Shoo Fly
The Shoo Fly is a simple block that can be personalized with different contrasting fabrics. This is a popular block with Amish quilters.
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Suzanne O’Neill
Project Linus Organizer
Project Linus is a nonprofit organization that provides quilts and blankets to children in need. I sat down with Susanne, the organizer for the project’s Southwest Ohio chapter, to talk about fabrication, community, and the value of curling up under a good quilt.
Let's start recording. Why don't you go ahead and tell me your name and why you think I asked you to be involved with this project.
Okay. My name is Suzanne O'Neill. I am involved with Project Linus. And Project Linus is a nonprofit that operates across the United States. What we do is make homemade blankets for children that are in need of a little warmth and love. I think that's why you asked me to meet with you.
Yes. It is. That's why I asked you to meeting with me today. My grandma knows of people who make quilts for Project Linus and she was telling me about all these great things that you guys do and I thought it would be awesome to hear a little bit more about it. So why did you decide to get involved in the first place?
Well I've only been involved with project Linus since the end of February. I've worked on Project Linus blankets for quite a long time through my church. And then when we donated blankets to Project Linus back in October I found out that the local chapter, the Southwest chapter for Ohio, was in need of a new coordinator. I am a very faithful person. At least I like to think I am. So I hesitated for quite a while about whether to step up into that role or not. Because I'm busy. I have three kids and I work full time. I prayed on it a lot. And then I realized that it really was something that I was being called to do. And so I got involved in Project Linus at the end of February. We really enjoy providing blankets to children. And I have such a special soft spot for kids.
Tell me a little bit more in detail about exactly what service Project Linus is provides.
Yeah. So like I said we provide blankets. Anywhere from infant through teen sized blankets. So infant is a 36 in square blanket. And up to teen size which would be, if you're making a fleece blanket, then it would be two yards of fleece material. So a teenager would be comfortable in that. These blankets can either be crocheted, knitted, quilted, fleece blankets. Anything that somebody can do homemade. So they just can't be store-bought. And people make these blankets- we have what we call blanketeers. Our volunteers are called blanketeers. And our blanketeets are across the Cincinnati area and Northern Kentucky. They make these blankets and then we have about eight volunteers that go out and pick these blankets up and we organize them. And then we deliver them to organizations that service children. So the servicing organizations would be anything from hospitals, so Children's Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Ambulatory Care Center. Things of that nature. We also have programs like, there's a group that puts together packages for children who are being removed from their homes due to whatever reason. They are being legally removed from their homes. They put together these care packages for these children to provide them some comfort. And as a result, we provide blankets to them. There's some Retreat centers. Any organization. Even police departments and fire departments that want to put blankets in the back of their vehicle for when children are scared or ill or just need a little love and warmth. So that's kind of a scope of it. Last year, Project Linus in Cincinnati, I won't take credit for what they did.
THE VOLUNTEERS LAST YEAR ORGANIZED AND DELIVERED OVER 3,000 BLANKETS TO CHILDREN JUST IN THE CINCINNATI AREA. I THINK WE'RE ACTUALLY ON TRACK TO EXCEED THAT THIS YEAR. SO FAR WE'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF DEMAND AND WE HAVE COLLECTED A LOT OF BLANKETS.
But, being new to the organization, I don't know if there's any kind of seasonal dips or anything like that. So we'll see it.
That's amazing. Is Project Linus a faith-based organization?
No. It's not. Project Linus started back in the late 2000s. I think it was 2008. I think you'll find that a lot of the people who are involved in it are very faith-oriented. We believe in helping out our community and things like that. But no, it's not a faith-based organization.
Okay. Well one question that I'm asking everyone involved in this project is: how would you define your community? Is it a geographical location? What is it?
Well, the community of Project Linus is beyond just Cincinnati.I would say 95% of what we do is specific to children in need here. But our Southwest Ohio chapter does more. If there is a need, regionally or nationally, we get involved. So for example, when the tornadoes came through Dayton last year, our chapter donated blankets to children in need. That sort of thing. And if there's other sorts of situations that have an issue, the national chapter of Project Linus, which is out of Missouri, will contact us. They will ask if we have blankets to spare. And then we mail all those blankets to wherever they are needed.
