The Crawford County Association for Home and Community Education (HCE) and The Pickett Fence are wrapped up in their plans for a county-wide quilting bee to contribute quilts to local organizations and to a Project Linus group based in Madison.

The “Harvest of Love” Quilting Bee will be held on Saturday, October 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Crawford County Administration Building at 225 North Beaumont in Prairie du Chien. HCE and The Pickett Fence are looking for people willing to donate their time and energy to make the goal of 75 quilts a reality. Many hands will be needed and there will be jobs for both sewers and non-sewers. Experience is not required! Volunteers can choose to spend a short time or the entire day at the quilting bee. There will be a pot-luck meal at noon.

The quilts will be used in the local area by First Responders, the Domestic Abuse Shelter, Operation Santa Claus and other groups helping families in need. Project Linus will distribute the blankets in LaCrosse hospitals where they are needed in places such as emergency rooms, pediatric intensive care units and burn units. Some of these quilts are used in the newborn intensive care units to cover the isolettes, keeping out the light and keeping in the warmth. The need for quilts keeps increasing.

HCE appreciates the contributions and support provided by The Pickett Fence. The group hopes the public will participate in the quilting bee and help provide love and comfort to little ones in need. “We sent letters to many organizations and individuals who have helped us in the past in an effort to get the word out about this event. It is such an awesome feeling to work together with others to reach a worthwhile goal,” says UW-Extension Family Living Agent Jane Schaaf. Fabric donations are not needed this year due to people’s generosity in the past, though there is a need for thinsulate to use as quilt batting.

For more information on the “Harvest of Love” Quilting Bee , call Jane Schaaf at the UW-Extension Office, 326-0223.