Knitting again, for a cause

So The Gracie Jane Project has been such a pleasure to do, but finding time on my machine these days, even for the quilts that people are waiting for seems to be a big issue. I still want to be able to do something, and it's funny how something is presented to you at just the right time.

The other day on Facebook my favourite photographer Melissa posted that she was finally ready to help a charity that has been the cataylist for her becoming a photographer in the first place. It fit perfectly with me wanting to do something and so here it is!

Melissa has generously decided to donate her time and her talent to the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation. And what a cause it is.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives. The NILMDTS mission statement is to introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the gift of professional portraiture. We believe these images serve as an important step in the family's healing process by honoring their child's legacy.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) administers a network of more than 7,000 volunteer photographers in the United States and 25 countries. At a family's request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will come to your hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.Our entire network of affiliated photographers graciously donate their time and talents to our families and we are proud to be able to offer our services at no cost.

My contribution, to knit blankets for Melissa to take to the families to use in photographs and then to give them as a keepsake of their little one.

The blanket is about 15x17 but I'd like to square it up a bit. I'm still working on the perfect pattern but I'm sure the ones along the way will find a use as well. There is always something we can do to help others . . .  .