Handmade blankets welcome refugees, immigrants to US
One hand-crocheted blanket came with a note saying “Welcome to the USA" and advising the recipient to dress warmly in Vermont
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — "Welcome to the USA," says a note attached to a hand-crocheted blanket of purple, white and gray stripes.
Hollie Shaner-McRae, of Burlington, who made the blanket as a gift for a refugee, wrote of her great-grandparents coming to the United States from Ukraine, Russia and Poland.
One great-grandfather was a tailor and the other was a barrel maker, she wrote. “Both were so brave and came to America as teenagers," she wrote in the note. “I hope you make friends and feel safe here,” Shaner-McRae wrote to whomever would receive the blanket. “Vermont is blessed to have new families arrive and enrich our world.”
The quilt was one of at least 86 artistic blankets that crafters sewed, crocheted and knitted as gifts for refugees and immigrants to make them feel welcomed in their new community in Vermont. The handmade creations were on display at the Heritage Mill Museum in Winooski, Vermont, before they were given away to refugees last week.
