Blankets must be handmade, unused, & made of new materials in child- & teen-friendly colors & patterns. We always need blankets for teens, and for boys of any age.

Blanket types include quilts (both quilted and tied), fleece blankets, crocheted & knitted afghans, and receiving blankets for infants. Blanket sizes should be close to the following dimensions:

All types (quilts, fleece, crocheted, & knitted):

    36 inches by 36 inches – Infant/Baby/Toddler

    36 inches by 45 inches – Kids through grade school

    45 inches by 55 inches – Teens to 18 years old

Knitted & Crocheted Blankets

Yarn should be soft and machine washable. No wool, as children may be allergic to it.

Knitted and crocheted blanket stitches should be made with a small enough gauge to keep a child from becoming tangled in any openings.

Quilts & Comforters

Fabric must be machine washable and dryable: 100% cotton & cotton flannel are preferred. Unacceptable fabrics include: sheets, knits, wool, corduroy, tapestry, upholstery, & like fabrics.    100% polyester is not acceptable except for polyester quilt batting and poly-fleece fabrics.

Quilt batting must be sewn into the outer seams or topstitched at the outer edges to hold the batting securely during washing. (This applies even if the quilt is to be tied.) Please, no high-loft batting.

Quilts can be quilted or tied. Ties should be no more than 6 inches apart; check the batting package, which will note if batting can be tied. Quilts can be sewn either by hand or machine.

Fleece Blankets

When making fleece blankets, use only one layer of fabric. The metro Charlotte area is too warm for two-layer fleece blankets. (A two-layer fleece blanket has 2 pieces of fabric knotted or sewn together.)

When purchasing fleece, ask for double-sided blanket fleece, also know as poly-fleece. This fleece does not ravel when cut and is ‘fuzzy’ on both sides. Most fleece of the correct type has child-friendly prints.

Premie Blankets for Hospital Isolate Wards: 30 inches by 30 inches

Use 100% cotton fabric, either quilting cotton or flannel. Flannel blankets for premies should not have batting; quilting cotton may have a thin cotton batting. (Our local hospitals no longer accept fleece, knitted, or crocheted blankets for isolate wards.)

Blankets for hospital isolate wards should be 30 inches by 30 inches in size.