Fleece Project Sewing

Project Linus sews good will for patients

Mario Soto doesn’t really care what his classmates have to say about his crocheting and sewing habit. It calms his nerves, helps him think, and ultimately provides blankets for children in need.

“When they try to bug me, I just go with it. It doesn’t really matter what they say; I’m helping other people who need it,” the eighth-grader said.

Mario is one of several students, staff members and community members at large who take part in Tommie Kunst Junior High School’s Project Linus outreach effort.

The national, nonprofit organization aligns fiber artists with hospitals, shelters and emergency services organizations to provide handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.

Project Linus began in 1995 in Denver and has since expanded to include nearly 400 chapters across the United States. On any given day, an estimated 60,000 “blanketeers” are knitting, quilting, crocheting or sewing blankets fit for toddlers or teens.

“It’s rewarding to know you made something for somebody who needs it,” said Elsa Wong, a computer specialist at the school and a master with yarn.

On any given Monday during the academic year, students, teachers and staff drop their traditional campus roles for an hour to gather in Cindy Cornejo’s classroom. They visit and swap crafting secrets while building a pile of blankets, which ultimately are donated to hospitals and other local organizations.

There is no prerequisite, and more than a few active blanketeers joined the project with no previous experience and no particular skill in sewing or yarn work.

“I made a scarf in college, but it turned out to be about 7 yards long, and that was a very long time ago,” laughed Schelli Acosta, a teacher on special assignment with Santa Maria-Bonita School District and now a regular contributor to the effort.

But with pointers from fellow teachers and students alike, Acosta and other relative beginners like her have worked together to create nearly 100 soft, colorful, creative blankets that have been donated to Marian Medical Center, Cottage Hospital and a local support group for teen parents.

People from throughout the community also take part, some dropping by blankets they’ve made at home, other donating materials.

Thanks to grant writing by Kathy Farger, a program specialist with the school district, Altrusa International has provided funding for three years to help keep the project in yarn, fabric and other related supplies.

Fleece Flower Petal Pillow - DIY Craft Project Instructions

So, to celebrate the start of Spring,  I decided to make some pretty, bright and colorful Spring flower pillows using some of that leftover fleece!!  They took a little while, but were really quite easy to make and the girls LOVED them.  I made these first two as a surprise for them, but I think I might enlist their help and make a bunch more.  I did sew around the edges of our pillows and on the leaves, but the majority of the project was just done with hot glue (and I'm sure you could even hot glue the edges of your pillow together to make this a completely no-sew project!) 

1.  Cut two circles out of your fleece.  The size is up to you.  I traced a large bowl and my circles were about 14".  Sew (or hot glue) around the edges, leaving an opening for stuffing.  Next, using a piece of chalk or marking pen, trace a smaller circle for the center of your flower and three additional rings to make a bullseye design.  ( I somehow missed the picture of the completed bullseye, but you can get the idea).  These guidelines will help you place your petals.

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