Outreach Projects

Community Outreach

The guild is actively involved in various outreach projects providing comforting quilts and quilted items to many in need in the local community. Examples of past and present projects include children's quilts for CONCERN and Asa's Place, lap quilts for the Carleton Home, placemats for the Meals on Wheels Program, pillowcases for the Northern Tier Children’s Home, table toppers for the Shared Home, cage comforters for the local PSPCA, and Project Linus quilts for local children in need. If you have questions about any outreach project, contact the Outreach Chairperson.

CURRENT OUTREACH PROJECTS


SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!


Bumble Bags for the Humble Bumble Project

 These little bags are made with a couple of fat quarters and once completed are filled by the Humble Bumble Project with all sorts of items for cancer patients.

The pattern for the Bumble Bag can be found by clicking here.
A tip sheet for the Bumble Bag pattern can be found by clicking here.
A Bumble Bag Tutorial with step by step photos can be found by clicking here.


Port Pillows 

Port Pillows are small pillows that wrap around seat belts to protect the chemo IV port of cancer patients.  These little cushions can be made with just a couple scraps of fabric and make a great addition to a Bumble Bag.

Free Port Pillow Pattern and Tutorial


Placemats for Meals on Wheels

Use your scraps to make a placemat and brighten the day of a shut-in!
Use your favorite pattern or one of the free patterns below.

Quilt As You Go Placemat

Jelly Roll Strip Placemat

Top 10 Free Placemat Patterns


Pillowcases

Pillowcases for Hershey Children's Hospital

Make a hospital stay a little brighter for a sick child with just a little over a yard of fabric!

Pillowcases for Goodies for our Troops

Our deployed service men and women would love to have a clean, fresh, pillowcase!  Please patriotic or military type fabrics (nothing with metallic sparkles). Find free pillowcase patterns and tutorials online.

Find lots of free pillowcase patterns here

Watch a pillowcase tutorial by Jenny Doan here



Ending Period Poverty

What if you had to miss school or work because you did not have proper menstrual supplies? How many days per year would you lose in education and wages simply because you got your period? What if no one ever taught you about menstruation, or worse: if menstrual taboos and myths made you feel ashamed of your body? This is the situation for more than 500 million women, girls and menstruators worldwide. 

Can you cut some scraps to help?

What is needed?

9 × 9 100% cotton flannel squares  
(Please PREWASH flannel to help reduce shrinkage)

8 1/2 × 10 1/2 100% cotton rectangles

6 × 6 100% cotton squares

12 x 22 100% cotton rectangles


These fabrics should all be 100% cotton.
Darker colors and prints are preferred.

Also needed...

8 1/2 × 10 1/2 PUL rectangles

Polyurethane Laminate or PUL is a waterproof and breathable fabric available locally at Scheetz Sew Creative.  Darker colors are preferred.

1" ribbon - 27 inches long

For more information on how to help locally email Gretchen Forbs at wellsboropa@daysforgirls.org

All of these great organizations are working together to end period poverty...


Quilts

There are many children and adults in our community who could use the comfort of a handcrafted quilt.  Use your favorite pattern or one of the free patterns below to make a quilt of any size and it will be matched up with a person in need who will love it.

*Quilts will be distributed wherever there is a need within our community, such as children in foster care or hospitals, adults in nursing homes or hospice care, or families suffering from a loss such as a house fire, etc. Quilts may also be donated to worthy benefits such as Chinese auctions to help raise money for individuals in need.


Easy HST Quilt

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Fidget Quilts

A Fidget Quilt is a small lap quilt that provides sensory and tactile stimulation for the restless or "fidgety" hands of someone with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.



 Guidelines


Fidget quilts should fit on a lap or table so the user can reach everything on it. 18” x 24" works well. (12 - 6 1/2" blocks)


All fabrics and embellishments should be washable.


All embellishments should be securely sewn to the quilt.


Fidget quilts are needed for men and women. Choose either gender neutral fabric/colors or you can make it highly gendered with novelty prints and gendered colors.


Keep it simple.


Busy patterns may cause fidget items to blend in the background and make the quilt look chaotic.


Contrasting blocks help draw attention to every area of the quilt. 


Do use textured fabrics such as flannel, fleece, Minky fur, satin, silk, corduroy, chenille, mesh overlays, tulle, denim, etc.


Do use ribbon, lace, ric-rac, embroidery, Velcro, zippers, pockets, prairie points, etc.


Do NOT use anything that could be a potential choking hazard such as small buttons, beads, or objects under 1" in size.


Do NOT use anything metal such as buckles, D rings, jewelry, etc.


Most importantly, have FUN! Fidget quilts are a great opportunity to practice your free motion quilting, new quilting patterns, new blocks, machine embroidery, and applique. Use Fidget Quilts to learn something new, try something new, or to practice some skills.



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Bumble Bags

The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild has partnered with the Humble Bumble Project to help provide them with Bumble Bags. 

Bumble Bags are handmade drawstring bags that contain small items of comfort (lip balm, tissues, hard candy, hand sanitizer, etc.). They are provided to pediatric and young adults (up to age 39) who are receiving cancer treatments at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Wellsboro, PA; Geisinger Cancer Institute in Danville, PA; and James P. Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester, NY.  

Sadly, about 70,000 young people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. With statistics like that, we're going to need a lot of Bumble Bags! One bag uses scraps of brightly colored fabrics and only takes about a half-hour to complete, so making a Bumble Bag is an easy way to help until childhood and adolescent cancer is eliminated!

The Humble Bumble Project is a 501 (c)(3) public charity, based in Tioga County, PA, dedicated to helping pediatric and young adult cancer patients and their families. Learn more about the Humble Bumble Project and the services they offer at www.humblebumbleproject.com

The pattern for the Bumble Bag can be found by clicking here.
A tip sheet for the Bumble Bag pattern can be found by clicking here.
A Bumble Bag Tutorial with step-by-step photos can be found by clicking here.

Questions and completed bags can be directed to MLQG Outreach Chairperson, Susan McC.

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