A HUGE “THANK YOU” TO THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MENDOCINO COUNTY FOR THEIR GENEROUS GRANT OF $2000 THAT HELPED REPLACE THE INCOME WE WOULD USUALLY HAVE MADE FROM ATTENDANCE FEES AT THE 2020 AND 2021 FORT BRAGG QUILT SHOWS, WHICH WERE HELD AS FREE OUTDOOR EVENTS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. THESE FUNDS HELPED US PURCHASE FABRIC AND BATTING TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MAKE QUILTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
CHEMO PORT PILLOWS: Our newest project is a request from the Infusion Center nurses for pillows to pad the seat belts of chemotherapy patients who have a portacath implanted. The seat belt can be very irritating, and the pillow provides a cushion.
INFUSION QUILTS: Our members make quilts to give to the Adventist Health – Mendocino Coast Hospital for the Infusion Center. A frequent side effect of the therapies patients receive is a feeling of being cold. The infusion center keeps a supply of quilts on hand to give to the patients to keep them warm.
Recommended size for Infusion quilts: 48″ wide x 60-72″ long.
WARM WELCOME: Our members create quilts for every newborn in our North Coast communities. These quilts are distribute by the local pediatric offices during the first pediatric visit.
Recommended size for baby quilts: 36″ x width of fabric or 45″ x 45″, but this is not a strict rule.
Here are some of our favorite patterns for warm welcome quilts:
TEXTURE OR “TOUCH” QUILTS: These are lap size quilts made from fabric that has texture, and are given to Alzheimer and other patients with dementia. A peaceful state of mind can be gained by feeling the various textures. Consider adding a pocket or two to the quilt top for the patient to store a Kleenex or a personal item. Simply lay the quilt top on your lap to locate the position for the pocket(s) before sewing. Recommended size: 24″ x 24” or up to 24″ x 36″.
CHAPLAINS: These are small quilts the Chaplains at the Adventist Hospital Mendocino Coast give to patients and families to help them through the healing process, and provide comfort.
Recommended size: 45” X 60”or larger.
DRESS A GIRL AROUND THE WORLD DRESSES: We make dresses for a project led by Hope 4 Women International. This project aims to give every girl in 90 countries around the world at least one new dress. Instructions/pattern are at the link here:
Dress A Girl Guidelines
PILLOW CASES: We make pillow cases for Safe Passages, for Project Sanctuary, for Hospitality House, for children in foster care in Mendocino County, and for The Living Room in Santa Rosa. These agencies all support women and children who are dealing with issues like homelessness, domestic violence, or other life challenges, and a cheerful pillow case lets them know someone cares.
Here are a couple of patterns:
PET BEDS: Do you ever think about how many fabric and batting scraps you toss into the trash? We recycle them into dog beds!! We make pillowcases out of unwanted fabric (or pieced together bits) and then stuff them with scraps. (Clean old socks and t-shirts work, too!) We then donate these pet beds to the State of the Ark, Second Chance, the Fort Bragg Food Bank, and other animal welfare groups. Make a pillowcase and stuff it with your scraps, stitch it closed at the end and bring the finished product to our monthly meetings. Any size pillow works – critters come in all sizes!
Labels for Members to use for our quilts:
Note, as of August 2020, we are standardizing our labels so we have just one version. All items – quilts, touch quilts, touch muffs, pillowcases – except for Dress-a-Girl dresses – will use this same label.
The sub-chair of the service committee responsible for a particular donation item will have labels available to stitch onto your donations. You can also print the labels yourself and fuse then stitch them securely onto your donated item. Label paper to feed through printers is available from many sources – brands that we use are June Tailor Sew-in Colorfast Fabric Sheets for Inkjet printers, Jacquard Inkjet Fabric Sheets or Iron-On Quick Fuse Fabric Sheets.
Ocean Wave Quilters 