Top Questions:

What's the deadline? /  What are the important dates?

Welcome Blanket is a durational project with rotating collection sites and exhibitions. Generally, blankets can be sent to current exhibition locations. There are deadlines for every show, but we are always collecting for upcoming shows.

In between shows, we work directly with one of partner refugee organizations as part of a special program: “Welcome Blanket On Call.”

Where do I send my blanket?

From now to May 15, Please upload your information here and then send your Welcome Blanket to:

Welcome Blanket
c/o Museum of Work and Culture
42 South Main Street
Woonsocket, RI, 02895

What is Welcome Blanket?

A welcome blanket is traditionally created to lovingly mark the arrival of a new person into the world. In the Welcome Blanket Project, each handmade blanket is a physical manifestation of this celebration of new refugees and other immigrants: “Welcome to the United States and your new life here! We are so glad you have arrived.”

The Welcome Blanket Project aims to connect people already living in the United States residents with our country’s newest immigrants through stories and handmade blankets, providing both symbolic and literal comfort and warmth. At the same time, the project offers a positive, hands-on way to understand the scope of a 2000-mile border wall and to subvert it from an idea of exclusion to one of inclusion. By participating in this project, people will also come together to talk about immigration policy and how it affects real-live people.

What is the purpose of Welcome Blanket?

The goals of Welcome Blanket are as follows:
1.     Welcome new immigrants to the United States with a practical gift and words of welcome and connection.
2.     Provide ways for those who want to support immigrants to create and give a practical and thoughtful gift.
3.     Create community around positive, hands-on ideas of inclusion.
4.     Promote discussions about immigration policy and its effects on real-live people.

When and where will these blankets be displayed?

From summer 2022 to summer 2023, Welcome Blanket will be on display in Los Angeles. Our first host (Helms Bakery) will be displaying our work in August/September. Starting in October to March, we will exhibiting at Skirball Cultural Center.

The blankets have be displayed together at the Smart Museum of Art, MODA (twice!), and Fuller Craft. Welcome Blanket On Call is displayed in our online gallery only.

How does Welcome Blanket work?

Here’s the general process:
1.     Make a blanket, either individually or with others (such as, in a knitting circle). 
2.     Send the blanket with an accompanying personalized note to our announced host by a deadline.
3.     The host catalogues the blanket and the note, and posts it to our website www.welcomeblanket.org/gallery so we can watch the distance of inclusion grow!
4.     Our host displays the blanket in an installation in its contemporary gallery.  
5.     Post-show, with help from our partnering non-profits the blankets and notes will begin to be dispersed to new immigrants.
6.     The immigrant receives the blanket and words of welcome. S/he may contact you to thank you for the blanket.

I’m in! What now?

Great news! This is what you can do:

  1. Knit, crochet, weave, quilt, felt, or otherwise handmake a 40”X40” blanket. Make it a blanket that you yourself would like to receive. It can be in a color you love, it may represent where you are from, it can be something you make with friends and family. Here is a link to our PATTERN page to get you started.

  2. Enclose a personalized blanket note. If you are working as a team, everyone is invited to fill out a note. A note includes:

a.    Description of the blanket (# yards, dimensions, care instructions)

b.    What is a story important to your family about immigration / migration / relocation?

d.    Words of welcome for the blanket recipient.

e.    Contact information (optional).

f.      Please note: by joining Welcome Blanket you are permitting your information to be published unless noted otherwise.

3. Send to Miry’s List:
Welcome Blanket c/o Miry’s List
2272 Colorado Blvd. #1170
Los Angeles, CA 90041

I sent a Welcome Blanket gift through Welcome Blanket On Call, but still have to submit my work to the gallery

Blanket Making Specifics:

 What kinds of blankets do you need?

  1. We are asking for blankets that of 40"X40". As we connect with more organizations, we may learn that additional sizes are requested. We will update our website accordingly.

  2. We welcome blankets of different colors and patterns. Our one “blanket rule” is to make something you would like to receive and have it be new, clean and fresh. If you want to recycle yarn or other knitting materials, please make sure they have all been washed to ensure hygiene. Think about the blanket as a gift to a neighbor. Wool, acrylic, cotton, etc. are all fine!

  3. Extra points if your blanket is washable! We want our blankets to be easy to use.

Who will receive my blanket?

We partner with multiple refugee and immigrant organizations to coordinate distribution. If you are part of a non-profit that would like to receive blankets, please be in touch!

I’m a quilter/weaver/sewer/felter. May I participate?

Absolutely!!! You want to create a handmade gift to welcome someone to the United States? Yes! Please participate! Welcome Blankets focuses on blankets using lines of yarn, but that doesn’t mean that kindness always has to fall within the lines. We love that quilters are joining. Instead of thinking of the quilt as a line of yarn, we will add up the square yards of quilted blankets, too. Let’s see how much we can build!

Do you have any patterns?

We do. For our "Come Together Blanket" please see our PATTERN page to knit, crochet, or other materials. Kat Coyle , the designer of the Pussyhat, has, once again, created a pattern that is a great place to start. 

I created my own pattern. May I submit it?

Yes! If you would like to share your pattern with the community, please include an image of the finished blanket and detailed instructions (and/or video) We are a tiny team, so please be patient. We will get the patterns up ASAP.

I have never made a blanket before. I may need some help.... Help?

A blanket is a rectangle. This means that it is a great first project for beginners. Whether you are a beginner or a skilled knitter, if you are having some trouble with your blanket, here are a few ways to get help:

  1. Ask a knitter/crocheter/quilter you know for help. Explain Welcome Blanket and why it is important to you.

  2. Drop in at a one of our local ally yarn stores for a knit-along, some quick tips, or an official class.

  3. Check out our GATHERINGS page for announcements about people getting together to make Welcome Blankets. Hosts choose whether or not to post on the page- not all events will be posted here. Even if you do not already know how to make a blanket, you can still host a gathering!

  4. Check out our TUTORIAL page for step-by-step instructions.

  5. Check out our Ravelry Page (basically a Facebook for knitters). As we grow, there will be more people who will be able to help. It requires a sign-up, but it's quick and easy.

  6. Follow us on social media and connect with other Welcome Blanket Participants:

I want to make a donation to the Welcome Blanket Project, how can I do that?

Thank you! Here’s the link. We are a 501c3 tax ID #82-3710239.

You can support Welcome Blanket! By making a gift, you’ll help to sustain the full range of programming associated with the exhibition, facilitate on-going conversations, and ensure that all of this remains free and welcoming for all. You’ll also support the costs associated with shipping, cataloguing, documenting, and distributing the blankets. Here's the link: https://www.razoo.com/story/Smartwelcomeblanket

I want to start a Welcome Blanket Project satellite in my city/country, how do I do that?

Awesome! Email hello@welcomeblanket.org if you are interested in helping make this happen!