Prince Albert Girl Guide unit sews 1,000 quilts for the homeless

It’s a milestone moment for the Trefoil Unit of the Prince Albert Girl Guides.

Since 2012, the group has been working with their needles and thread to create warm quilts for the homeless. Elaine McMillan, with the Trefoil Unit, said the group just finished sewing its 1,000th quilt, which was presented at the Moose Lodge warming shelter in Prince Albert on Wednesday.

The project started because the organization saw a desperate need to help the homeless, McMillan said, and their unit took on the task.

The Trefoil Unit, McMillan explained, is the adult section of Girl Guides, for those aged 30 and up, and members typically have a history with Guides. There are 15 regular members who sew twice a week, she said, and they are often joined by teenage guides who step up to help.

“A lot of us don’t sew at all, or (only) took sewing in high school,” McMillan said.

Creating a quilt is quite a process, McMillan told Gormley on Wednesday. It’s not just a couple steps, as the pieces have to be gathered, cut into squares, arranged, ironed, sewn into quilt tops, and then put together with batting and a bottom.

“All of this is done with donations,” McMillan said, adding that funds come in from all over the province.

The most expensive part of creating a quilt is the batting, which she said costs about $30 for each quilt.

McMillan said a majority of the quilts are made from denim, which is a material heavy and warm enough to be used by those sleeping outdoors.

“(The blankets are) being put to good use to keep somebody from freezing to death,” McMillan said, adding that it feels rewarding to see them in use around the city.

Quilts aren’t the only way the Trefoil Unit gives back to the homeless, McMillan said. The group also runs a project providing soup for a local homeless shelter, as well as muffins and bread.