Bourne Quilter members have always been generous with their time and efforts and have made items to support local groups and charities. Here are instructions and advice for some of our more popular makes.
Special Care Baby Cot Quilts
The Special Care Baby Unit at Queen Alexandra’s Hospital, Portsmouth are always pleased to receive little quilts that are used on the cots and then taken home with the babies when they leave.
These are made like a mini quilt with wadding between layers or backed with a fleecy material. Any fabrics can be used but there should not be any buttons or ribbons attached. There are special labels to be attached to these quilts saying that they have been made by a member of Bourne quilters. These are available from committee members and at Monthly meetings and it would be really helpful if you could attach one to your quilt
The best size for these quilts is 16″ x 23″ (but no smaller)
Please bring your finished cot quilts to Bourne Quilters meetings or to Bourne Stitchers and they will be taken to the hospital
Cot Quilt Sewing Day – 5th April 2025
We will be running a sewing day on Saturday 5th April 2025 at Westbourne Parish Hall where we hope that as many BQ members as possible will join together to sew cot quilts. You can sign up at our monthly meetings. In case you need any inspiration Lis Dawson has put together some crib sheets (excuse the pun) of suitable patterns together with fabric requirements so that you can prepare for the day. You can, of course, use other designs as long as they finish at the required size. There will be labels available on the day to attach to your quilt.
Incubator Quilts
The sickest babies are in incubators in the SCBU. Incubator covers are used to protect the babies from bright hospital lights and to create a homely environment. For this reason it is preferable that they are backed with darker fabrics to reduce light levels. Previous quilts have been a quilt top backed with fleece. This is a good way to use up orphan blocks.
The finished size of these covers should be 27″ x 33″ which is smaller than we used to make.
Borrow Bags
Borrow bags are reusable bags that are given out by local shops thus reducing the use of plastic and minimising plastic waste. The idea behind borrow bags is simple. Preloved or unwanted fabric such as old curtains, duvet covers and fabric remnants are sewn into reusable fabric bags. The scheme is up and running in Emsworth and the bags are given out by shops that have signed up to the scheme for customers to use. They can either bring thumbtack the next time they come to the shop or simply carry on using them
Fabric bags can be of any design but are usually similar in size to carrier bags. They can have long or short handles, be lined or unlined – in fact almost anything goes. The only thing they need is a label that is available at Bourne Quilter meetings or from committee members. Finished bags will be returned to Final Straw, the organisation running the scheme.
More information about borrow bags can be found here
Other Opportunities
There are many other organisations that provide opportunities to sew and donate quilts or blocks. A couple of examples are
Project Linus UK
Will accept knitted and crocheted blankets which make a lovely gift for babies, children and teenagers in need of a hug. More information can be found here.
Quilts for Care Leavers
This group provides ‘quilted hugs’ to care leavers aged between 16 and 25 who are living independently after their time in the local authority care system. There is also a very active Facebook Group where you can find more information about making whole quilts (or hugs) or how to join in with making a ‘block of the month’.
If you know of any other groups or organisations that members of the group might enjoy contributing to, please let a committee member know.
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