craftgrrl | The Painted Turtle Camp for Chronically Ill Children

I came across this after watching an interview with Paul Newman about his network of camps for chronically ill children. This is a camp based in California and I thought this may be of interest to some crafters here who are looking for something worthwhile to do with their crafting

KNITTING AFGHANS & MAKING TURTLES FOR FUTURE CAMPERS @ THE PAINTED TURTLE CAMP

Quilts for the Beds
• We will need patchwork quilts to decorate every twin size bed in all the cabins. Please feel free to be creative!
• The size of the quilt should be 60 inches by 80 inches.
• Please make sure these quilts are machine washable and are not too heavy or too warm.

Afghans or Lap Quilts
• These will be given to each camper to take home as a special memento of their times at The Painted Turtle.
• The size of the afghans and lap quilts should be 35-40 inches wide by 45-50 inches long.
• The afghans can be knitted or crocheted.

All these donated items have been blessings to the children who have attended the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. The Painted Turtle would love to be able to continue this tradition, by sending every child home with an afghan and turtle pillow. Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children with serious illnesses.

Turtles

We use a standard pattern to ensure all turtles are consistent in shape and size. If you are interested in making a turtle pillow and would like a pattern, please contact our office. We will be happy to send one to you.

Turtle Pillow Instructions

1. Cut:

1 Turtle Bottom (piece A)
1 Turtle Top (piece B)
1 Turtle Center Shell (piece C)
2 Shell Rims (piece D)

2. Sew the “D” pieces together on the outer edge. Turn and topstitch ¼ inch from the seam just sewn.

3. Lay the completed piece “D” over the front side of piece “B” and sew the three edges together around the oval opening. This creates a unified piece, which is easier to work with in the next step.

4. Lay piece “C” face down inside the connected “B/D” piece (which is also lying face down). Pull up the oval edges to match the front sides of the material together and sew a ¼ inch seam. This works easier if you pre-mark (with pins) piece “C” and “B/D” at the ½ and ¼ marks to keep the ovals matched.

5. Now you have a completed top to the turtle, which can be seamed onto the underside using a ¼ inch seam allowance. Leave an opening on one side for stuffing later.

6. Turn right side out and topstitch each foot in three places starting at the edge and stitching toward the center to form the “toes”.

7. Sew or insert eyes as you wish. I use plastic eyes with push on washers on the inside. If you use these, put an extra circle of material or felt between the material and the washer (on the inside) for extra support.

This Turtle Pattern has been graciously donated by:
Val Herford, Home Economics Teacher
Mesa Intermediate, Palmdale, CA

Please send or deliver any completed turtles, quilts and afghans to:

The Painted Turtle Office
3969 Villa Costera
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-6350 p

The Painted Turtle Site
c/o Lake Hughes Woman’s Club
P.O. Box 84
Lake Hughes, CA 93532

You can also see their website at http://www.thepaintedturtle.org/ and click on the crew for more information.
Please feel free to pass along to anyone you see fit.