A Welcome Blanket

My friend Alice told me about the Welcome Blanket project. (WelcomeBlanket.org)

The basic idea is to contribute a 40 inch square knitted, crocheted or quilted blanket for an immigrant that will be part of a temporary installation at the Smart Museum of Art in Chicago. The project organizer, who is also the person who came up with the idea of the knitted "pussy hats" for the recent Women's March in Washington (and elsewhere), hopes to gather enough blankets which end-to-end would measure the distance of the proposed 1,989 mile Mexican border wall.

The installation is ongoing and they have blankets hanging as well as piles of blankets on display already. The original deadline for submitting blankets was Sept. 5, but I understand they have extended that deadline. (I work better when I have a deadline, so I was glad that I didn't know last week that the deadline had been extended!) You can see the display by visiting WelcomeBlanket.org, as well as get updated information about the project.

They suggest a simple blanket made of half square triangles, which can be arranged in a variety of ways.

Here is my Welcome Blanket:

At the website you can view this PDF which includes all the necessary information as well as a template for a tag to add to your quilt. On the tag you are supposed to write a Welcome Note to the recipient telling a bit about your immigrant story and offering words of encouragement. The blankets will be distributed to refugees and other immigrants through several resettlement organizations once the installation is dismantled at the end of the year.

Here's my blanket, tagged and ready to mail. I will pay my own postage, but there are sponsors who will pay for postage. This might be especially helpful to groups or organizations with limited funds who are mailing multiple blankets.

I've included a photo of my tag. I don't recall any dramatic family stories of oppression or perilous ocean passages, but I have to think that there must have been some compelling reasons or some great allure to make my ancestors decide to leave family and friends in Europe and come to a totally new country so far away.

Anyway, I'm glad they did and I hope that someone receives my blanket who will have a chance to call America home very soon.

I'm glad to be part of this project!