You have a whole other life. You said you have kids, you have a full-time job. So what was it that really convinced you that this is something you needed to take on additionally?
There's a couple of factors. First of all, I have three children. My oldest two are just over 16. They were born premature. 7 weeks premature. They received a blanket when they were in the NICU. It wasn't a Project Linus blanket back then, but it was a blanket that a volunteer had made. And I still have those blankets.
IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME WHEN I WAS A SCARED NEW MOM AND I WAS TRYING TO HAVE THESE TWO LITTLE BABIES THAT WERE IN THE HOSPITAL. SOMEBODY CAME ALONG AND SAID 'THIS LITTLE BLANKET IS TO COMFORT YOUR CHILD'. IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME. AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WOULD APPRECIATE THAT.
So it's paying it forward in a way?
Yeah, so the other thing is that I'm a cancer survivor myself. And so as a cancer survivor, I wanted to be able to pay it back. To just do something. I had so many people who were kind to me and gave to me through my church and community while I was going through treatment for breast cancer. I love to do quilting and sewing. I'm not as good at it as I used to be. Because I still have some neuropathy in my hand. So I have to go a little bit slower on things like threading needles and stuff like that. But Project Linus is something that I could do and not have to worried about all that. And I've been involved in making blankets through my church. We do a Project Linus day. I go to Epiphany United Methodist Church in Loveland. Every year in May, they do a Super Service Saturday. The whole church gets together and we do a day of service.We do a whole bunch of different activities. And for the last few years, we've done Project Linus blankets. It's nice because it's an activity that any family can do. Children can be involved in it. If you have some kind of disability or something like that or you can't stand for a long time, it's something that everybody is able to participate in.
Yeah, it's very inclusive.
Yes exactly. So it felt like a good fit. And I tend to say yes to too many things. That's probably the last reason. My husband is a hunter. In the winter time he goes deer hunting. And I find that I'm home with the kids. When they were little I didn't have time for hobbies. But then as they got older, they're doing their own thing, and so I wanted something that was mine that I could go do. And getting involved which Project Linus was a good way of doing that. And I've met some wonderful people. Our blanketeers that help run the chapter are just the sweetest people. They're spread out all across Cincinnati. They're just so devoted to supporting the organization and giving of their time.
That's fantastic. So when did you first learn how to sew?
Well, the ironic thing is that my mother was a home economics teacher. But I didn't learn to sew from my mom. It's kind of silly. My mom was a home economics teacher and then a lot of the home economics programs were eliminated. So I learned a little bit of sewing when I was in school. I had to take home economics when I was a young person. When I got older, my husband was a photographer. We used to live in Connecticut. And in Connecticut, there was this quilt shop that was across the way from my husband studio. And he always worked on Saturdays. I loved quilts, and so I started taking a class in hand quilting. I made my first sampler. And so that was what I would do on my Saturdays when my husband and I first got married. A little over 20 years ago on Saturday mornings I would go to my quilt class and he would go to work. I started hand quilting at that point. I make a few things here and there, some blankets and things. I haven't done a lot of quilting since I was sick. I used to do a lot of hand quilting. When my fingers were bad I couldn't do that.
So you would do the actual quilting part, like on a rack and everything?
Yes on a quilting round. I could sit and watch TV and hand quilt. I would machine piece but then hand quilt. So I've done a number of hand-quilted pieces. A few of them I've given to my mom. I've met quilts for my brother and my cousin and things like that. I have a lot of what they call 'UFOs' in my sewing room. Unfinished objects that I really need to get back to doing. But with work and everything else, it's just hard to find the time.
Yeah I definitely know what you mean. Well that's really cool.It's interesting that you developed it a little bit later in life.
Yeah, I was probably like 27. And still, if I had to go and make something like a shirt or something like that I wouldn't know how to read a pattern. My mom is still an amazing seamstress. She can make curtains and she used to make doll clothes for my children. But I wouldn't know how to do any of that. But I've made things for my kids like Halloween costumes and stuff. So little things here and there.
