MISSOULA - A group called “Wrap Ukraine with Quilts” reached out to quilters guilds across the country asking if they would donate or create warm quilts for those in the middle of that war.
Montana responded in a big way, and hundreds of quilts will not just go to Ukraine, but to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Moldova, and Romania.
Quilting takes time and money, so we sat down with some of the quilters to ask why they’re helping people they will never meet.
Each square of colorful fabric, each stitch, and each unique custom-made quilt is created with love from Montana for the Ukrainian people trying to survive a war.
“I proposed this idea to the Missoula Quilters Guild and just put it out there and asked if they’d like to participate in the program to send quilts to Ukraine and they just ran with the idea...it was unreal,” said Joni Storno.
Once word got out, hundreds of quilts from all over Western Montana started arriving, and each will bear a custom heart telling the recipient it comes from a place called Montana.
“There are thoughts that go through your mind as you are creating this, thinking about someone being comforted and wrapped in quilts, they are healing and comforting,” said quilter Carolyn Dewey. “So, it’s just a very warm thing to think about as we are making them.”
Hundreds of quilts are already on their way with more going in the mail soon. And almost like snowflakes, none are alike -- from lap quilts to fleece and those to comfort children.
“I’ve personally made two. They are child-sized, one specifically girl, one specifically boy with Mickey on the back so hopefully a child will feel like they are getting a hug from someone in America,” quilter Emily Dix told MTN News.
The Missoula Quilters Guild — which has close to 200 active members and is the largest quilting club in the state — has already sent off hundreds of them because it’s winter in Ukraine. The quilters told us that as they sew each piece, they think about the person who might soon be wrapped in its warmth.
It’s a tangible gift to a person in Ukraine who is going through this terrible war and we’re hoping that when it’s over, they can keep it and remember that someone in Montana cared enough about them in this difficult time to make a quilt and send it to them,” concluded Stormo.
