500!

Do you ever wonder why each and every donation of blankets, quilts, fabric, time, talent and funds is so important to Katie's Comforters Guild? Here is the answer.

Jane H. (also known as "the Blanket Lady) is the one who distributes the blankets and quilts which are donated to Seattle Children's Hospital's patients. Jane is on the board of the Guild Association and a great supporter of all that we do.

She just informed me that she handed out nearly 500 quilts and blankets this month.
500! Not all of those came from our guild, but still - that is a lot of comfort, and it illustrates just how great is the need. With the hospital's brand-new building (expansion), the need is growing even greater now. Thank you for your help, Jane!

If you know of someone who likes to sew, knit, crochet, make fleece blankets, or who would like to make a donation of new fabric or funds, please have them contact us here or via facebook. Thank you!

36 New Blankets!

Lucile has had eye surgery, but that hasn't stopped her from sewing. She & Noble dropped off 36 new blankets and quilts yesterday. Take a look - 36 sick children are going to be comforted by these beauties!

Thank you, Lucile and Noble!

Auto Connections of Bellevue

Katie's Comforters Guild has a good friend in
Auto Connections of Bellevue.

Auto Connections of Bellevue is a high-quality dealership
which sells pre-owned vehicles with the highest level of integrity and NO pressure. I know this is true because
1)  we have bought three cars from them over the years, and
2)  my brother-in-law is the owner.

This dealership is different from the standard concept of "car dealer" in other ways, too. They have a special charitable giving program. I've never heard of a car dealership doing this; it works in this way:  each person who buys a car from Auto Connections is allowed to choose from among three different charities, and after the purchase, a donation is made to that charity by Auto Connections of Bellevue. Katie's Comforters Guild is one of the three charities, and we just received a check for $250 from Auto Connections of Bellevue.

Thank you, Stu, 

and all of your colleagues at 

Auto Connections of Bellevue!

If you are looking for a pleasant experience buying a car, call 425-466-2886, view their inventory online (see the link above), and in person at 13285 NE 20th, Bellevue, WA 98005.

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!