That's awesome. But you're a little bit more on the organizational front right now.
Yes, Right now I am. But I still make Project Linus blankets for children as well.
Yeah, That's awesome. I have been hand quilting too but I have it on one of those racks. So it's the three bars. And I wanted to do this finished quilt by hand, but of course the last project I did on there is still not finished.
Yeah, I've been known to try to finish Christmas presents and things like that by having feverish sewing nights until late at night.Trying to finish projects and stuff like that for family.
Oh yeah, that's the way it goes sometimes.
And I've taken some machine quilting classes as well. In Loveland where I live there is a place called Loveland Quilter's Studio. And you can go in and you can learn how to machine quilt.
That's cool, on a long-arm?
On a long-arm quilting machine. So I've gone in and done a lot of long arm quilting. So I've machine pieced them and then taken them in. Which is really nice if you're doing projects for people. I've done baby blankets and stuff like that. But like I said, I haven't really done anything like that in quite a while.
So with your position, do you get to be the person who delivers the blankets for the children?
Yeah I can. We do a number of things. We've got volunteers that helped to make deliveries. Some of our volunteers are retired. So it's a little easier sometimes for them to get out during the week than for me because I work full-time and I work in Kentucky. So I don't always have the ability to leave work to do stuff like that. But I can do it after work or on the weekends. Since I started with the organization in February, I've picked up a number of delivery places. We have locations all around Cincinnati that will receive blankets. Anyone who wants to make a blanket can go and drop it off at a Jo-Ann's.
So Jo-Ann's is always available. And then there's a number of other places around Cincinnati. Churches, There's the Mason Community Senior Center. There's Kramer's in Montgomery. They all take blankets in. And then our volunteers will go and pick them up. Periodically we go in and we pick up a bunch of blankets. So I've done some of the pickups but as of today I haven't done the delivery part just because of the availability of my schedule.
Well that is really cool. That's an awesome thing to get involved in. Are there any restrictions on who gets the quilts? Are there any ways that those decisions are being made?
Well, as long as it has to do with helping children then that's the biggest thing. The other thing is that the blankets are not allowed to be sold or raffled. That's the other piece. If anybody comes in and says 'well can we have blankets for a raffle' or things like that we have to say no. But the good thing is that if somebody wants to make a blanket, if they put a lot of time and energy into a big quilt or something, and they say 'hey I want to donate this but I want to donate it in kind to the charity. And I want you to raffle it off'. Then that's something that we can do. If that was the purpose. But blankets are not to be sold. And they are to be handmade. So, we don't take store-bought blankets. The other restriction is that you're not allowed to have any blankets from smokers. Or if there's smoking in the home. That's a big health concern. And also, we can't take blankets that have a lot of animal fur. So if you have a dog that sheds a lot or something. But the cool thing at our chapter is that nothing goes to waste. So, sometimes we'll get a blanket that's made wrong just because somebody didn't understand the instructions or the size requirements. Sometimes we get blankets that are intended for babies but are not quite big enough. Or we get blankets that have been in a smoking environment and we work with local groups like animal shelters and things like that. And so some of those blankets will go to those groups. Our volunteers that will drop them off if that's the case. And then if the blankets come in and they're not made properly, we do have volunteers that will take them home and try to fix them. We actually have a woman who will take any of the scraps. So let's say that the selvage was not properly removed before the blanket was made. Or something like that. Then we have someone kind of remake the blanket.
ALL OF THOSE SCRAPS WILL BE COLLECTED. WE DON'T THROW THEM AWAY. THERE'S A NICE LADY IN THE CINCINNATI AREA WHO USES ALL OF THOSE SCRAPS TO FILL DOG BEDS FOR ANIMAL SHELTERS. SO ALL OF THE LITTLE THREADS AND CLIPPINGS AND SCRAP MATERIAL AND ALL OF THAT WILL ALL GET USED TOO. IT'S ZERO WASTE. IT'S REALLY NICE BECAUSE THEN YOU FEEL LIKE IF SOMETHING WAS MADE WITH GOOD INTENTION THEN IT ALL GETS USED WITH GOOD INTENTION.
