Donations are used
 

My 7 1/2 yr old granddaughter recently broke her arm. She lives in Federal Way WA. Not sure which hospital this was but it is Childrens hosp in Tacoma WA. While she was in surgery the floor nurse had my daughter choose a pillowcase for her. She chose a bright Little Mermaid pillowcase. DGD very proud of it. We were with her for a couple of days last week on a camping trip. DGD had her new pillow case with her and was intrigued with the flange (I believe that is what it is called)

My very special thanks to who ever made this and donated it. A small item is helping in the healing of a child. I make Quilts For Kids here in Las Vegas. This has given me the incentive to make more knowing that they really do get used and loved.

To the Tacoma pillowcase maker, many hugs from a fellow quilter. Keep up the good work.

PS DGD arm healing nicely. has not slowed her down.

Thank you for this post - sometimes I do wonder what happens to the donated items.

Hope your grand-daughter has a complete and speedy recovery.

My local quilting friend and I are currently making pillowcases for our local Childrens Cancer Hospital in San Diego. They have been fun to make, I think I have a dozen done now, good use of all the Novelty prints I have collected over the years.....So nice to hear from someone who has expierenced the 'other end' of the process....
For those of you that are interested there is a nice simple way to make these called the "burrito method" that encloses the seam between the case and cuff. I personally prefer then to Flatfeld the side seam and serge the bottom seam.....That way I know the pillowcase will survive a childs use .....

I can verify that any quilts given to the Shriners are well used and loved by the patients. THye get their own quilt when available when they are checked into the hospital.My own daughter had many surgeries there and at 22 still has and cherishes her quilts

My ds was given a small quilt during his tonsilectomy last year. It was very much appreciated.

I make pillowcases and give them to my gbaby doctor who takes them to the children's hospital...it's a great feeling for me and I'd love to see the kids get them

I make pillowcases for the Conker Cancer Org. They give pillowcases to every child facing a hospital stay, regardless of the circumstance. For the last two years I've made over 300 hundred cases and this year (so far) I've made over 50 but will be starting to ramp up once it cools off. I use three coordinating fabrics for the cases and mine also have a flange. For those who don't know the fabric and supplies (thread, needles, etc.) are tax deductible.
Also the cases are scrutinized for workmanship, fabric quality, child appropriate prints, and unsafe materials (no glitter). I know this sounds picky but those that don't go to children are donated to homeless shelters, women's shelters, etc. I volunteer sorting these cases and you would not believe what comes in. We've had cases from girl scouts that were painted with fabric paint and the paint was hard and had glued the cases closed, others the fabric was so outdated that I don't even know if senior citizens would want them, others were made from drapery fabric.
If your going to put in the time and money, make sure it's something you would want your child/grandchild to receive. Sometimes these cases help a child facing some painful and scary times.

One of the hospitals in Portland, Oregon has a program called Passage Quilts that donates a quilt to every terminal patient. After the patient passes, the quilt is given to the family. I've read some incredible thank-you notes family members have written, telling how much comfort those quilts have brought their family member and, eventually, them. One man really missed his cat and was given a quilt with cats appliqued on it. It gave him a lot of comfort, he loved it. A woman lost her brother to cancer, he had had the quilt for a few months. Someone popped it in the dryer to warm it up, then wrapped it around the grieving sister and told her it was a hug from him. A 9 year old boy was taken to the quilt room to pick out a quilt for his mom, who had cancer. He loved apples, so he picked out a quilt that had apples on it. That story made me bawl my eyes out.

These quilts are most definitely used and appreciated. That hospital goes through an average of 40 quilts a month.

Is there a pattern for the acceptable pillowcases? I would love to do some for a children's hospital. Also, what is a flange? I have seen the term once before and am clueless on what it means

The Conkerr Cancer organization has a website at www.conkerrcancer.org which gives directions for the pillowcases and a list of people by state who coordinate collection and distribution of the pillowcases to various hospitals.

"I make Quilts For Kids here in Las Vegas. This has given me the incentive to make more knowing that they really do get used and loved."

That's great. I've had the opportunity with my local chapter of Project Linus to be on hand when quilts were given out, and it is wonderfully moving and inspiring to see how much the kids love getting a blanket. Makes it all worthwhile.

Thank you to everyone who quilts for charity!

For me the term FLANGE is the third fabric, and/or "piping look" between the main fabric and the end cuff. I use that type of construction a lot for added interest and it uses up small pieces of fabric......

