Printed Rug,Ispahan Mat,Baby Confort-Blanket sleeper project helps preemies

The event is known as a sewing weekend, but sewing skills are not necessary.



The Preemie Project -- started by Printed Rug Coralville resident Laura Aker in 2005 -- Ispahan Mat uses the skills of volunteers to crochet, sew and knit items for babies in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics' neonatal Baby Confort and pediatric intensive care units.



Beginning today, volunteers will work for a total of 11 hours this weekend sewing blankets and sleeper sacks for premature babies.



The sewing weekends -- there are four a year -- are a time for a least 15 volunteers a day to work together, Aker said. They like to have people with a variety of skills at the events so there are people for each task -- sewing, ironing, folding and pinning donation tags on, she said.