It was a warm and wonderful Spring morning, I threw open the windows and cranked up the classical music in the studio; all my favorite things at one time! I spent the morning finishing the machine quilting on this baby quilt. I approached the process by backing into it, literally! Our Guild held a workshop this past Saturday to construct preemie baby quilts for the NICU at a local hospital. These quilts are 36" square, large nine-patches, that are lovingly made and given to the tiniest patients. Initially, these quilts shield the preemies who, while in the isolettes, are subjected to bright lights and buzzing sounds of all the life-sustaining equipment in the NICU; later these quilts go home with their babies. The nurses in the NICU play an integral part in the distribution of these quilts to the families; they delight in choosing a quilt by color, or theme, and had expressed an interest in learning to make a quilt! The idea of hosting a workshop pairing a quilter with a nurse, or other health-care professional, was born! The notices went out-- to the Guild, to the hospital; to bring one and a quarter yards of 100% cotton kid-friendly fabric. Now, we, as quilters, know what to look for... there are differences,
big differences, in 100% cotton fabric. Some fabrics are tight and stiff and virtually impossible to quilt without being pre-washed. These are the fabrics we would never choose, but the nurses didn't know, they brought what they found. I was paired with a nurse and we combined our fabrics, the colors blended beautifully. I cut, and she shuffled the pieces over three quilt tops. (This pattern yields three 36" quilts using three different one a quarter yard cuts!) I showed her how to sandwich the first quilt and she continued on with the next two as I began to quilt the first one. Everything went fine until my quilting meandered over onto the slick, stiff, tight fabric that was about to become my nemesis. Thread continued to fray and break and a deep sense of frustration set in. By the time I was two-thirds through I knew it was time to quit for the day or go stark-raving mad! I was already trying to figure out how I could wash the quilt at this point to facilitate completion while I drove away. Once home, I removed all the safety pins and firmly basted the edges down, by machine. I tossed it in the washer and crossed my fingers. It came out just fine, and a trip through the dryer was well received too! And so, I
backed into the quilting; with the music cranked up and the windows open I was able to finish the quilting, on the now much-softer fabric! I carried the quilt outside to the patio and blind-stitched the binding into place later in the afternoon, seated on the glider accompanied by Hannes and the sweet music of joyful, singing backyard birds. It was a perfect day. One down, two to go...
The great thing about making these coordinating quilts "in threes"
is that they often go home in sets with preemie twins or triplets!
Our Guild supplies the neonatal intensive care unit at a local hospital with preemie quilts. The quilts are small, 36" to 40" square. Initially the quilts are draped over the isolette, "insulating" these, the tiniest of babies, from the bright lights and electronic sounds around them. Eventually, when they're big enough, the babies are wrapped in these quilts for cuddle sessions. The parents pick out the quilts for their babies; the nurses from the NICU report that this is such a fun thing to do for all involved, there's always an assortment of happy colors and cheerful motifs from which to choose. To put things into perspective think of the size of this baby in relation to the quilt dimensions. In such a tenuous, day-to-day environment such as this NICU isn't it heart-warming to think of the comfort that can be provided by a small quilt?
