By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Staff Writer

 COLUMBIANA –  The Columbiana Public Library is hosting a quilt walk on Saturday, Oct. 29, to benefit the Quilts for Kids program in Pennsylvania.

Quilts for Kids is a nonprofit organization meant to comfort children who suffer from abuse or life-threatening illnesses.

The library is raffling off a 10-pound quilt that has 25 feet of pine burr blocks, set with 2-inch sashing strips and a 7-inch contrasting border in order to raise money for the foundation.

 “This is a fundraiser we do once a year for that organization,” said librarian Sheila Gallups. “The rest of the money we raise goes toward us getting fabrics to make more quilts for Children’s Hospital, King’s Ranch or families with a child that needs one.”

Gallups even mentioned that during Christmastime they make sure to have extra quilts made so moms can pick one up to take to their kids in Children’s Hospital.

The library will display all of the quilts they have made and people can walk around to take a look at each one.

As for making one of the quilts it can take up to six hours, said Gallups, who has made nine of them herself.

“I’ve gotten to where it only takes me an hour and a half if the fabric is ironed and ready to sew, but it did take one lady six hours,” she said.

Gallups said the reasoning for this is because you have to cut each piece of fabric to be exactly right, then iron and sew it into place. It’s not hard to add up time doing all of that when you are working on something that is 25 feet.

“It’s just really neat to see the finished product,” she said. “We’ve done some quilts that we have actually delivered to the child, which gives you such a rewarding feeling and makes it so enjoyable.”

The event hasn’t been the most successful over the last six years, but the library is expecting this to be one of their biggest fundraisers this year because of the amount of interest people are showing in the fundraiser.

The quilt being raffled off was also recently named the Alabama state quilt, meaning whoever wins will take home a piece of state history.

“When we first started doing this everything just fell in place almost like it was meant to be,” Gallups said. “I remember making a quilt for a girl named Maddie from Wilsonville who had cancer and it was just a special feeling to be able to do that for her. Quilts are something to wrap up in during the winter time and just offer a level of comfort.”

The Quilt Walk will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the quilt drawing at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Columbiana Public Library, the Columbiana Inn and Busy Hands for $10, while raffle tickets are $2 a piece, or three for $5.