Houlton volunteers make blankets for children

HOULTON – Heaps of fabric and the hum of sewing machines are not something one usually sees inside a church, but it has become a common sight these past two years in the basement of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

That’s where members of the Friends and Needles Quilt Guild have turned a blanket-making session for needy children into an annual event.

More than 80 women gathered this past weekend for the second annual Make-A-Blanket Day, which is sponsored by the guild.

The guild holds the event to fashion blankets for children targeted for assistance by Project Linus, a volunteer nonprofit organization that provides quilts to seriously ill and traumatized children.

Project Linus, named after Charles Schultz’s blanket-toting cartoon character, originated in Colorado in 1995. There are now more than 347 chapters in the United States and handmade security blankets have gone to more than 1 million children.

The southern Aroostook chapter organized in 2004.

Guild President Kim Hazlett said Thursday the Houlton “blanketeers” crafted 208 quilts during this year’s session. Last year, volunteers who attended the event made 125 blankets.

“The people that came pretty much stayed all day, which is why I think we were able to make so many,” she explained. “Last year, people came and went throughout the day, but it was entirely different this time.”

The New Limerick resident credited Mardens with donating “boxes upon boxes” of fabric for the effort.

“They were instrumental in our success,” she noted

The idea for the Make-A-Blanket day originated with Jennifer Metzger, who is key in organizing the event and serves as a contact person.

The blankets made for Project Linus are disbursed throughout the area by numerous agencies and upon individual request.

Thus far in southern Aroostook, Hazlett said, 155 of the snug quilts have been distributed through the program.

Hazlett, an avid quilter herself, was on her way out the door Thursday to work with the family and consumer-science classes at Houlton Junior High School. Both seventh- and eighth-graders are working with her and the guild to make quilts for Project Linus.

With more than 300 blankets made in the first two years of the event, Hazlett noted she was confident another Make-A-Blanket day will be held next year.

“This will become an annual event,” she said.

Donations of cotton, fabric and time are always needed for the project, and there is no cost for people who want to take part.

For information about Project Linus, log on to www.project

linus.org.