Quilt group inspired to collaborate on teenage comforter

Members of a Reepham-based craft group have collaborated to produce a patchwork quilt for a comforting charity.
 

Members of the Reepham-based Oak Leaf Quilters with their teenage quilt for Project Linus UK

 
In October 2013, the Oak Leaf Quilters group was set up in Reepham, meeting at the Methodist Chapel on Tuesday mornings for quilting, friendship and cake in equal quantities.
 
The members have a wide range of talents and abilities, and the group has proved so popular that there are no vacancies at the moment. The group members generally work on their own projects, but were also interested in collaborating on a shared quilt project.
 
The group opted for Project Linus UK, which supplies home-made quilts to babies, children and teenagers who are going through challenging times owing to ill health or trauma.
 
Over the past 15 years Project Linus UK, named after the character in the Charlie Brown cartoon who always carried a comfort blanket, has handed over 232,708 quilts; all the more amazing as this is a volunteer and non-profit making organisation that relies completely on donations.
 
The Oak Leaf Quilters decided to make a quilt suitable for a teenage boy, as fewer quilts are made for them. It was a real team effort with every member making valuable contributions to the finished product. This just goes to show what a shared interest, some lovely fabric, an important cause and that all-important cake can inspire.
 
The quilt is about to be handed over to the Norfolk branch of Project Linus UK, which will distribute it to a local recipient. The quilt will hopefully show this teenager (and the parents) that someone cares, as well as the comfort that comes from being snuggled up in a quilt.
 
Maggie McArthur
 

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