It's so wonderful to hear that it is such a low waste thing. You really try to make sure that all those good intentions are put somewhere. So, to you, why is it important that it is blankets? What is the meaning behind that being the object that you all provide?
THERE'S SOMETHING PROTECTIVE AND COMFORTING ABOUT A BLANKET. CHILDREN CARRY THEM AROUND WITH THEM. YOU CUDDLE UP WITH THEM. THEY GIVE YOU WARMTH. THEY'RE WASHABLE. THEY CAN STAY WITH YOU AND THEY'RE UNIQUE. THEY'RE PERSONAL. I DON'T SEE THINK I'VE SEEN TWO BLANKETS THAT ARE THE SAME OUT OF THE HUNDREDS OF BLANKETS THAT WE SORTED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. I DON'T THINK ANY TWO OF THEM HAVE BEEN ALIKE.
And so I think that's part of it. It's something that's personal and comforting. I think that's what I blanket is all about. Like I said, I still have the blankets that my children got when they were in the NICU. Kids become attached to them and it means more than just thread. It's not just yarn. It's more than that.
I think it's a really beautiful project. And it's awesome that it is so widespread as well. That's incredible.
Yeah, I'm always amazed when I look online on Facebook or Pinterest and I see what other chapters are doing across the United States. Some of the projects that they've done just amaze me. That creativity and everything is just really wonderful to see.
That is beautiful. So, Are a lot of people making their own designs in these types of products?
Yes, There's some really neat things that are out there. Some people will make the fleece blankets that you cut the fringe and then you tie the fringe. You knot it or braid it or however you want to finish the edge of the blanket off. Now, fringe edge blankets we can't give to infants. That is a requirement. We have to have them free of fringe and stuff like that. Just because you don't want the babies to choke. But there's a thing called a skip stitch wheel. It looks like a rotary cutter wheel. But it cuts a perforated hole. And you run that down the edge of the fleece and it makes a perforation on it. And then you can fit a crochet hook in or a knitting needle in and you can crochet a border around the edge of a piece of fleece. I've started doing that and it's amazing. You take something so simple as a little piece of fleece and put of coordinating yarn on it and it makes a beautiful baby blanket.
It's way more personalized.
Exactly.
Okay. My name is Suzanne O'Neill. I am involved with Project Linus. And Project Linus is a nonprofit that operates across the United States. What we do is make homemade blankets for children that are in need of a little warmth and love. I think that's why you asked me to meet with you.
Yes. It is. That's why I asked you to meeting with me today. My grandma knows of people who make quilts for Project Linus and she was telling me about all these great things that you guys do and I thought it would be awesome to hear a little bit more about it. So why did you decide to get involved in the first place?
Well I've only been involved with project Linus since the end of February. I've worked on Project Linus blankets for quite a long time through my church. And then when we donated blankets to Project Linus back in October I found out that the local chapter, the Southwest chapter for Ohio, was in need of a new coordinator. I am a very faithful person. At least I like to think I am. So I hesitated for quite a while about whether to step up into that role or not. Because I'm busy. I have three kids and I work full time. I prayed on it a lot. And then I realized that it really was something that I was being called to do. And so I got involved in Project Linus at the end of February. We really enjoy providing blankets to children. And I have such a special soft spot for kids.
Tell me a little bit more in detail about exactly what service Project Linus is provides.
Yeah. So like I said we provide blankets. Anywhere from infant through teen sized blankets. So infant is a 36 in square blanket. And up to teen size which would be, if you're making a fleece blanket, then it would be two yards of fleece material. So a teenager would be comfortable in that. These blankets can either be crocheted, knitted, quilted, fleece blankets. Anything that somebody can do homemade. So they just can't be store-bought. And people make these blankets- we have what we call blanketeers. Our volunteers are called blanketeers. And our blanketeets are across the Cincinnati area and Northern Kentucky. They make these blankets and then we have about eight volunteers that go out and pick these blankets up and we organize them. And then we deliver them to organizations that service children. So the servicing organizations would be anything from hospitals, so Children's Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Ambulatory Care Center. Things of that nature. We also have programs like, there's a group that puts together packages for children who are being removed from their homes due to whatever reason. They are being legally removed from their homes. They put together these care packages for these children to provide them some comfort. And as a result, we provide blankets to them. There's some Retreat centers. Any organization. Even police departments and fire departments that want to put blankets in the back of their vehicle for when children are scared or ill or just need a little love and warmth. So that's kind of a scope of it. Last year, Project Linus in Cincinnati, I won't take credit for what they did.
