Cradle Quilt Drive

Our Western North Carolina Quilters Guild has an ongoing project in conjunction with the Apple Country Woodcrafters to make toys for children for Christmas. The wood crafters make the most wonderful all-wood toys and our guild helps with making what we call ‘cradle quilts’ to go with them, although they go in more than just cradles. I’m not sure who makes the bears.

They do wagons entirely made of wood that are given with a bear and a quilt.

Rocking chairs just big enough for a small child, and an all wood stroller also have quilts and bears. I was surprised to find out that the woodworkers make over 2000 of these and other toys a year, and many need quilts to go with them. Last year the quilt guild gave them 250 quilts, not nearly as many as there were toys for them to go in. The little quilts are only 18 inches square, and very easy to make. So I have made a personal goal to make 5-6 of these quilts to add to the stack by the deadline of our November meeting. I didn’t make any of the quilts I’m showing in these photos, other members of our guild did.

You can read an article from our local newspaper if you’d like to know more about the toy event from last year – Local Woodworking Nonprofit Donates Thousands of Toys. The article has a spectacular photo of the holiday party from last year where the toys were being distributed. It shows just a part of the enormous project.

When I mentioned this on a blog post, several readers and other bloggers wanted to get involved. So, here is what we need.

Quilts need to be 18-inches square (give or take half an inch) to fit in the toys. Please do not make them any larger. Any pattern will do. Juvenile prints are fine, but not required. Florals and solid colors are good, whatever is in your stash. Little boy prints are especially appreciated.

Thanks to Deanna at Wedding Dress Blue for her help! See her great cradle quilts on her post Cradle Quilts.

Then these came in. The two on the top are from Bernie who blogs at Needle and Foot. Ann D sent the one on the lower right, saying she was delighted to find a use for some orphan blocks. The little boy quilt on the lower left was sent in by Joye C. Thank you all for your contributions.

More quilts were received in early September from several readers. Thank you so much to Angie P who sent 12 cradle quilts, many with little boy prints of basketball players.

And to Kathie L who sent 4 in fabulous bright colors.

Thank you to Niki B, whose hearts and rainbow designs are sure to make a child happy.

Beth W sent 10 quilts, some with adorable dogs and horse prints.

Thank you also to Carole L who sent four quilts with cute bugs and puppies.

As of September 6, we have 55 cradle quilts ready for donation.

I’m working on some this month, they are easy. This one is just 4-inch squares with a narrow border.

And I am finding orphan blocks that are perfect for this. This one is a 14-inch square block, so it only needed a 2-inch border all around.

I have a few more twelve inch blocks that will only need a border of 3-inches all around to bring them up to an 18-inch square. I’m making a bunch, then will load them on the longarm all at once with a common backing and quilt them all together.

Can you help with this project?

The deadline for getting them to me is November 9. I can take them at any time though, and turn them in to the committee monthly. So ship whenever you want, just be sure I receive them prior to November 9, 2023. Ship to me –

Carole Carter
PO Box 524
Mountain Home, NC 28758

Thank you for your support of this project!

17 thoughts on “Cradle Quilt Drive”

  6. TerryK

    What an amazing collaboration between sewists, woodworkers and quilters! I saw Bernie’s quilts on her blog post. . .How wonderful she sent them to you!

    Reply
  7. Joan

    What a great idea! We make quilts for the kids and I think I’ll bring this up to the group to add a “plus” for the kids bears, dolls…. You are the “helper” Mr. Rogers always talked about.
    Thanks

    Reply
  8. Linda Brayton

    Hi Carole. I’d love to make some Cradle Quilts. I have lots of juvenile fabric that would be perfect for this project. Do you know if holiday fabric (Christmas, Halloween, etc.) is acceptable? What about seasonal (winter, fall, etc. )? Thanks for your help.

    Reply

    1. We would really rather not have anything specific to a holiday, we want the kids to play with them all year long. So, kid prints, juvenile themes, I Spy, farm themes, flowers, cars and trucks, animals, alphabets, cartoon characters, everyday themes. Please do not do religious themes as even though this is done in December with a Christmas vibe, some of the kids will get them as a Hanukkah gift, or may receive one after the holidays are over. Thank you!

      Carole

      FromMyCarolinaHome.com http://FromMyCarolinaHome.com

      Reply
  10. Denise Nash

    Thank you, sponsors, for your generous contributions, and thank you to Carole for this fun autumn event! It’s my favorite season, with my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, my husband’s birthday and our annversary, all packed into one season!

    Reply
  11. bmtlcr

    I had written a neater note and then accidentally shredded it, I should have gone slower when rewriting the note. So glad you received the small quilts I sent for the “Cradle Quilt” drive and you have a start for the holidays of 2024. Thankyou for the comments on my sewing and quilting of the quilts. The fancy stitching is a few of my built in stitches on my sewing machine. Is this an on going need in your area? If yes, I will try to get more of them done this year and use up fabric I have in my large stash. Is it okay to use fabrics that are popular cartoon characters (Peanuts, Scooby Doo, etc.)?

    Thankyou for your time with this,

    Loisjean

    Reply

    1. On the update published on 12/10/23, I wrote this – “So, the big question was will I do another drive next year, and the answer is no. Although they loved what we sent, they specifically asked us not to because they have no place to store the overage. Between our drive, the local quilt guild, and other participants, they have more than they could use this year. The extras will be stored in a woodcrafter’s home for next year’s toys.”

      I sent them an email, and they did take the ones you sent. But, they ask that we not do this again as it was too many.

      If you really loved making these little quilts, look for an agency in your own town that might use them like a rescue mission, a shelter, a pregnancy crisis center, a neonatal hospital unit, or Project Linus. There is always somewhere to donate our efforts.

      Reply

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