09/11/2026
Community Members of the Month: Linda S. and Leslie Y., Quilters
Are quilts accepted at Knitting4Peace?? Heck, yes! Not only are they accepted but they are welcomed with enthusiasm. We have several Peace Pods and individuals who regularly send us beautiful quilts and our Community Partners are always happy to receive them.
We’d like to introduce you to two of our quilters who are long-time Knitting4Peace community members. Linda and Leslie have already donated over 120 NICU-sized quilts this year and are on target to surpass the 239 they donated last year. Over the past few years, they have donated over 800 quilts, along with many knitted items.
Both women learned how to sew early on when they were in school. They began quilting in earnest when Kristin, a mutual friend. brought a group of sewers together during Covid and they began to sew together in the back yard. Kristin shared her many tips and tricks as they made masks and quilts. Much time has passed since the days of backyard sewing but the quilting continues!
Linda and Leslie are both avid knitters who were each already donating items to Knitting4Peace. Linda even had a stint on the Board of Directors and has volunteered her time in many other ways. It was a natural progression for the two of them to begin to share their quilts, too. When making quilts to donate, they have found it easiest to divide the sewing tasks. Linda does all the fabric cutting while Leslie pieces and does the quilting. She then returns the quilts to Linda who completes them by putting on the binding.
The two quilters enjoy using good quilting cotton in child-friendly colors, much of which is donated by friends and acquaintances who are paring down their “stashes”. They like being able to use these odds and ends of fabric for such a good purpose. Friends also contribute funds to buy batting and some offer to longarm the quilts for them. Leslie and Linda sometimes use seasonal fabrics for their quilts, always making sure to get them to Knitting4Peace in time for distribution during the appropriate season. Flannel is a favorite fabric to use for winter quilts.
Throughout our conversation, Linda and Leslie emphasized the communal nature of the quilting they do and asked that we share the following with newsletter readers: “We couldn’t keep this project going without the ongoing financial and cheering on support of our Saturday knitting group which includes Peggy H, Jean S, Arna C, Peggy D, Kristin R, Christy M, and Sue W.” They both agreed that their best “Words of Wisdom” for other Knitting4Peace makers, whether they are quilters, knitters, or crocheters, is to “Have fun with it!” They encourage others who quilt to not worry about making everything match, but to focus on making something that is both beautiful and practical. They say that “as long as it’s sewn together well it will keep a baby warm.”