Your help is greatly appreciated.

A Gift from Bonnie P.

Yesterday, our guild received a gift of time and talent from member Bonnie P. She came over and spent several hours with me, sorting donated fabric. Bonnie's expertise is deep, as she is a gifted quilter and designer, and dyes her own fabric. Bonnie knows a lot about what we can use and what we cannot. Together, we sorted fabric by color combination and proposed use (separating top pieces from backing, pieces that would go well together in color and/or theme to make a nice quilt top) and organized about five bags of fabric which we cannot use, and which will be donated to charity.

What this means for our members and friends is that we have a LOT of lovely fabric which is now much easier to sort through, so if you want to make a quilt for our guild to donate to the hospital, we can provide the fabric in most any color combination you wish!

In addition to her generous donation of time and expertise, Bonnie also brought a gorgeous wall-hanging to donate to our (future) auction:

Isn't this awesome? It is made of special paper, though it looks like fabric, and the backing of it is fabric. Bonnie even sewed a special sleeve for hanging it. The colors are more vibrant in person.

Thank you, Bonnie!

Dear Guild Members & Friends...

Katie's Bench, waterfront park in Poulsbo

Dear Guild Members & Friends,

We often receive thank you letters from the hospital. Here is the latest one:

"Dear Friends,

Thank you for the 78 handmade quilts and blankets that you recently donated to Seattle Children's.

Gifts of items and services have always played an important role in helping us give kids the very best care. Early in the hospital's history, farmers contributed their surpluses to the hospital pantry, schoolchildren collected homemade jams and jellies from their neighbors and homemakers sewed bed linens.

Today, that same spirit of compassion and generosity lives on through people like you.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our children and their families. Please know that all of us at Children's are grateful for your donation to enhance the care and comfort of our patients.

Very sincerely,

Thomas H. Hansen, MD
CEO"

Thank you for being part of this effort!

The Guild Association's Membership Committee chairwoman, Judy Ogden, sent a letter share some upcoming events and opportunities with us.
- Operation Family Care: to help families in the hospital. Greatest need: gift cards ($15 - $25 for gas & grocery stores). The Food for Families Initiative is also part of this drive; contact Melissa Cardenas at 206-987-6806 or melissa.cardenas@seattlechildrens.org about this.
Other needed items:

• spiral bound notebooks/journals
• prepaid phone cards
• LED candles or LED tea lights
• Headphones for use with electronic devices
• Baby wipes (80 count)
• Adult toothbrushes and toothpaste

- New Member Brunch Saturday, Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 9:30 - noon. New & current members are invited to learn about the hospital and meet other guild members while enjoying a complimentary brunch. Please direct your questions and/or RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas (see above).

- Annual Meeting & Luncheon Celebration, Friday, May 10, 2013 at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. Invitations will be mailed in April, so please mark your calendar now.

- Anna Clise Award for Individual Achievement and Chairman's Award for Guild Excellence: if you know a person who you feel deserves to receive one of these awards, please let me know (or contact Melissa). The nomination forms need to be submitted by March 15th.

She also wrote to remind guild members about sending in our annual dues. If you have done so already, Thank you! If you haven't, this is a gentle reminder. If you know anyone who might like to join our guild, please invite them - they are welcome.

Remember: you and your time, talent and support are VITAL to Seattle Children's Hospital. 

Together, all of the Guilds raised  

$10.45 million in fiscal 2012!

The Friends of Costco Guild raised 54% of that amount - they are awesome!

Thank you again for all you do for Katie's Comforters Guild at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"A Kiss from Katie"

Our guild has a wonderful friend in Idaho named Dorothy, who goes by "Dot" or "Dottie." When her daughter Linda introduced us last year, I felt immediately at home and familiar with Dottie. She is warm, open, compassionate and kind. Dot is also a gifted, experienced quilter who is generous in sharing her knowledge, skills and inspiration with others.

Last week, I received a call from Dottie, saying that she had completed another 11 quilts for our guild to donate to the hospital. She sent photos for me to share with you.

Close-up shot of the quilts

Another close-up

Another close-up

 One of Dot's unique trademarks is the label that she creates for each of the quilts she donates to our guild. It says "A Kiss from Katie" - here is an example.

 What a sweet touch to add to the soft, warm comfort of her quilts!

Thank you, Dottie!

Happy New Year 2013

Today, I had the pleasure of a meeting with Lucile & Noble. I was able to give Lucile three bags of donated flannel fabric, and she & Noble gave 22 beautiful, new quilts to our guild so that we can give them to Seattle Children's Hospital:

Here are 10 of the 22 Lucile made recently

Suzanne Droppert gathered and donated a batch of knitted/crocheted blankets from her Liberty Bay Books store's Knitting Group. Our guild's friend, Cami, delivered them to us:

Cozy and attractive blankets from Liberty Bay Books' Knitting Group

Thank you, Lucile & Noble!

Thank you, Suzanne, Cami and Liberty Bay Books' Knitters!

 You are helping us to bring comfort into the hospital room of a sick child, and we appreciate it. We can't do it without you!