We love and appreciate our blanketeers! You can join our circle of blanket makers even with no prior experience! Please read through out guidelines and/or contact us for directions and suggestions before creating blankets, especially with groups of children! Thank you!
- General Guidelines
- Some Dos and Don’ts
- Drop Off Locations
- Finishing Fleece
- Blanket Patterns and Ideas
- Special Projects
General Guidelines
- Blankets of all styles are welcomed, including quilts, tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans, and receiving blankets.
- Blankets must be made from NEW, CLEAN, WASHABLE materials in infant, child or teen friendly colors. Remember, these blankets are meant to be colorful, cheerful, and cuddly. We generally could use more teenage size and style blankets!
- Provide your name and address with blankets you drop off.
- Recommended blanket sizes are (approximately) 36″ x 36″ (baby), 40″ x 60″ (child), 45″ x 70″ (teen) and 66″x90″ (twin bed).
- Blankets should be made from 100% cotton fabric, flannel, polar fleece, or acrylic yarn. Please do not use mohair, angora or other fuzzy material because they shed and can cause breathing problems in some children.
- Please only donate blankets that are free of contaminants and pet hair. If unusually strong smells due to chemicals used in detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, mold and mildew or smoking products are apparent, most hospitals will discard the blanket rather than jeopardize the health of a patient. Washing these blankets does not always solve the problem.
- Always check blankets carefully for pins, and remove any embellishments such as buttons that could fall off and be swallowed.
- For quilting or hand-tied blankets, please be sure to attach all layers at close intervals so that the laye
rs do not separate. Secure the batting into outer seams and if the blanket is tied, please anchor it every 4-6 inches. We don’t want it to fall apart the first time it’s washed. - Weave in all yarn ends on crocheted and knitted blankets.
- Do not knot the fringe on two-layered fleece blankets very tightly, this will cause the blanket to “bowl up” and we will just have to cut the fringe off and start again (making a smaller blanket). If you wish to knot the fringe, knot each piece loosely to itself (not to the next piece of fringe) or knot every other piece. This allows the blanket to lie flat.
Some Dos and Don’ts
- Do cut the selvage off first. Do not leave the selvage. The selvage is an inch or so that runs along the sides of the fabric – it may have branding/writing/numbers, it may be a different texture/thickness, it may be slightly curled, and it needs to be cut off so your material is completely uniform. Trim off the inch or so on either side of the fabric before beginning your project, especially when using fleece.
- Do tie the fringe so the blanket lies flat, do not tie the fringe so tight that the blanket ‘bunches up’
- Do not use perfumed dryer sheets when washing the blankets. Many children are sensitive to perfumes.
- Do not use holiday themed fleece. Holiday themed fleece limits our ability to distribute blankets all year long.
Print out our Dos and Don’ts for donations!
Drop Off Locations
In store drop off locations:
JOANN FABRIC Stores
No need to call. Drop offs accepted during regular business hours!
Billerica, Burlington, Hanover, Middleton, Natick, Saugus, and Westford.
Elissa’s Creative Warehouse
220 Reservoir Street, Suite 10, Needham Heights, MA 02494, 781-444-9341 http://weloveyarn.com/
From The Heart Quilts, LLC
282 Main Street, West Newbury, MA 01985, 978-852-8732 www.fromtheheartquilts.com
Red Barn Sewing and Yarn Center
116 Main Street (Rt 110) in Merrimack MA 01860, 978-346-9292 http://www.redbarnonline.com/
South End Yarn Shop
1 Merrimac st Newburyport, MA 01950, 978-463-2007 https://southendyarn.com/
Coordinator Drop Off (or call for pick up):
- Milton: Nancy Kearns, 617-333-3215, nkearns9@gmail.com
- Beverly: Meredith Edelstein, 978-387-5187
- Dorchester: Rosemary O’Brien, 617-282-5260
- Foxboro: Patti Lashoto, 508-944-9640
- Littleton: Tina Simpson, 508-265-2950
- Marshfield: Eileen Friedland, 781-834-7062
- Methuen: Coco Early Real Estate, 978-687-8484
- Newburyport: Laura Parisi, 978-808-6669, newburyportprojectlinus@gmail.
com - N. Weymouth: Janet Campbell, True North Kitchen and Bar, 339-201-7841
- Plymouth: Brenda Green, South Shore Community Action, 508-747-7575 x 6223
- Wakefield: Deb Bry, Wakefield/Lynnfield Methodist Church, 781-521-9726
- Watertown: Becky Curtiss, 617-872-8254
Donations in the form of finished blankets or monetary contributions can be mailed to:
Greater Boston Area Project Linus
c/o Nancy Kearns
1372 Brush Hill Road E105
Milton, MA 01286-2370
United States
Contact us with any questions or to find a drop-off location!
Finishing Fleece
Fleece blankets are very popular, but should be made of only a single layer of fabric. There are many easy ways to finish blankets.
- After trimming the selvage edges (that’s the unfinished edge of the fabric that looks a little different – please cut this off before trimming your fabric to size), you may machine stitch a decorative edging, make a blanket stitch or crochet an edge in contrasting color.
- Edges may also be finished with wavy blade rotary cutters, pinking shears, or simply cut a decorative fringe. The fringe should be no longer than 2 to 3 inches and may be cut in points or different lengths.
- Important: If you wish to knot the fringe, knot each piece loosely to itself (not to the next piece of fringe) or knot every other piece. This allows the blanket to lie flat.
Here is a How To video created by an Idaho family who made fleece blankets for Project Linus. We also have a printable document we created with some suggestions on finishing fleece. It’s easy and fun for scouting troops and groups to produce blankets this way with little to no sewing or knitting skills. Have fun!
Blanket Patterns & Ideas
You are free to make blankets in any pattern that fits our Guidelines! One of our sister chapters, Eastern Tennessee Project Linus, has a great resource with some patterns here: http://projectlinuseasttn.org/link_to_patterns/.
Special Projects
Interested in making a completely different type of baby blanket? Why not try this wonderful pattern and make some Scent Hearts to help newborns at Boston’s Floating Hospital for Children!
