Kory's Quilts

One of the joys of handling Communications for our quilt guild is that I monitor the guild email account. I never know what I’m going to find there and I was very pleasantly surprised one day in the fall of 2016 to receive this message.

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Let me first thank you for your work on premie quilts for the Civic Hospital. I have seen a few as I am a foster parent whose babes have come home with them. Often foster children receive so little at birth and for me this is seen as a treasured gift.

I’ve had a little guy since birth who adores his little quilt. He is almost three and we are in the process of fully adopting him.   His quilt is really worn (he has chewed the corners) and we would love to replace it.  He is medically fragile and the quilt you ladies made has brought him such comfort.   I am wondering if there is a way to purchase a second one as close to the first one as possible.
-- Gwen

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For many years our guild has made little 24” x 24” “premie quilts” for the babies in the Special Care Nursery at the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital​. This is a key component of our Charity program and each year we typically donate 100-200 little quilts. It’s a great way for us to use up our fabric “stashes”, to try new quilting techniques and designs, and to of course bring comfort to these fragile little babies and their parents.

While we do receive heartwarming thank you notes from some recipients of these little premie quilts, this one was quite different. And of course we would make a replacement quilt to give to Kory!

This email message started a conversation with Gwen and she soon sent along these photos.

Premie quilt #1

Chewed corner

​We learned from Gwen that Kory especially liked the softness and colour of the orange flannel back of his little quilt.

​The label with the name of our quilt guild was still securely affixed to the back and that had enabled Gwen to contact us.

Orange flannel backing on premie #1

We quickly determined that the mother of Brigid, our president at that time, had made this premie quilt. In the true giving spirit of quilters, Brigid’s mother, who lives in Cornwall and is not a member of our guild, was helping us out. Unfortunately she did not have any more of the cute blue spaceship print fabric, and there was no more in the Cornwall shop where she had purchased the fabric.
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So after an unsuccessful online search for this fabric, we set out in search of a suitable replacement space-themed blue fabric, and some orange flannel. We soon had this new little quilt for Kory.

Premie quilt #2

Orange backing on quilt #2

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Fast forward to November 2019 when I was surprised to receive a new message from Gwen with the news that quilt number 2 was wearing out, and that in his  medically fragile state, the little quilt was still bringing Kory great comfort. 

Bigger Kory with premie quilt #2

We enthusiastically offered to make Kory a bigger quilt, and yes it would have orange flannel backing.

Brigid volunteered to make the new quilt, and on learning that Kory likes green, and trucks and trains, she very quickly pieced together the quilt top at our guild's January retreat using fabric from her extensive stash. On returning home Brigid quilted it on her longarm and then passed it to me to attach the binding and label. We soon had a new, much bigger quilt for Kory.
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I still had some of the spaceship fabric we used in quilt number 2 so I incorporated that into the label which is affixed to the orange flannel back.

I was delighted to deliver the quilt to Kory and to finally meet him and his loving family. Gwen had kept my visit and the quilt a secret from Kory.
He was surprised, very happy, and very grateful for his new “big boy” quilt.
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Kory showed me his little quilt #2 which was indeed well loved, and fraying at the edges.

And our latest note from Gwen?

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We are so grateful you got to meet Kory. He carries the quilt in a ball from room to room.  A friend of mine came to the door later that night and he insisted he had the best surprise to show her :)   He took photos and facetimed his older sister so she can see too.  He is so proud of it. 

Thank you.
-- Gwen

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Kory, you've touched our hearts and we hope you will enjoy quilt #3 as much as the first two.

Thank you Gwen for inviting us to provide continued comfort to Kory as he so cheerfully faces his medical challenges.

-- Janet Brownlee, Communications, Arnprior & District Quilters' Guild