Sewers produce 100 quilts

More than 100 quilts have been donated to children who need them most as part of a project undertaken by Drouin Fireflies.

Drouin Fireflies meet at Drouin CFA on Tuesdays, and members have been working on the project for 12 months with all fabric and time donated.

Members were busy putting finishing touches to quilts as part of a ‘biggest quilting bee’ ahead of a handover to Victorian Quilters.

Judy Barr of Drouin Fireflies said the quilts would be donated to patients at the Royal Children's Hospital with a long-term life threatening illness through the Very Snuggly Quilts program.

"We have about 15 members and meet once per week," she said.

"People come in with their sewing machines and we put the tops together here, I then take them away to do the quilting and they come back to do the stitching."

Marie Lee of Victorian Quilters was on hand to collect the quilts on Tuesday. She said the program, which has been running since 2004, produced up to 150 quilts each month from various individuals and groups across Victoria and also interstate.

The quilts are a gift to the child, and the children and families who receive a quilt often express surprise that people would generously spend time to create something that is then given to a child whom they do not know.

The quilts quickly become a treasured possession of the child and many children insist that this quilt is taken on each trip back to the hospital.

All quilts received are registered and a record kept of the child that received each quilt. If a thank-you letter is received, a copy of that letter (with all identifying details removed) is forwarded to the maker of the quilt.

Drouin Fireflies also held a Biggest Morning Tea in conjunction with its quilt handover, with money raised donated to ovarian cancer research.