Now if that is not a flange please some one let me know....
I will look today for the link of a burrito pillowcase.

I checked the website and they don't say you need a flange..Not sure if I can do it nicely,,would need to practice...When they say finish the seams, could they be zig=zag stitched, since I do not have a serger?

Now I am curious about a burrito pillowcase!!

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millio...s/RollItUp.pdf

Found this tutorial when I searched burrito pillowcase

This is a SUPER DUPER tutorial, exactly like I make it, except I add an additional strip between the cuff and main body. cut it 1-1/2" wide, fold in half, (now 3/4") iron right side out....and lay on top of cuff, pin, then add main body...
This third piece just gives you an accent color or sometimes you need a division between the main body and cuff .....
Remember to wash when done, as these are put into immediate use, and fold and put into a quart size zip lock bag.....

It is gratifying to read these inspirational stories.

I'm glad you GD found comfort in her gift.
Many years ago my Dd was in NICU for a week. The children's hospital ladies auxillary"pink ladies" gave out puppets to sick children. It was quite a big deal around here. My DD hated hers-they were little pink clowns. Everytime she saw it she would try to throw it away. Still hates clowns to this day.
it made me feel bad because i know they were made with the idea of giving comfort and smiles to sick children, but it didn't have that effect on DD. It also made my sad that such a simple thing brought such bad memories for my DD.

That's awesome thanks for sharing !!

[QUOTE=joyce888;5391105]I make pillowcases for the Conker Cancer Org. They give pillowcases to every child facing a hospital stay, regardless of the circumstance. For the last two years I've made over 300 hundred cases and this year (so far) I've made over 50 but will be starting to ramp up once it cools off. I use three coordinating fabrics for the cases and mine also have a flange. For those who don't know the fabric and supplies (thread, needles, etc.) are tax deductible.

Yes, supplies are tax deductible. My CPA also says with the number of quilts I make for charity, my once a year sewing machine cleaning/tune up is deductible as well. Check with a tax person, though, to see if that will also work for you.

Wal Mart had some pillow case kits that included the 3 coordinating fabrics and that is where I found out how to make them. I did not know that you could make the cases as an item that Children's Hospitals use when a child is put into the hospital. I will definitely start making them as my contribution to "giving back". I was wondering if you could also make some with teenage type material as well. Not all children going into these hospitals are juveniles.

Awe, that's great. I have made some pillowcases, gonna make some more and find a place to donate em. I love making em, they're fun, quick, and easy to make. Glad your GD ok.

I've made many, many pillowcase for Conker, Ronald MacDonald House, Benjamin Smiles, my grandchildren & gifts for friends-kids of all ages love them and they do get used. I make them using the burrito method (but didn't know the name) and also use the 3rd accent piece, I cut mine 3 inches wide, then fold in half. And from seeing my grandchildren's pillowcases that 3rd piece starts to look wonky after washings because it needs to be ironed. But no one has time to iron a pillowcase, working Mom's or caregiver of a sick child, so I started top stitching the upper & lower edge of the accent piece-it only takes a minute & that piece stays nice & flat & attractive after many washings.
I feel all the quilts, blankets, pillowcases, etc are very much appreciated. My daughter & her husband adopted a newborn, when they brought him home from the hospital he was wrapped in a fleece blanket with a hand crocheted lace edging that someone in the hospital auxillary had made. That baby is now 5 yrs old, a wonderful child and my daughter still cherishes that blanket, when they get out his baby book and talk about the day he was born she gets out that blanket to show him & explains why it is so special.

It is heartening to know that our donations are used. I am always afraid that I am going to find something I made in a thrift shop or at a yard sale.

What a heartwarming story. I live near Federal Way so that makes your story extra special. Encourages me to think more about doing donation pieces.

It took me a little while to really understand and appreciate the value of charity work. My first goal was to make a quilt for every member in my family, got that half done, but before I could get to my brother, he died. So that kinda put my skiders on......Charity work be it baby blankets for the local NICU, or Project Linus, of the pillow cases for the local childrens cancer ward....just gives you such a warm, deep down fuzzy feeling that can not be replaced by anything else in the world.....and with charity quilts you can pretty much do what floats your boat at the time and off it goes to bring a smile to a child.....

