STAFF WRITER
JUSTIN HEAD

The St. John Fisher Art Club is going to keep parts of Rochester warmer this winter - one blanket at a time. 

The Art Club is embarking on its first community service project by making blankets that will be donated to a local women and children’s shelter around the Thanksgiving holiday.

“The Art Club as a whole felt that it would be nice to do a service project for the community. We had never done a service project on our own and decided to take on the initiative,” said Art Club Treasurer Julie Mosakowski.

 The whole idea started with Vice President Elizabeth Vanderhoff, who suggested that they could partake in such a project to help other people and bond among the Art Club as well.

Art Club President Marie Heberger spent $42 on the supplies that would come together to make 10 two-sided fleece blankets.  The Art Club spent unanticipated funds to cover the project cost and hopes to fundraise in the future to cover material costs.

The 10 blankets that the club made are all four feet by six feet and feature patterns and pictures that convey children’s themes.  Some of the images on the blankets were leopard print, teddy bears and puppies.

Two separate pieces of fleece fabric, one  with a pattern and the other a solid color, were tied together on all four sides.  One-inch by four-inch strips were cut along the edges of both pieces of fleece and tied together to create a two-sided blanket.  The only tools needed for the production process were scissors and cardboard measuring strips.

The Art Club met twice during their regular Monday meeting time and completed five blankets during each gathering.  Two people worked on each blanket, one cutting and the other binding the two pieces of fabric together.

Fortunately, a few of the members had worked on the same type of blankets before.

“It was very helpful to have other members guide the Club. It was a great opportunity to work as a club, maintaining an Art Club feel, all while being able to service the community,” Mosakowski said.

The Art Club members have already decided to make the blankets an annual project.  Members of the club have agreed that this initiative was both meaningful to the community and good for the club. 

 Heberger expressed that she felt a sense of accomplishment doing this project and she believes the blankets will be valued.

“All of the blankets were special, they are something we had to put a lot of time and effort into to make… I think the people that will receive them will really appreciate the work put into them,” Heberger said.

Email address:
jhh08481@sjfc.edu