March 29, 2019
Area clubs make blankets with calming effect
Cuddling creates a calming effect for everyone. Many children with autism are no different, but there’s more to it than wanting to be cozy and warm. Some children with autism benefit from pressure stimulation, and one way to provide this is using weighted or heavy blankets...
Cuddling creates a calming effect for everyone. Many children with autism are no different, but there’s more to it than wanting to be cozy and warm. Some children with autism benefit from pressure stimulation, and one way to provide this is using weighted or heavy blankets.
These blankets can be especially helpful for a child with autism who can’t tolerate being hugged, but still craves even pressure.
While the blankets may be purchased, Butler County Extension Homemakers make and provide the coverings designed especially with love and the price is right, free.
The three clubs are FUN (Friendly United Neighbors), Show-Me Star Club and the Heritage Girls, who are younger women, many of whom work.
Carolyn Malson is president of the FUN Club, Edna Crain heads the Star Homemakers while Rozetta Little leads the Heritage Girls.
The clubs are members of the Missouri Association for Family and Community Education. At a regional meeting, the local clubs learned the Cape Girardeau, Mo. clubs were offering equine riding programs for autistic children and making weighted autism blankets. The Butler County groups decided to become involved with the blanket project.
They make the blankets for children and adults, but most of their requests are for children. Many of the blankets go to Shady Grove State School, special needs students at area schools, but “anyone who asks us” will get a blanket,” said Betty Schalk.
“Autistic children have a hard time sleeping and the blankets work,” Schalk added.
Teachers of special needs students ask for them so when a student is acting up, they can puts a blanket on in class, club members said.
They use clean, donated fabric but Malson pointed out, “children enjoy children’s prints or colorful fabrics” if someone wants to provide fabric for blankets. The width of the fabric determines how much is needed. Fabric 45 inches wide requires 1 2/3 yards and 60 inches will need 1 3/4 yards.
The stuffing is made of clean material like sheets and old clothes minus buttons, zippers or attachments. The materials are cut up to use as filling to stuff inside of the blanket tubes. The fabric is weighed and separated into a bag containing one pound. Each child’s blanket has five pounds of stuffing.
Anyone who wants to donate fabric or money to the project may take items to the Butler County University of Missouri Extension Office, 614 Lindsay Suite 3, Poplar Bluff, once the materials are clean and all attachments are removed.
The club members meet once a month to work on the blankets. Each blanket is made in steps. The six people working this week included Malson and Phyllis Newton, who were measuring and cutting the outside fabrics. June Romine and Alice Farrar where cutting strips for stuffing, Mary Lovette was sewing fabrics together and making tubes for Schalk to stuff.
Along with making weighted blankets, they also make and collect personal hygiene items for girls in Africa as part of Project Patricia. Not having proper hygiene supplies is a major problem for girls who must miss and often drop out of school.
The local clubs are providing new socks and underwear for children in foster care. The women said they were saddened to learn many children in foster care have never had their own new socks and underwear. As mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and homemakers, they are working toward changing the situation.
In the fight against human trafficking, the women provide local agencies with goody bags. Schalk said the items in the bags are just a way of letting them know someone cares.
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