Quilters stitch for hurricane victims

Hurricane Katrina has left thousands along the Gulf Coast disoriented and reeling from the terrible losses they have suffered. People in America and beyond are responding to the disaster in ways both big and small.

Quilter Susanne Boutaugh of Millinocket knew just what to do when help failed to arrive quickly to the beleaguered region – make blankets for the orphans of the storm and send them where they are needed. She responded to Quilters Comfort America’s cooperative project to comfort victims of Hurricane Katrina. The project is the brainchild of the International Quilt Market and Festival, a trade show held annually in Houston, where centers have been set up for those left homeless by the storm.

Boutaugh made a trek to Marden’s in Brewer, where I found her waiting at the cutting table in the fabric department while an employee cut, folded and stacked lengths of brightly colored cloth. Boutaugh said she planned to turn the fabric into crib quilts for hurricane victims.

Boutaugh was looking for an economical, efficient way to make the blankets, and as she cruised the aisles for bolts of fabric, she had an idea she agreed to share with By Hand readers. Here’s what she came up with.

You will need:

. 1 lightweight polar fleece blanket. These blankets come in several colors: dark blue, pale lavender and sage green. They are available at stores, or purchase 11/2 yards of lightweight polar fleece at local fabric stores and departments.

. 11/2 yards of cotton fabric to match or contrast with the polar fleece blanket, or fabric.

. Matching thread.

. Matching or contrasting embroidery floss for tying the fleece and the cotton fabric layers together.

. Scissors, needle, safety pins, and a sewing machine.

What you do:

. Lay the fleece blanket on the floor or other flat surface. The fleece blanket will serve as both batting and backing. The “quilt” will have only two layers instead of the traditional three.

. Lay the cotton fabric on top of fleece blanket. The fleece will be wider all around than the fabric. This is a good thing. Using safety pins, fasten the two layers together.

. Tie the two layers of fleece and fabric together with short lengths of embroidery floss, crochet cotton or narrow ribbon. Remove the safety pins as you work.

. Fold the edges of the fleece blanket over the edges of the cotton fabric. Pin and baste in place. Stitch the edges on the sewing machine, or by hand. The fleece tends to stretch when stitched by machine, so use plenty of straight pins and don’t omit the hand basting step.

And there you have it, a cozy blanket for a frightened child to be cuddled in.

To learn more about Quilters Comfort America, e-mail exec5@quilts.com. To learn more about International Quilt Market and Festival, visit http://www.quilts.com/hurricane.htm.

Snippets

. The Bangor Area Fiber Arts Guild is in need of volunteers to knit chemo caps for those undergoing chemotherapy treatment, and to knit or crochet for the Linus Project, which provides “security” blankets for children facing life crises such as illness, abuse or the loss of loved ones. The guild meets at 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month at Cityside Yarn Co., Outer Hammond Street, Bangor. To obtain more information, call guild president Laurie Marcotte, 942-7113.

. An inaugural Quilt Show will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the First United Methodist Church, 8 Lee Road, in Lincoln. Classes and demonstrations will be given throughout the day. Admission is $5. Luncheon will be served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. for a cost of $3.

. Dot Demyan of Eddington will present a brown bag luncheon workshop on rug braiding at noon Thursday, Sept. 22, at the University of Maine’s Page Farm and Home Museum. Call 581-4100 to learn more about the workshop.

Ardeana Hamlin may be reached at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.

Common Threads

Karen Wulffraat of Camden read the July 5 By Hand column about a needlework stitching service called Ghoststitchers and was reminded of her grandmother.

When I was growing up, my grandmother “Oma” lived with us from the time I was around 12 until I graduated from college. Whenever I needed anything “fixed” – mended, stitched, hemmed, etc. – I would bring it to her and she would willingly do whatever I asked. Oma – Maria Koudijs Wulffraat – was born in Holland in 1887 and learning the needle arts as part of her very proper upbringing. She came to this country in 1922 with monogrammed linen sheets. I remember thinking as a young girl how perfect her stitches were. Almost invisible, they were precise and beautiful. I have often thought over the years what a luxury it was to have her always available and willing to do whatever I asked. Alas, I did not inherit the skill or patience needed for sewing. It has never been in my genes.

A few years ago, when my daughter was in Girl Scouts, my mother gave me my old Girl Scout sash from the early 1960s. Turning over the sash I saw that Oma’s stitches were what held all my badges to the green cotton fabric. I felt an immediate connection to her, even though she had been gone from my life for more than 25 years. Those are her ghost stitches. – Karen Wulffaat