As soon as I returned from TN, I was anxious to sew something. The summer has slipped by quickly I feel like I haven't accomplished much with all we've had going on. I was eager to start and finish something.
I helped some friends from the KC Modern Quilt Guild cut and package some kits at Jacquie's studio a few months ago and I finally felt like my heart could take opening them up and begin sewing.
These kits contained everything I needed to make a little pouch that will hold a tiny baby born too early to survive. They are called fetal demise pouches. Such a cold clinical term. But our guild is hoping to provide something soft and delicate so that parents can hold their little one and say goodbye.
Making the kits with friends was a little easier than sewing them on my own. There was camaraderie through the difficulty in what we were doing. We shared some stories and eventually found some rhythm to cutting fabric and ribbon. It's amazing how being with friends and touching fabric can soothe the soul.
Sewing at home, alone while my family was out of the house, made it so very hard to think about the babies that might be growing right now. How their parents are filled with joy at the anticipation of their arrival. It made me think of the two babies I lost so very early. And it made me think of friends who have lost babies and how I wish there was something I could do to comfort them. I'm so glad to be able to do this project to offer some small comfort for someone grieving.
I started with one pouch and followed Alex's very detailed tutorial for her pouch design. It went together smoothly and for the next three I was able sew in assembly line fashion. I'll admit that I had to turn on the television for some distraction.
If you'd like to read more about this project, the KC Modern Quilt Guild blog has a post here and Quilter's Home magazine just published an article about several projects for lost babies, including ours.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing this. I am going to try and make some for my hospital. I am a Labor and Delivery nurse and it would be nice to have something so beautiful to give to the parents. It is the hardest part of my job.
Just this past March, our daughter's baby was stillborn at five months. Her baby was wrapped in a lovely little wrap similar to this wrap that you are making. The fact that the hospital had this beautiful and oh so tiny wrap to provide for our first grandchild, Amelia, is something that helped ease the pain when there was so little good to grasp onto in those first hours after she was born. Knowing that our little one was wrapped in the soft and thoughtful love of a quilter was a comfort then and always will be for our family. Please know that your actions are so dearly appreciated. Thank you for your kindness.
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