Quilter brings patient's dream to life in fabric

Roberta Janik of Cape Girardeau has made patient visits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital a bit happier and warmer through the Quilt of Dreams promotion at Hancock Fabrics.

In May, 20 new fabric designs were unveiled based on the artwork of St. Jude patients. Nationwide 30 cents of the purchase price per yard of fabric went to the hospital. Customers and employees created quilts using the St. Jude fabrics and images of children's dreams. Nationwide donations resulted in 3,500 quilts and more than $1.1 million raised. A 2004 promotion will begin in the spring.

Janik's quilt, "The Sea of Dreams" won first place for most original by a Hancock employee in her district. Only 10 quilts nationwide were named as national winners. To view first-place and national winning quilts, visit: www.quiltofdreams. com.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, based in Memphis, Tenn., works on cures for childhood cancer and other diseases. For more information, visit www.stjude.org.