Mormon Church in Need of Quilts

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had made donations of homemade quilts a priority, and then the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, 2011, making the need even more acute.  Twin and Full size quilts are in especially great need.  Following are the specifications for donating quilts for disaster relief:

Sizes:  Crib size = 45 x 60 inches;   Twin size = 72 x 90 inches;  Full size = 90 x 90 inches.

Materials:  Use cotton or cotton/polyester blend or flannel (pre-shrink fabric if necessary).  Please don’t use denim or corderoy, since they are heavy to ship and slow to dry when wet.  Use 8 ounce polyester bonded batting.  If quilt is tied, then use 3 or 4 ply yarn or heavy Cro-sheen for ties.

Guidelines:  Quilts may be tied or quilted by hand or machine.  Strength and durability are important.  If quilts are pieced, make sure all seams are secured with 1/2 inch seams.

For tied quilts:  Ties should be about 4 inches apart.  Stitch should be about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch on the bottom.  Mark using chalk and make sure that stitches will fully cover the mark when tied.  Use double thread of either yarn or Cro-sheen.  Square knots or International stitch are preferred.  Knots should only show on one side of the quilt, with stitches only on the bottom.  Please make sure knots cannot be pulled out.

Binding:  The binding should be carefully done by hand or machine.  There are two suggested methods.  The Pillow Case Method:  This can be done without a quilt frame.  With right sides together, lay the top and bottom of the quilt on a flat surface.  Lay batting on top, pin and sew three sides.  Turn right side out and fold in the open end.  Top-stitch around all four edges.  Sew another row of stitching 1 inch in from the outer edge to secure the batting.  The Roll Method:  Trim the excess batting to allow you to bring the bottom of the quilt over the top piece, using the roll hem method.  Pin and sew with a sturdy stitch.

If you have questions regarding this information please call the Humanitarian Center at 1-800-453-3860 ext. 26060 or you may call locally at 801-240-6060. With all items please remember QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITY.

You may drop them off at your local Bishops’ Storehouse, Deseret Industries store, the Humanitarian Center or Humanitarian Service Rooms.

The Church welcomes donations to your local Deseret Industries store of new and gently used items, including clothing, household items and books. Much of the clothing donated to Deseret Industries is used for international relief efforts by the Church and its partner organizations.

Visit the official newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church“) for Mormon news and information about how The Church relieves suffering throughout the world.