THE VOLUNTEERS LAST YEAR ORGANIZED AND DELIVERED OVER 3,000 BLANKETS TO CHILDREN JUST IN THE CINCINNATI AREA. I THINK WE'RE ACTUALLY ON TRACK TO EXCEED THAT THIS YEAR. SO FAR WE'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF DEMAND AND WE HAVE COLLECTED A LOT OF BLANKETS.
But, being new to the organization, I don't know if there's any kind of seasonal dips or anything like that. So we'll see it.
That's amazing. Is Project Linus a faith-based organization?
No. It's not. Project Linus started back in the late 2000s. I think it was 2008. I think you'll find that a lot of the people who are involved in it are very faith-oriented. We believe in helping out our community and things like that. But no, it's not a faith-based organization.
Okay. Well one question that I'm asking everyone involved in this project is: how would you define your community? Is it a geographical location? What is it?
Well, the community of Project Linus is beyond just Cincinnati.I would say 95% of what we do is specific to children in need here. But our Southwest Ohio chapter does more. If there is a need, regionally or nationally, we get involved. So for example, when the tornadoes came through Dayton last year, our chapter donated blankets to children in need. That sort of thing. And if there's other sorts of situations that have an issue, the national chapter of Project Linus, which is out of Missouri, will contact us. They will ask if we have blankets to spare. And then we mail all those blankets to wherever they are needed.
You have a whole other life. You said you have kids, you have a full-time job. So what was it that really convinced you that this is something you needed to take on additionally?
There's a couple of factors. First of all, I have three children. My oldest two are just over 16. They were born premature. 7 weeks premature. They received a blanket when they were in the NICU. It wasn't a Project Linus blanket back then, but it was a blanket that a volunteer had made. And I still have those blankets.
IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME WHEN I WAS A SCARED NEW MOM AND I WAS TRYING TO HAVE THESE TWO LITTLE BABIES THAT WERE IN THE HOSPITAL. SOMEBODY CAME ALONG AND SAID 'THIS LITTLE BLANKET IS TO COMFORT YOUR CHILD'. IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME. AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WOULD APPRECIATE THAT.
So it's paying it forward in a way?
Yeah, so the other thing is that I'm a cancer survivor myself. And so as a cancer survivor, I wanted to be able to pay it back. To just do something. I had so many people who were kind to me and gave to me through my church and community while I was going through treatment for breast cancer. I love to do quilting and sewing. I'm not as good at it as I used to be. Because I still have some neuropathy in my hand. So I have to go a little bit slower on things like threading needles and stuff like that. But Project Linus is something that I could do and not have to worried about all that. And I've been involved in making blankets through my church. We do a Project Linus day. I go to Epiphany United Methodist Church in Loveland. Every year in May, they do a Super Service Saturday. The whole church gets together and we do a day of service.We do a whole bunch of different activities. And for the last few years, we've done Project Linus blankets. It's nice because it's an activity that any family can do. Children can be involved in it. If you have some kind of disability or something like that or you can't stand for a long time, it's something that everybody is able to participate in.
Yeah, it's very inclusive.
Yes exactly. So it felt like a good fit. And I tend to say yes to too many things. That's probably the last reason. My husband is a hunter. In the winter time he goes deer hunting. And I find that I'm home with the kids. When they were little I didn't have time for hobbies. But then as they got older, they're doing their own thing, and so I wanted something that was mine that I could go do. And getting involved which Project Linus was a good way of doing that. And I've met some wonderful people. Our blanketeers that help run the chapter are just the sweetest people. They're spread out all across Cincinnati. They're just so devoted to supporting the organization and giving of their time.
