Project Linus

If you’re a fan of the Peanuts comic strip, you’ll remember Linus. He’s the one who always carries his security blanket.

Kids at St. Ambrose School in The Hill neighborhood are helping in a program called Project Linus. It’s a national effort that makes homemade blankets for seriously ill kids so they can feel safe like Linus does. 

But, the kids at the Catholic school have added a couple of interesting features to their blanket- and quilt-making efforts. They’ve also been joined by their 79-year-old school crossing guard, James D’Amico, who wanted to help.

Twenty-six fourth to seventh grade kids at St. Ambrose meet every Wednesday afternoon to make quilts for Project Linus. 

Thirteen-year-old Chris Seaton is one of three boys in the quilting club. The seventh-grader said, “I thought it would be a good thing to make blankets for kids in trauma.”

But, he and his family are going to do something extra special with the St. Ambrose quilts. In March, Chris and his mother, Mary Seaton, will be in a group going to Korea. They plan to deliver the St. Ambrose quilts to an orphanage there. 

Chris has a sister, Rachel. The two-year-old was adopted over a year ago in Korea. This year, the Seatons are going back to work in a Korean orphanage for two weeks. The St. Ambrose kids have at least 15 quilts ready for the Korean trip.  

Now, they have another goal. Each of the kids is making a quilt for their mothers for Mother’s Day in mid-May. 

Some of the mothers will get two quilts. That’s because, in some cases, more than one kid from a family is in the St. Ambrose quilting club. 

For instance, Robert and Brianna Bauwens are brother and sister. Thirteen-year-old Robert is a seventh grader at St. Ambrose while his 11-year-old sister is a fifth grader. Robert said, “Our mom got both of us to come to quilting.” 

Nine-year-old Victoria Hof and her older sister, 12-year-old Claire, are both making quilts for their mother. Victoria’s quilt has Valentine hearts in the pattern. 

She said, “I don’t know if it’ll be ready for Valentine’s Day. But, I’m going to work very hard. I know it’ll be ready by Mother’s Day.” 

The kids pick pieces of cloth that have different patterns. Then, they cut them into squares. They sew squares with different patterns together to make the top of the quilt. 

They then tie the patterned sheet together with some thick quilting material and a bottom sheet. When that’s all done, the Linus quilt is ready for either a kid or a mother. 

Ten-year-old Victoria Laut had to start with sewing machine lessons from Hilma Moses. She’s the school’s administrative assistant who doubles as the quilting coach on Wednesday afternoons. The kids use both sewing machines and hand needles to stitch the quilt squares together. 

Nine-year-old Stefanie Vollmer also is a fourth-grader along with Victoria. Stefanie said she’s making a quilt that uses blue and yellow figures for the pattern. She said her mother will use the quilt on her bed. 

Then, there’s James D’Amico who helps kids cross the street before and after school. He’s a retired mail carrier. 

When he heard about the quilting, he decided to join the quilting club. He said he’s been crocheting for about 20 years but had never made a quilt. “I joined because it was something new,” he said. 

His quilts have an extra-special homemade touch. 

Most quilts are made with material that has the patterns already in it. But, James has some homemade needle-point squares with patterns he’s stitched in by himself. The kids also have learned to do cross-stitching and will use them in a quilting project this summer. 

Regardless of who gets the St. Ambrose quilts, they’ll get something extra special. Everyone knows that security blankets are good for kids. But, maybe mothers need one once in awhile too.
 

“The best kind of sleep under heaven above is under a blanket handmade with love.” That is a slogan for Project Linus. 

The organization started with one chapter in 1995. Now, it has about 400 chapters worldwide and has delivered over 270,000 blankets and quilts.  

Kathy Piwowarczyk of Ballwin started the St. Louis chapter in 1997. She is now assisted by Barbara Glover of St. Louis. About 125 individuals and groups affiliated with the local Project Linus chapter. 

The organization is always looking for more people to make blankets and quilts. 

Locally, you could call Piwowarczyk at (636) 230-9486 or Glover at (636) 227-6829. Or you could write to the local Project Linus chapter at 1004 DelEbro Dr., Ballwin, MO, 63011. 

For information about the national organization, log on to www.projectlinus.org. Or you could call 1-309-664-6684.