ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, July 11, 1996 TAG: 9607110028
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY JO SHANNON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Thanks to the Internet, people throughout the United States who share an interest in sewing and concern for children are uniting in a heartwarming project.
Several months ago, Jamie Holland, a resident of Northwest Roanoke, was attracted by an item posted on an Internet bulletin board inviting quilters to make small personal quilts for children at St. Jude's Children's Research Center in Memphis, Tenn., and the 22 Shriners' Hospitals for Crippled Children through the hospital in Lexington, Ky.
The quilts are given to children as they enter the hospital, and serve as "security blankets" during their hospitalization.
Holland, mother of two preschool daughters, saw this as a project she could do at home. She immediately contacted Kim Hovey, the project coordinator, in Cumberland Furnace, Tenn., for instructions.
"The instructions are very simple," she said. "Any design is acceptable, as long as you use durable, washable material - the cuddlier, the better. And don't use yarn to tie, since it frays and wears out easily."
Holland has produced six quilts so far for Project Warm Fuzzies. Her mother in North Carolina began to make quilts and told her friends, who also became involved. Her 81-year-old grandmother sent a quilt to be included when Holland takes her collection to the Shriners' Hospital in Lexington.
"I want to get a carload before I make the trip," she said. "I've been asked to speak to the women at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church in July, and they will be having an old-fashioned quilting bee at their August meeting, so we should have a load soon afterward."
The group is not seeking money, but people who sew and wish to donate materials (at least one-quarter yard) are welcome to do so. A furniture company in Thomasville, N.C., recently donated a vanload of fabric, which Holland will share with anyone wishing to help make quilts. Local fabric shops have also made donations of material.
Hovey lives near St. Jude's, and said she got the idea for the project when she was disabled recently with a back problem. She delivered eight quilts in March, and they were so well-received, she decided to post a message on America Online's Quilting Forum. The response was amazing.
Hovey was especially proud of a project called "Time for a Hug" by first-graders in Victoria, Texas. Children created pictures to illustrate appropriate times when a hug would help. The pictures were transferred to fabric, and mothers constructed the quilt.
"I made a special trip to deliver that single quilt," Hovey said.
Quilts are delivered to St. Jude's and Shriner facilities because those hospitals provide free services for children.
LENGTH: Medium: 53 linesby CNB