District 103 kids stitch quilts for newborns at Good Shepherd Hospital

While not the typical after-school program, Caring Kids Can Quilt held the interest of 10 third- and fourth-grade girls from Half Day School in Lincolnshire who recently created baby quilts for newborns at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.

The six-week class was the idea of Patty Lathrop, teacher/librarian, who is a member of the Northern Lake County Quilters Guild.

“I thought it would be something fun for the girls to try,” Lathrop said. “The girls were definitely motivated knowing the quilts would be given to the newborns at Good Shepherd Hospital.”

Some of the girls joined the class because they wanted to learn to sew and others saw it as a way to help others.

During the class, the girls learned everything from threading needles to planning the quilt layout to stitching the bindings.

“While each quilt is not perfect, they are all very unique and created with love,” Lathrop added.

Joan Schiller, pregnancy planner for Good Shepherd Hospital, has been handing these quilts out to new moms after delivery and the response has been very positive.

“Knowing these quilts were made by grade school girls, many whom have never quilted before, makes them very special. The moms really appreciate the quilts as nice keepsakes for their babies,” Schiller said.

In addition to the quilts from Half Day School, the Northern Lake County Quilters Guild has been involved with Good Shepherd Hospital for the past four years providing special quilts for newborns.

The quilts from the Caring Kids Can Quilt class are an added bonus.