When my daughter was born two months premature, the NICU nurses kept both of us afloat. They sat and talked to me for twelve or thirteen hours a day and they cared for Emma above and beyond their obligations, creating little signs for her isolette, loving on her like she was theirs, reminding her that she needed to get it together soon because the kindergarten bus wouldn’t stop there to pick her up. One of the sweetest moments of her three week hospital stay was when the nurses gave Emma blankets from Project Linus. They not only covered her tiny little head with hats that had been knitted by Project Linus volunteers, but they also wrapped her in a variety of blankets that came home with her. Her favorite is a purple fleece no-sew that she still sleeps with every night eight years later.
Last weekend we headed out to Joann Fabrics to purchase fleece to make the same kinds of blankets to donate to Project Linus. The requirements for donated blankets are simple, so my daughter and I will be making several crib size no-sew blankets like the one she loves so much. Project Linus collects handmade blankets and caps for sick infants and children through local chapters of the organization. It is very easy to donate either blankets or funds to help cover the costs associated with the program. The organization was founded in 1995 by Karen Loucks who read an article in Parade Magazine about a child suffering from cancer and the important role her security blanket made in her battle. Karen began provided homemade security blankets for her local children’s cancer center, and Project Linus grew out of her efforts.
