Tender loving care in every stitch

Pieces of fabric, lengths of thread and piles of cotton batting come together to make something magical in the hands of quilters. When the quilts are destined to comfort sick children, the magic is multiplied by a thousand.

That’s what happened when 17 women were asked if they could make quilts for young patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado Springs.

The idea came from JoAnn “Jazzy” Felice, manager and quilting teacher at Myers Sewing Education & Event Center on West Carefree Circle. In June 2021, she approached women who take classes there and talked about how quilts could brighten the lives of hospitalized children.

“She has gotten us all interested in wanting to do wonderful things for the kids,” said Angela Mandelkow, a Westside Colorado Springs resident.

Felice knows first-hand what effect these handmade labors of love can have.

When her son was 13, he needed emergency surgery and spent a night in the intensive care unit. A nurse stopped by, her arms full of homemade blankets, and he chose a brightly colored crocheted blanket.

“He is now 34 years old and still has this blanket. It became a source of comfort for him,” Felice said.

She has paid that forward ever since then by crocheting blankets for good causes, including the Ronald McDonald House in Colorado Springs.

“My goal was to make a child smile,” she said.

The women, who dubbed themselves the “Myers Sewing Sisters,” chose patterns featuring colorful flowers. They shopped and raided their stashes, looking for 100 percent cotton that will hold its colors through many washes.

“We would rather a quilt be worn out with years of use and love than have it hanging on a wall or stored away,” Mandelkow said.

The volunteers spent summer 2021 sewing together blocks of fabric to create a picture — in this case, flowers. Each block took 10 to 12 hours per week, which included pressing pieces so they’d lie flat, and each quilter made four or more blocks.

“We were completely inspired by the idea of providing heirloom-quality quilts for little children who were sick and stuck in the hospital,” said quilter Dr. Brook Henderson.

By August, the quilters were ready for the final stages.

First, they spent four days organizing the blocks. Then, they sewed them together to make strips of different patterns. After the strips were finished, they sewed them together to make the quilt tops.

“When you put together blocks from various people, things don’t always line up, but in the end we all work together to make beautiful quilts that we know the kids will cherish for years,” said Mandelkow, who’s also an instructor at Myers.

Hobbs Bonded Fibers, a Texas company, donated more than $200 worth of cotton batting. That forms the middle of the quilt “sandwich,” with the quilted layer as the top and a backing for the bottom.

Some of the volunteers used long-arm quilting machines to sew together the quilt sandwich in beautiful patterns of stitches visible on the top. Then, the four sides had to be bound together.

“I believe that everyone who worked on those quilts felt honored to be providing something so personal for a little one at a time of sickness and, perhaps, fear,” Henderson said.

That mechanical process took several weeks. But the emotional process, they say, was even more important, helping them form connections that will last their lifetimes.

“We have become a close-knit family. We encourage each other, help each other and are there for each other, no matter what,” Mandelkow said.

Although she’s been quilting for only about two years, Mandelkow has fallen in love with the art form and the “blood and tears” that go into each quilt.

The best part, she said, is “knowing that all of this will get handed over to a child going through a hard time and knowing that a complete stranger is thinking of them, giving them a special gift that they can keep through the years to hold and cherish.”

Henderson feels the same.

“The knowledge that the quilts we made last summer were going to go to children in the hospital moved me to tears more than once,” she said.

By the end of 2021, 12 quilts were ready for donating, which happened on Jan. 3. Henderson called it an “extreme pleasure” and a wonderful way to start the new year.

“It is such a heartwarming process to be part of. We can only imagine the excited look on the kids’ faces when they realize that they get this quilt for themselves,” Mandelkow said.

So, of course, they’re eager to do it again.

They’ve already decided that this year’s theme will be cats and dogs. And they’re determined to double the number of quilts. Hobbs Bonded Fibers has already committed to doubling the amount of donated cotton batting.

“There are wonderful people in this world who just want to make it a better place. I like being part of that,” Mandelkow said.