QUILTS FOR BABIES AND CHILDREN IN NEED Our Baby Quilts provide love and comfort to sick children. Red River Quilters’ project, LOVE WRAPPERS, is our main effort.. Guild members produce hundreds of children's quilts
each year, supported with donations of fabric and supplies. LOVE WRAPPERS quilts are made and donated to local hospitals and care facilities,
namely LSU, Sutton's Children Hospital, Cara Center,
Gingerbread House, Ark-La-Tex Crises Pregnancy Center and
Mansfield Social Services. The majority of these quilts result from our participation in QUILTQUEST. QuiltQuest is a joint
project with the Red River Revel. As an art activity, 7,500 area 4th grade students draw pictures on muslin squares to
cheer a sick child. Guild members then make quilts using the art squares
made by the children and make quilts on their own. Our quilt projects are supported by
donations of fabric, supplies, time and money from guild members, area retailers, quilt shops, fabric shops, the public and our community in general, a grant from the National Quilting
Association and the Red River Revel. Contact: Sally Sherwood or Cindy Williams |
BLACK-AND-WHITE QUILTS
Black and White Quilts are for visually impaired children and are made from materials with interesting textures and designs. The tactile quilts and toys are used to teach the
children about their world. All fabrics are washable and they are pre-washed before sewing. High contrast stripes, large checks, large design motifs, knits, seersucker, cottons, fur, corduroy, flannel,
wool, lace, etc., are used to make nine-inch blocks, set five across and six down. Two or three of the blocks are made with pockets (about 2/3 the size of the block) and the edges are
trimmed in cording, lace or other trims to add texture. Other devices used to train these special children are Tactile Toy Snakes and a Soft Block Tactile Toy made from the same types of materials ---high in contrast, with many
different textures. The Black and White quilts are given to The
LSU Children's Learning Center, a family-centered
program that serves children with visual impairment from birth to school age (0-5). The center-based program, a joint venture of LSUMC Department of Child and Family Services and the
Louisiana Association for the Blind, provides services to promote independence and support to families. The center utilizes its expertise and experience to serve families and professionals
through support services, education and research. Contact: Jan Vickers |
LAYETTES FOR THE CARA CENTER
Cara Center is a joint venture between LSU and Christus Schumpert Hospital
that investigates and provides care for suspected abused and neglected
children. Our layettes include: bibs (if we have them), socks
(any size), shirt, small stuffed animal, small book, small
blanket, Tylenol drops (generic preferably), wash cloth and towel, shampoo, powder, oil and
wet
wipes. These "layettes" are given to a foster mother
or other care giver in an emergency situation. Sally
Sherwood, Betty Williams and other members of the Sunday
Strippers tributary coordinate. |
C - BARC
The Arc of Caddo-Bossier is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1954 to meet the unique needs of persons with
developmental disabilities and their families. C-BARC's childrens’ services include a Class A licensed inclusion center to provide child care for children from 6 weeks to six years of age.
They accept children with disabilities or special needs. Red River Quilters guild members sew sleep mats, made from heavy duty fabric such as poplin, twill or denim. |
THREADS OF LOVE
The Threads of Love program provides burial gowns for premature infants. The goal of this heartfelt project is to alleviate the
grief of parents who lose a newborn. This
non-denominational sewing group also makes items for sick
infants, the the local hospitals. This can include
crochet or knit hats, small flannel hankie style dolls.
The group meets quarterly (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) and items can
be worked on in the sewers' home. Contact: Brenda Dalton |
STUFFED ANIMALS Guild members
collect, wash and mend new and used stuffed animals to donate to all local hospitals and care facilities.
Stuffed animals can be purchased at garage sales or otherwise
acquired and can be given to Helen Bliss for clearning and
mending. She says not to pay over $.25 for them.
To date, she has delivered over 6400 to LSUHSC. Sally
Sherwood also can/has recycled small stuffed animals. |