That's fantastic. So when did you first learn how to sew?
Well, the ironic thing is that my mother was a home economics teacher. But I didn't learn to sew from my mom. It's kind of silly. My mom was a home economics teacher and then a lot of the home economics programs were eliminated. So I learned a little bit of sewing when I was in school. I had to take home economics when I was a young person. When I got older, my husband was a photographer. We used to live in Connecticut. And in Connecticut, there was this quilt shop that was across the way from my husband studio. And he always worked on Saturdays. I loved quilts, and so I started taking a class in hand quilting. I made my first sampler. And so that was what I would do on my Saturdays when my husband and I first got married. A little over 20 years ago on Saturday mornings I would go to my quilt class and he would go to work. I started hand quilting at that point. I make a few things here and there, some blankets and things. I haven't done a lot of quilting since I was sick. I used to do a lot of hand quilting. When my fingers were bad I couldn't do that.
So you would do the actual quilting part, like on a rack and everything?
Yes on a quilting round. I could sit and watch TV and hand quilt. I would machine piece but then hand quilt. So I've done a number of hand-quilted pieces. A few of them I've given to my mom. I've met quilts for my brother and my cousin and things like that. I have a lot of what they call 'UFOs' in my sewing room. Unfinished objects that I really need to get back to doing. But with work and everything else, it's just hard to find the time.
Yeah I definitely know what you mean. Well that's really cool.It's interesting that you developed it a little bit later in life.
Yeah, I was probably like 27. And still, if I had to go and make something like a shirt or something like that I wouldn't know how to read a pattern. My mom is still an amazing seamstress. She can make curtains and she used to make doll clothes for my children. But I wouldn't know how to do any of that. But I've made things for my kids like Halloween costumes and stuff. So little things here and there.
That's awesome. But you're a little bit more on the organizational front right now.
Yes, Right now I am. But I still make Project Linus blankets for children as well.
Yeah, That's awesome. I have been hand quilting too but I have it on one of those racks. So it's the three bars. And I wanted to do this finished quilt by hand, but of course the last project I did on there is still not finished.
Yeah, I've been known to try to finish Christmas presents and things like that by having feverish sewing nights until late at night.Trying to finish projects and stuff like that for family.
Oh yeah, that's the way it goes sometimes.
And I've taken some machine quilting classes as well. In Loveland where I live there is a place called Loveland Quilter's Studio. And you can go in and you can learn how to machine quilt.
That's cool, on a long-arm?
On a long-arm quilting machine. So I've gone in and done a lot of long arm quilting. So I've machine pieced them and then taken them in. Which is really nice if you're doing projects for people. I've done baby blankets and stuff like that. But like I said, I haven't really done anything like that in quite a while.
So with your position, do you get to be the person who delivers the blankets for the children?
Yeah I can. We do a number of things. We've got volunteers that helped to make deliveries. Some of our volunteers are retired. So it's a little easier sometimes for them to get out during the week than for me because I work full-time and I work in Kentucky. So I don't always have the ability to leave work to do stuff like that. But I can do it after work or on the weekends. Since I started with the organization in February, I've picked up a number of delivery places. We have locations all around Cincinnati that will receive blankets. Anyone who wants to make a blanket can go and drop it off at a Jo-Ann's.
So Jo-Ann's is always available. And then there's a number of other places around Cincinnati. Churches, There's the Mason Community Senior Center. There's Kramer's in Montgomery. They all take blankets in. And then our volunteers will go and pick them up. Periodically we go in and we pick up a bunch of blankets. So I've done some of the pickups but as of today I haven't done the delivery part just because of the availability of my schedule.
Well that is really cool. That's an awesome thing to get involved in. Are there any restrictions on who gets the quilts? Are there any ways that those decisions are being made?
