A quilter's story

Our quilt ministry began in 2004 when I read an article in Family Circle magazine about babies being wrapped in paper and plastic during cleft palate surgeries because of a shortage of blankets.  Wrap-A-Smile was asking for baby quilts and I felt called to help.  While I knew how to sew, I had never made a quilt before.  I enlisted the help of my friend Linda Saxton who had made two quilts.  We had enthusiastic members of church join us who learned to quilt along with us. Over the last 14 years many community members have joined us as well:  friends, people we met while selling items, etc.  We have taught teenagers how to use a sewing machine, and many adults have made their first quilts as part of our ministry.  A Girl Scout even used our group to inspire her Gold Project where she and her friends made baby quilts for Wrap-A-Smile.

For our first year, we received donations from local businesses.  Since then, to raise funds, we have sold table runners, hot pads, tree skirts, and other items at local craft shows and now in two gift shops.  The mission of our group seems to encourage sales.  People want to be a part of helping the kids in third world countries!  Periodically I put our group efforts in the newspaper and this usually generates donations of fabric from the community. We also meet strangers who hear about our group and donate fabric.  All of this support has allowed us to increase our production to about 140 quilts each year.  To date we have made over 1300 quilts!! Our local Rotary recently gave us a donation to help with shipping costs.  We have also been honored with our town’s Community Service award from the Historical Society.

Our group members fluctuate but currently we have about a dozen members that come to our monthly meetings.  We have more friends who sew at home for us.  We cut up our scraps into certain sizes and I make kits with simple patterns for people to take home and work on.  We feel incredibly blessed to be a part of Wrap-A-Smile’s vision to give a blanket to each child having surgery!

Kim Valone

Walworth, NY

Kim far right standing, Linda far left standing

As a follow up to this story, Wrap-A-Smile has been contacted by a quilter in Alabama who purchased one of Kim's keepsake quilted items at a gift shop in upstate NY. 
When good ideas have legs.....

We are hoping this will be the first in a series of stories about some of the amazing quilters who help us wrap babies and children in quilted love at the time of their surgeries. If you have a story to tell, please contact Ann at quilts7780@gmail.com.