Community Quilting

The members of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild are generous with their time and skills. We contribute to a number of programs including ABC Quilts, Comfort Quilts, Hole in the Wall Gang Quilts, Labor of Love Quilts, Pillowcases for Kids, the Ronald McDonald Pillowcase Project, and Veteran quilts.

ABC Quilts

Jennifer Arzberger and Lily Shames are the co-chairs of the ABC Quilts. At each Guild meeting finished baby quilts and quilt tops are collected and quilt “sandwiches” (the three layers, top, batting and backing) and quilt tops are distributed to members for completion. Donations of both finished quilts and tops are always welcome. Fabric should be cheerful and baby or child friendly. Size requirements for the final quilts are no less than 32” or more than 45” in any direction.

Our annual “ABC Frenzy” takes place after the February meeting. Members get together and enjoy an afternoon of sewing quilt tops and finishing quilts.

The quilts are distributed to children in hospitals and other institutions. In 2024 we completed and donated 326 quilts and 28 Preemie Heart Quilts.

Jennifer Arzberger, whose first quilt was a charity quilt, says, “It was a great feeling knowing that I was helping a child in need.”

Comfort Quilts

In 2012, a small group of current and former Brooklyn Quilters Guild members collaborated to create and donate quilts to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Soon more members joined in to create or donate quilt tops, apply bindings, stitch official BQG labels, or contribute orphan blocks, squares or yardage. The group’s efforts resulted in more than 60 finished bed sized quilts for Sandy victims.

Since then co-chairs Dori Dietz and Leona Shapiro have broadened the scope of their effort to maintain a ready inventory of quilts for people affected by other natural disasters. As 2020 began, we donated both baby and bed sized quilts to Hour Children in Long Island City and Bethany House in Long Island. Both of these organizations place mothers and children who had been living in shelters into permanent housing. We currently donate quilts to Ruth’s Refuge, an organization that furnishes apartments for newly placed immigrants and Breaking Ground, a supportive housing program for senior citizens.

The Comfort Quilts Committee accepts quilt tops or quilts at each meeting. Quilts should be twin, double or queen-sized. It is best if no side is longer than 88”. Packages of precut fabric squares and whole kits are often available at guild meetings to get you started. Donations of backing fabric, batting, and machine-quilting are always welcome.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Quilts

The Hole in the Wall Camp provides “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families throughout the Northeast, free of charge. The goal is to ensure that every child with a serious medical condition has the chance to experience all the possibilities that camp has to offer. Our Brooklyn Quilters Guild members support this mission by making quilts to be given to the children who attend the camp. This committee is chaired by Carol Lieberman.

HOPS / Labor of Love Quilts

H.O.P.S. (Helping our post 9/11 Survivors) is an organization that provides support to families of service members who died due to 9/11 related illnesses. The Brooklyn Quilters Guild Labor of Love committee, headed by Diane Pryor-Holland and Thadine Wormsley, supports the drive by providing quilts to families who made the ultimate sacrifice. Quilts made of blue and white or red, white and blue are collected at every guild meeting. Quilts should be no smaller than 50” x 50” and no larger than 80” x 80”.

Veteran Quilts

The Veterans Quilts Project, chaired by Carlynn Houghton, makes quilts to support veterans. The Brooklyn Quilters Guild has made hundreds of quilts for wounded warriors and veterans.

The Guild works with two organizations: Quilts of Valor Foundation, which is a national organization, through their Bronx chapter, Quilters By the Sea QOV, located in City Island; and the VA Brooklyn Veterans Hospital in Bay Ridge.

Quilts of Valor should be roughly 60” x 80” or 70” square, and machine pieced of good quality 100% cotton in red, white, and blue. Free longarming is available through the organization, and they will help with a special label, as well. Patterns are at the discretion of the quilter, but should include red, white, and blue.

The VA Hospital welcomes all sizes and colors of quilts. Some ideas include: a wheelchair quilt (36x46), a lap quilt, a twin bed quilt.

Pillowcases for Kids

The Pillowcase Committee is headed by Annette Wallace. In 2020 she brought The Brooklyn Quilters Guild and Case for Smiles (caseforsmiles.org) together to help make pillowcases for sick children in hospitals. Guild members sew beautiful whimsical pillowcases to be donated to children in hospitals across New York City. The Case for Smiles motto “Help Children Feel Better to Heal Better” is what keeps the pillowcases coming. These special pillowcases help children cope with a scary hospital stay.

Since we started in 2020 we have sewn, washed, ironed, packaged and delivered over 3,000 pillow-cases. Annette delivers the pillowcases to Ronald McDonald House NYC, New York Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering and New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. They appreciate every single one!

Pillowcase kits are distributed and finished kits are collected at every Guild meeting. We use the “Hot Dog” method to finish the pillowcases. Make one and I guarantee you will not be able to stop. It’s a quick easy project that brings big smiles to sick children and their families. Sewing directions for the pillowcases can be found here.

In recognition of our cause, in 2024 the pillowcase committee was gifted a $1,510 donation, from The Brooklyn Woman’s Club. Those funds will be used to buy fabric for the pillowcases! A BIG thank you to the Brooklyn Woman’s Club!