The sewing machines are working overtime in Nieuw-Buinen this weekend. The volunteers of the Cuddle Blankets Foundation are working on a true marathon of 32 hours of quilting. The goal is to complete four quilts – patchworks consisting of several layers – for charity and that means: get to work.
“I started at 10 a.m. and we will continue until 6 p.m. tomorrow,” says volunteer Henny Auwema. “I hope I can keep it up, but I have enough adrenaline.” She put on her quilt dress for the occasion.
The blankets go to sick children and the UMCG. The Foundation donates 125 blankets per year to the hospital. “My husband and I have a healthy daughter ourselves,” says Winny Machiels, chairman of the Cuddle Blankets Foundation. “That is a blessing of course. But there is so much sadness among parents who have a sick child or children who are in very nasty situations.”
“We thought: if we give a blanket, we can at least give some love and embrace,” says Machiles. “We hope that those children will then feel that there are people who are thinking about them.”
The foundation collected the fabric for the blankets with the help of donations. Machiels: “The marathon has already raised 2,500 euros and we hope that a lot more will be added so that we can buy even more fabrics and make blankets.”
In addition to the fact that the initiative helps children, the volunteers are also happy with being together. “You get to know people this way, it’s a lot of fun,” says Auwema. “I have been retired since last year and I enjoy it so much. I also take it with me on holiday. I kind of live for this.”
What about the sore hands? “That’s not too bad,” laughs Machiels. “I haven’t heard anyone complain yet.”
Take a look at the quilt marathon: