Students are making blankets to distribute to area kids in crisis.
LEWISTON – In the middle of a bustling classroom, 17-year-old Kelly James placed careful stitches in a square of fleece and reminisced.
Her own childhood blanket had been a lot like the material in her hands. It was soft and colorful. It kept her warm. It made her feel safe.
She was happy to give another child the same gift.
“It’s kind of like a security blanket that they can carry around with them and know that somebody loves them,” she said.
With bolts of brightly colored fleece beside them, James and 100 other Lewiston High School sewing students spent last week cutting and stitching for Project Linus. Named for the blanket-carrying Peanuts cartoon character, the national program gives handmade blankets to children in need.
Lewiston’s security blankets will be donated to the Maine chapter and given to Lewiston-Auburn kids who are sick, homeless or dealing with a crisis.
“To let people know that there are people out there who don’t even know them who care about them,” James said.
Each blanket has a pocket attached so children can fold the fleece to form a pillow. A tag sewn onto the edge proclaims each blanket “made with loving care.” A poem pinned to the top tells young recipients “This blanket grew out of the love I want to share with you.”
Five classes worked on the project last week, some choosing to make small cartoon-covered blankets for toddlers while others created larger blankets with subtle patterns for teenagers
“It’s a good deed for us to do,” said 16-year-old Allison Whalen as she attached a red pocket to a square of fleece covered with smiling Mickey Mouse faces. “They know there are teens out there who want to help them.”
Although the sewing classes have also made mittens, scarves and hats to donate to area children, many other projects simply end up in the students’ own closets. The high-schoolers said they liked donating their work to somebody else.
“It’s better than just making something for yourself,” said 18-year-old Nicole Caron, who spent a lot of time making sure her Winnie the Pooh blanket was stitched just right. “I probably would have done it quicker if it was just for myself.”
All five sewing classes will be done with their blankets next week. At the end of the month, a coordinator for Maine’s Project Linus and some Lewiston students will deliver them to area kids.
In the meantime, James said she’ll make as many blankets as she has time for so other kids can enjoy the same comfort she did.
“Some people have everything and some people don’t have much,” she said. “It just makes you feel better that you’re helping somebody out.”
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