SPANISH FORT, Ala. — On Saturday, the whirring of 15 sewing machines will be heard as bright colored fabrics are cut and sewn into lap-sized quilts at Spanish Fort High School.

Approximately 50 volunteers are participating in the Project Linus community quilt making day at Spanish Fort High School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Project Linus makes and gives lap quilts to area children who are ill.

“The purpose is to bring a smile and some comfort to them,” coordinator Joni Ojard said.

The project is sponsored by the school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America organization.

“It’s one of my favorite things that we do,” she said. "The comfort quilts hopefully will bring joy and happiness to children and families who are going through difficult situations."

Ojard is a family and consumer science teacher at the school.

“I really think this is a project that is in the heart of so many people in the community,” she said.

Project Linus is a joint collaboration of students in the FCCLA and an outreach of Spanish Fort United Methodist church and a variety of community members, she said.

“We have made over 500 quilts which were donated to children in our area who have serious illnesses,” she said.

Once the quilts are finished, they are hand delivered to community agencies such as the Ronald McDonald house and home pediatric care agencies.

Quilts feature favorite cartoon-like characters that appeal to children, such as Thomas the Tank engine or Dora the Explorer, or are in bright colors.

“It really is touching to be able to hear the stories about how the quilts went to the children,” Ojard said.

The project has grown from making six quilts the first year, she said.

“It has become a labor of love for so many people,” according to Ojard. “Whatever we are needing, those things show up. The project has taken on a life of its own.”

She said she appreciates the community support.

“One day (community day) is a huge effort. We sew for four hours and put as many quilts together as we can,” Ojard said. “Last year, we sewed over 80 quilts in four hours.”

All the fabrics and supplies are donated throughout the year, with either donations of fabric or financial support.

The students in FCCLA precut the quilts and set up the sewing room with stations prior to the volunteers’ arrival. Volunteers work in assembly line fashion. Stations include press work, sewing squares, inserting backing, tying stations and doing finishing work. Making a quilt involves cutting fabric into squares, sewing squares into rows, then add the quilt top batting and backing and sewing layers together and hemming, she said.

“Some volunteers are excellent seamstresses and some don’t sew at all,” Ojard said.

Want to help? Contact Joni Ojard at 621-6629 or e-mail her at jojard@bcbe.org.

Donations needed: Washable cotton fabric in kid-friendly colors or prints, all purpose sewing thread or quilt batting.

The cost of making one quilt: $15.86, a small price to pay to give a child joy. Monetary donations are being accepted and checks can be dropped off at the high school.