When a woman has a baby at JPS, she’s given a care package that includes a handmade quilt, receiving blanket and booties that both the new mother and her child will not only be able to use now – but will treasure for the rest of their lives.
So, where do the heartwarming keepsakes come from?
Every year, JPS Health Network hosts Sewing and Quilting Volunteer Day, an all-day event during which the volunteers cut, stitch and knit items to fill the need for newborn care packages throughout the year. Some work on quilts from start to finish while other groups work like an assembly line, performing one step in the process and then passing the comforting creation to the next station.
This year, the group made 50 quilts on sewing day. Its members donated another 50 quilts they made in advance. Though they’ll continue to make and donate the beautiful items they create throughout the year, the sewing day gathering is a chance for JPS to thank the volunteers and to provide them with lunch as a gesture of appreciation.
“New moms really enjoy these quilts so you feel good about doing it,” said Fort Worth resident Irene Marquez, who spent the day assembling the sandwich layers of the quilts – tops, bottoms and the batting in between – then tying them together with embroidery string. “It’s very rewarding to do something nice for someone. Plus, you get to work with other talented quilters, which helps you come up with good ideas for yourself.”
Rodney Swyhart, of Arlington, said his mom taught him how to sew when he was a kid and he’s used the hobby as a way to keep himself busy since his wife passed away.
“It’s a good use of my time to do something that brings people a little bit of happiness and good will,” Swyhart said. “We can always use more happiness and good will in the world.”
The volunteers included members of the Linus Project, the Trinity Valley Quilters Guild, Quilters for Christ, Johnson County Threads of Love as well individual seamstresses. As they worked, they swapped stories and talked about how much a new mom was going to love the piece they were finishing.
JPS Manager of Volunteer Services Kim Pinter said she’s amazed by the dedication of the quilters. Many of them come back year after year to help people they’ll never meet.
“It’s such a wonderful thing that they do,” Pinter said of the seamstresses and quilters. “New mommies are always thrilled when they’re handed that beautiful new quilt.”