The ladies of Girl Scout Troop #175, all sixth graders from St. Joseph’s School, earned their Bronze Awards this month by designing, sewing and donating nine handmade quilts for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.
The troop began this project back in October after looking for ways to perform a community service that involved ‘making things.?
‘The girls kept saying they wanted to make something and they wanted to do something for other children,? said Troop Leader Mary Hessel. ‘I spoke with some other leaders and then brought them this idea.?
‘We chose the Children’s Hospital because we wanted to give them to children our age,? explained Girl Scout Sarah Connelly. ‘Plus, its a special hospital just for kids so we know no adults will get them by accident or anything.?
Each patchwork, quilt is lap size and was hand- (or sewing machine-) made by one of the girl scouts. They designed their own 4-by-4 inch square patterns.
The ladies worked during their meetings and spent a total of 15 hours each to complete the project.
All of the materials were donated by St. Joseph parishioners or members of the school.
‘Cutting the squares was definitely the hardest because you had to line everything up and measure it perfectly,? said Marni Baluta, ‘and if you messed up, you had to start all over again.?
‘The easiest part was planning it because it didn’t take as much work,? added Julia Vela. ‘All you had to do was be creative.?
The girls took their quilts to Children’s Hospital on May 15. The blankets will be handed out through the hospital’s donation locker.
‘We learned that no matter how long it takes, no matter how hard you work on it, you’ll always appreciate it more in the end because you made it,? said Renee Parrott.
‘I’d do it again because it was a good thing to do,? agreed Jenny Vyskocil. ‘It’s a good cause. People will be able to enjoy them.?
‘This is a good project for the girls because they’re not only working for a good cause, but also, they’re learning a lifelong skill,? concluded Hessel.
Despite all of the life lesson and skill learning, the ladies of Troop 175 learned one all important point to quilting – ‘You’ve got to have patience!? they shouted.