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From left, Jill Callander, Ellen Pawlik and Cynthia Erives admire the latest batch of quilts.
Every baby in BWH’s NICU receives a handmade blanket, thanks to a hardworking group of quilters in Marlborough.
It all began when a friend of NICU nurse Becky Laclair, RN, pieced together several tiny quilts to be used by the infants in the unit.
“I had been making quilts for Becky by myself, as many as I could,” said Ellen Pawlik, a retired nutritionist. “I was discussing it with my local quilt shop owner, and she said, ‘Why don’t we have a quilt-a-thon!’” The women have organized two events so far, each with nearly 30 attendees. Pawlik’s goal is to make 500 quilts by the holiday season; the group has stitched 231 to date.
“Ellen’s husband built us a wooden cradle to keep in the store to hold quilts the customers make,” said Jill Callander, co-owner of Wayside Sewing in Marlborough. “People who are learning to quilt love to contribute because it gives them a chance to try new techniques, and it also feels good to help babies and families who are going through such an unexpected experience in their lives.”
Pawlick gives Laclair a new stack of quilts every few weeks when the supply needs replenishing. “The nurses pick out quilts for the babies as soon as they arrive in the NICU,” said Laclair. “When the babies are moved from the incubators to the cribs, the quilts move with them. And, when it’s time for them to go home, the quilts go, too.”
While the quilts are comforting to have in the hospital, parents appreciate the keepsake long after their NICU days are over.
“She’ll definitely take hers home,” said Cynthia Erives, mother of NICU patient Lupita Erives. “It’s one of those things we’ll have forever.”