KINGSTON — Chattering away in their quilting corner, Connie Simila and Jacque Noard carefully place brightly colored squares together. With each patch, they come closer to creating a quilt, and with each quilt they come closer to piecing together the huge void left behind by the death of a child.

The two, along with a group of quilters, work through the Kingston Quilt Shop, of which Simila and Noard are co-owners, to create blankets for families who have lost a child. The completed quilts are donated to the Bleitz Funeral Home in Seattle.

“They are the only quilt shop helping us out right now,” said Bleitz Funeral Home Family Services Director Kin Chang, noting that the mortuary started handing out quilts after hearing about Project Linus. “Sometimes when families have something special to bury or cremate their children in, it helps ease the pain a little.”

Project Linus, which started in 1995, is a non-profit effort that tries to stitch quilts and blankets for every child in America who needs one, Chang said. It’s named after the Peanuts character Linus, who carries his blue blanket everywhere.

Simila and Noard

“We all know someone who lost a child,” Simila said. “It’s a good feeling to do something like this. It’s not sad when we all get together. This aspect of the process is fun for us, especially knowing the quilts we make will help someone else.”

About half of the families that utilize the Bleitz Funeral Home decide to accept a quilt, either for the child they lost, or for a sibling who needs a little extra comfort, said Funeral Director Duane Bradford.

“It’s one last thing the family can do to show their love,” he said. “When we can offer the family anything like that, it’s very comforting and helps with such a difficult situation.”

“The little brothers and sisters have something to hold onto when they are coping with the loss of their sibling,” Simila said.

Simila lost her own brother when she was a child, and remembers having the comfort of her teddy bear help her through the difficult time.

“When people are sick, they need something to lift their spirits,” Noard added. “Quilts are a special thing, they can help ease pain.”

The Project Linus group has been meeting on the second Sunday of each month — for about five months — to socialize and quilt. About five or six regulars attend, working their way through a heaping colorful pile of donated fabric, Noard said.

“We don’t really need any more fabric donated for a while,” she said, adding that more than anything, the group needs people to help create the blankets. “If you can sew in a straight line, then you can help us. We don’t just sew, if you can iron, you can help.”

Simila and Noard ask that residents call the store before making fabric donations.Already-made quilts of all sizes and stuffed animals are also accepted, and Noard and Simila encourage such donations as well. The quilt group’s meeting times and dates can be found at www.kingstonquiltshop.