Every year for the past five years, quilter Stacey Lee has worked to ensure that for as many foster children as possible, one of those comfort items is a handmade quilt. From now until May 16, you can be part of this effort! To participate in the donation drive, first decide if you want to sew for a big kid or a little kid. Big kid quilts are approximately 50″x50″, and little kid/baby ones are approximately 30″x40″. You can deviate a bit from those dimensions, but the kids still have to be able to fit everything inside of their backpacks with their other belongings, so it’s best to stay within those ranges. Next, choose a kid-friendly design that uses soft, sturdy fabrics. Quilting cottons and flannels are great choices, since they’re soft and sew predictably and wash well. You wouldn’t want to choose a mystery fabric the way that I did with my kid’s bookshelf quilt, for instance–I chose any old fabrics I liked from my stash bin, and then had to go back after she’d washed it a couple of times and repair every seam that included one specific piece of wonky, loosely-woven mystery fabric. It wasn’t the biggest of deals for me, but it would be a tragedy if a foster kid’s donated quilt fell apart. Better to use reliable, soft, sturdy quilting cotton or flannel. If you’re worried about spending a bunch of time sewing a fussy pattern, don’t be! There are so many beautiful and simple patterns out there in the world that a kid would absolutely love. Simple patterns also tend to have fewer seams, which is even better for sturdiness and longevity. You also don’t even need a pattern at all if you just choose cute colors that look nice together. Strip quilts are another good, no-fuss option. And here are even more blocks that don’t require a pattern! To donate your items, download, print, and fill out the Comfort Cases form from Stacey Lee’s donation page, then take a photo of your donation with the note. Bonus: you can use this photo to enter a giveaway and possibly win awesome prizes! Mail your donation plus form following Stacey Lee’s directions here, or take it to your nearest quilt shop that’s participating in the 2025 Donation Drive. Pro tip: this is also a great way to discover a new-to-you shop. I was stoked to see a shop in driving distance on this list, and when I clicked on it out of curiosity, I was even more stoked to see its website showing off the exact kind of modern patterns and fabrics that I’m obsessed with. I’m coming to see you soon, Crimson Tate! Don’t see your favorite shop listed? Contact them and ask them to participate! Speaking of local… if you’d like your donation to go to a local foster child, you’re allowed to note that on the form that you fill out for Comfort Cases. Sometimes it’s just really nice to know that you’re making a difference locally. If you’re only about sewing quilt tops, not whole finished quilts (which I do not blame you for, because quilting on my home sewing machine is the wooooorst!), you can actually donate tops to the Easy Quilting Corner shop in Riverside, California. They’ll finish your tops with their own supplies, then donate them on to Comfort Cases. Their goal is to donate 250 quilts this year, so you’d be doing them a favor! Want to go big? You can also donate any of the other comfort and care items that go into a Comfort Care bag, or even a complete bag with all the necessities plus your handmade quilt–how cute would it be to make sure that everything matched? Here’s the full list of items you can donate. Just keep in mind that everything except for your handmade quilt must be brand-new. If Spring is too busy for you, don’t be sad, because you can actually donate to Comfort Cases all year. Or, if you don’t want to give up your chance at fabulous prizes, you can sew your heart out for the next 11 months, then donate all your goodies during Stacey Lee’s drive next year, using your productivity to rack up even more contest entries, mwa-ha-ha! And now I’m off to get started on my own donation–I have been longing for an excuse to buy Elizabeth Hartman’s Cats in Space quilt pattern, and I think this is it!
