17 Oct 2026 06:00
Jayna Zweiman, Welcome Blanket
Jayna Zweiman wants to wrap the world in kindness and warmth.
She founded Welcome Blanket in 2017 as an invitation to crafters to make handmade blankets for refugees who have just arrived in the United States. She pictured 2,000 miles of yarn and thread, as long a distance as the proposed wall along the southern border. Instead of a barrier keeping people apart, Jayna wondered, was there a way to bring them together? That question became the inspiration for Welcome Blanket, transforming the idea of a line of division into an invitation to create something welcoming and inclusive.
Nearly a decade later, crafters have far exceeded the initial goal. With more than 8,000 blankets made and distributed so far, she has set a new goal: 36,521 blankets, enough to circle the Earth. In 2026, the project received the Golden Scissors Award for Social Impact, which recognizes leaders in the craft industry.
Giving a Welcome Blanket is straightforward:
- Make a 40" x 40" blanket by hand, using any technique and materials you like (as long as they're easy to care for). It should be difficult to give the blanket up because you love it so much.
- Include a note of welcome that shares something about your own experience of immigration, migration, or relocation.
- Send the blanket and note to be distributed through one of Welcome Blanket’s partner organizations or shown first at one of the organization’s public exhibitions.
The connection to the immigrant experience is personal for Jayna, whose grandfather told her about his first look at the Statue of Liberty when he immigrated to the United States. As she points out, though, each person’s experience of migration and relocation is unique, from the Pilgrims to relocated indigenous Americans to recent arrivals. Many Welcome Blanket crafters aren’t sure what to write in their welcome notes, but whatever the personal history, the notes are the opportunity for connection and shared feeling of humanity.
Refugee families often arrive with very little and have only a few days to set up a new home or take a long bus ride to another city. Welcome Blanket recipients might receive their blankets in a welcome box alongside toothbrushes and other basic supplies, tucked into a backpack, or waiting in a first apartment. For people who have left nearly everything behind, a handmade blanket is a rare gift: something new that carries another person’s hands and care.
Some of the blankets are distributed right away, but many are displayed in exhibits in art museums, cultural centers, and airports. The first show, at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, began with an empty gallery that filled week by week as blankets arrived. Visitors can read the welcome notes alongside the blankets, and a few minutes with those stories can bring even the most reserved viewer to tears. Right now, two exhibitions are on view at LAX in Los Angeles, where travelers waiting at baggage claim stop to look and often seem to relax.
Welcome Blanket is currently collecting quilts for QuiltCon 2027 in Atlanta (due November 15) as well as ongoing donation.
Links
This episode is brought to you by:
Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com. You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white.
If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed.
Calling all knitters and fi
