"Blankets of Love" is a wonderful initiative started in Australia in 1992 by two sisters, one a midwife (Jan Polverino) and one a quilter (Shirley Zions) to offer beautiful small quilts to parents of babies who have died at or around the time of birth as a lasting memento. This program is now widespread across Australia and beyond largely due to media attention and Down Under Quilts magazine together with Bernina's Blankets of Love Challenge.
The "Blankets of Love" program assists the grieving families by not only providing a memento and celebration of their babies, but it also provides an opportunity for people to speak out about the loss of a baby.
Jan wrote " The aim is simple: to provide beautifully handmade quilts to families who suffer the loss of a baby. Parents keep the quilt and take it home. They are also a symbol that the baby is precious and significant. They are offered as gifts (not forced) and an explanation is given to parents".
One mother said she could smell her baby on the quilt which brought her some comfort. She kept it with other mementos of her child's short life.
The blankets can aid in the healing process and one unexpected outcome of this program is that it has given the community and extraordinary opportunity to speak about pregnancy losses, stillbirth and neonatal death.
If you are interested in making a small quilt and donating it, please do so as you really can make a difference to a grieving family.
Contact Cheryll for details.
or go to Making QUiLtS on sidebar for more info.....
I will work on a quilt for your cause. I lost my daughter when she was 15 months old after open heart surgery nearly 26 years ago.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so sorry for your loss Leona and time doesn't stop the pain I imagine. Thanks for thinking of donating and please know that you are making a difference in someone's life.
ReplyDeleteI would love to participate. I lost 3 pregnancies and the "silence" was devastating. This is such a healing cause all the way around for everyone.
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