Well, as long as it has to do with helping children then that's the biggest thing. The other thing is that the blankets are not allowed to be sold or raffled. That's the other piece. If anybody comes in and says 'well can we have blankets for a raffle' or things like that we have to say no. But the good thing is that if somebody wants to make a blanket, if they put a lot of time and energy into a big quilt or something, and they say 'hey I want to donate this but I want to donate it in kind to the charity. And I want you to raffle it off'. Then that's something that we can do. If that was the purpose. But blankets are not to be sold. And they are to be handmade. So, we don't take store-bought blankets. The other restriction is that you're not allowed to have any blankets from smokers. Or if there's smoking in the home. That's a big health concern. And also, we can't take blankets that have a lot of animal fur. So if you have a dog that sheds a lot or something. But the cool thing at our chapter is that nothing goes to waste. So, sometimes we'll get a blanket that's made wrong just because somebody didn't understand the instructions or the size requirements. Sometimes we get blankets that are intended for babies but are not quite big enough. Or we get blankets that have been in a smoking environment and we work with local groups like animal shelters and things like that. And so some of those blankets will go to those groups. Our volunteers that will drop them off if that's the case. And then if the blankets come in and they're not made properly, we do have volunteers that will take them home and try to fix them. We actually have a woman who will take any of the scraps. So let's say that the selvage was not properly removed before the blanket was made. Or something like that. Then we have someone kind of remake the blanket.
ALL OF THOSE SCRAPS WILL BE COLLECTED. WE DON'T THROW THEM AWAY. THERE'S A NICE LADY IN THE CINCINNATI AREA WHO USES ALL OF THOSE SCRAPS TO FILL DOG BEDS FOR ANIMAL SHELTERS. SO ALL OF THE LITTLE THREADS AND CLIPPINGS AND SCRAP MATERIAL AND ALL OF THAT WILL ALL GET USED TOO. IT'S ZERO WASTE. IT'S REALLY NICE BECAUSE THEN YOU FEEL LIKE IF SOMETHING WAS MADE WITH GOOD INTENTION THEN IT ALL GETS USED WITH GOOD INTENTION.
It's so wonderful to hear that it is such a low waste thing. You really try to make sure that all those good intentions are put somewhere. So, to you, why is it important that it is blankets? What is the meaning behind that being the object that you all provide?
THERE'S SOMETHING PROTECTIVE AND COMFORTING ABOUT A BLANKET. CHILDREN CARRY THEM AROUND WITH THEM. YOU CUDDLE UP WITH THEM. THEY GIVE YOU WARMTH. THEY'RE WASHABLE. THEY CAN STAY WITH YOU AND THEY'RE UNIQUE. THEY'RE PERSONAL. I DON'T SEE THINK I'VE SEEN TWO BLANKETS THAT ARE THE SAME OUT OF THE HUNDREDS OF BLANKETS THAT WE SORTED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. I DON'T THINK ANY TWO OF THEM HAVE BEEN ALIKE.
And so I think that's part of it. It's something that's personal and comforting. I think that's what I blanket is all about. Like I said, I still have the blankets that my children got when they were in the NICU. Kids become attached to them and it means more than just thread. It's not just yarn. It's more than that.
I think it's a really beautiful project. And it's awesome that it is so widespread as well. That's incredible.
Yeah, I'm always amazed when I look online on Facebook or Pinterest and I see what other chapters are doing across the United States. Some of the projects that they've done just amaze me. That creativity and everything is just really wonderful to see.
That is beautiful. So, Are a lot of people making their own designs in these types of products?
Yes, There's some really neat things that are out there. Some people will make the fleece blankets that you cut the fringe and then you tie the fringe. You knot it or braid it or however you want to finish the edge of the blanket off. Now, fringe edge blankets we can't give to infants. That is a requirement. We have to have them free of fringe and stuff like that. Just because you don't want the babies to choke. But there's a thing called a skip stitch wheel. It looks like a rotary cutter wheel. But it cuts a perforated hole. And you run that down the edge of the fleece and it makes a perforation on it. And then you can fit a crochet hook in or a knitting needle in and you can crochet a border around the edge of a piece of fleece. I've started doing that and it's amazing. You take something so simple as a little piece of fleece and put of coordinating yarn on it and it makes a beautiful baby blanket.
It's way more personalized.
Exactly.