Last Friday to Sunday (5-7 October) the annual three-day ‘Blankets of Love’ retreat was held at the Paluma Community Hall. Blankets of Love is a quilting group based in Townsville and the main prerequisite for membership is an absolute passion for making quilts. Last weekend’s retreat is the ninth year the event has been held at Paluma. There were 18 participants at this years event, travelling from Townsville, Bowen, Collinsville, Tully and Ravenswood.
For three days, the ladies stitched and sewed, piecing together some beautiful quilts for charity. This years theme was ‘children’s toys’ with each member of the group contributing a block or section of the various quilts. These ‘community quilts’ are then passed on to various charities and organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Palliative Care, the Children’s Paediatric Emergency Unit and various nursing homes. The group recently donated 29 of their quilts to the Glendale Nursing Home in Townsville.
The Townsville Blankets of Love group formed in 2000 after a founding member suffered the devastating loss of a grandchild. Out of this hardship, was formed a truly dedicated and remarkable group of women. Their most important role is to make and provide small quilts which are passed on to social workers at hospitals. The quilts are given to parents suffering the loss of a baby and the hope is that the quilts will assist in the process of saying goodbye to the loved one.
The Townsville Blankets of Love group intends to return to Paluma next year (2019) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their annual retreat. They are a truly remarkable group of women – every stitch a measure of their charity, kindness, compassion and love for others.
Blankets of Love is a charity and welcomes donations of fabric to produce their beautiful quilts. Anyone with fabric or materials to donate can contact Merle Prince on 0438 164 770.
Text & photos by Michele Bird