Help a Kid! Stitch Love

Ever wanted to better the world through cross stitch? You can by stitching a fun square for children’s charity LoveQuiltsUK!

So much of cross stitch is about giving – giving someone the perfect card for their birthday, making a sampler for a special occasion, or finding just the right chart to stitch for a friend!

LoveQuiltsUK taps into that giving spirit by having volunteers make stitchy quilts for kids suffering from terminal illnesses or chronic conditions. Stitchers from all over the world volunteer to stitch squares for these quilts, choosing charts based on a theme the child loves. The charity’s organisers, Kat Pocklington and Gaynor Thomas, gave Crazy a peek into how they – and the LoveQuilts volunteers – make the world a happier place through stitching.

How it works

When a child is chosen to receive a quilt, the child – or their family – chooses a fun theme based on their hobbies and interests. “Themes have to be fairly broad to ensure that enough cross stitch patterns are available for the required 12 squares, or 15 for older children,” says Gaynor. “But we do our best to accommodate more obscure theme requests. For example, we’ve done themes on socks, Mexican sugar skulls and even the National Lottery!”