My friend, who has a serger, and I make pillow cases for our local CASA children. This children are taken out of their homes, sometimes in the middle of the night, and have nothing. What few belongings they do accumulate can be transported from foster home to foster home in those pillow cases ~ it's something that is theirs to keep while they have to live like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM&feature=plcp

excellent video for pillowcases

My pillow cases go to the local CASA Advocacy center for children who must be removed from an abusive situation. They can put their few possessions in the pillow cases and have them in a safe place.

This is a great tut if you need a visual concept of the process....love Jenny at MSQC......
the only thing I would add is to top stitch the little 'third' piece down perhaps an 1/8" from
the folded edge as it tends to not want to lay flat after washing and what mother wants to
have to iron a pillowcase when she is dealing with a sick child.....Jenny cuts her piece 2", I cut
mine 1-1/2" all depends on the look you want....

I'm like some of the others. I've always wondered if donated items are actually used and you've answered that question. Your stories are very touching. Hope your GD's arm is healing well and she'll be good as new in no time. :)

We call this method the Hot Dog Method.

I'm involved with my guild's Project Pillowcases and over the past several years we have made and distributed through ConKerr Cancer about 4,000 pillowcases to kids in NJ and NYCity hospitals. It is always so good to hear about a child's reaction upon recieving one of the pillowcases.

We also are careful about the types of fabric used for the pillowcases we make for kids in hospitals, and donate flannel. fleece and other 'not for kids' pillowcases to other groups in need. After sewing the pillowcases they are all washed, dried and packed into quart size baggies so they are sparkling clean and have no chemicals in them.

Anyone intrested in making pillowcases for kids in hospitals should check out conkerrcancer.org and find your area coordinator. They have several methods of making pillowcases on their site. You don't have to make tons of pillowcases just as many as you can.

Sacoons, thanks for the great link. I live in a suburb of Dallas and so this is really helpful to a smidge of happiness into a childs life and that of their family.

"flannel. fleece and other 'not for kids' pillowcases" (May in Jersey)
I'm curious why the flannel would not be appropriate? Many of my 'kid prints' are flannel.

I donate a lot to my quilt group that takes them to different charities. I am amazed that each month there are so many quilts donated, but they seem to be needed.


My granddaughter had emergency surgery and on her second day they came in and gave her a quilt. She was very happy with it. By the way, she is home and doing fine. I want to thank everyone who is so generous and willing to give to help these children have some joy in their misfortune.

Oh what a bummer, but I do understand. I have had issues with clowns as long as I can remember and I don't know why either. It's weird.

It helps to decide where you want the blankets/pillowcases to go and then contact the source and ask what the need is. I almost exclusively make stuff for teenagers since most of the stuff is geared more towards younger children. I'll have to check about pillowcases. Those are fun to make. I haven't tried one with the piping though. I'll give that a shot on a pillow for me.

Some of the local hospitals will no longer accept homemade toys, which is unfortunate. They claim it is because of infection control, but one nurse said it is simply the politics of one or two people since anything autoclavable with no loose parts such as googly eyes is certainly acceptable.

Yes, people do appreciate charity quilts. I was finishing the binding on one to go to the children's hospital while at a laundromat and the guy that came in to fix one of the machines thanked me for making them. His son was given a quilt in Baltimore while being treated for cancer and although he died, they still have the quilt and it really has helped deal with his loss.

I have a very dear friend that is involved with setting up a place where young girls can go if for no other reason than to talk & have someone listen & not judge them. It is all volunteers & donations they do various things like trips to drs. appointments, pharmacies for medications, or for groceries, or just set an listen. Because most of these girls don't have jobs they have no way of buying just the basic things they will need when their little one arrives. So I have been making receiving blankets, nighties, etc putting together a small layette. Letting them know someone cares. I've used up just about all my stash so I'm asking for some help if you have any fabric, patterns etc that would be suitable for these kind of things to be made from that would be great.
Everything is donated, everyone volunteers there time. They are a wonderful group of ladies that want to fill a need that we so need in our area so these girls don't feel they are all alone.
You can reach me thru the Private Message & I'll will get back to you with the information that you need.
Thank You Karissa

Allpeoplequilt.com also has pillowcase patterns available. They are still trying to make their millon pillowcase challenge.

I work at a pediatric clinic in LV and we have been receiving pillowcases. They go pretty quick.

I just read the website about donating cases, and yes they do want them appropriate for teens.

I am amazed at all the comments from my original post. To all of you I will quote something from a charity that I used to be affilliated with "Thank you for giving, and giving enough to care"

Yes, it's nice to know that the donated items do get put to use. Glad your gd is doing ok.