Kawartha Quiltmakers' Guild

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Mini Sleep At Home Retreat – May 21-22, 2026

A big thank you to all the members who were responsible for planning this two day event at Admiralty Hall. The Hall had lots of room for the approximately 50 members who attended the Retreat. As you can see by the pictures below, many projects were started, finished and on their way to be finished. The variety of projects was amazing.

There were lots of prizes, fun games and tutorials for a couple of little projects.

With arrangements made by our Hospitality Committee, another wonderful Thursday night buffet was catered by Sharpe’s Food Market from Campbellford. And, thank you to those ladies who brought treats – which are always appreciated.

And last, but not least, thank you to Karen from Everlasting Creative Memories for setting up a mini-shop on Friday. A lot of activity at her “shop” with members buying some much needed (or anticipated to be needed) supplies.

With so much concentration on the quilting tasks, that could result in some sore muscles, it was felt a little “exercise” was warranted. A “Paper Snow Ball Fight” ensued resulting in some much needed stretching and merriment.

A big thank you to Catherine for providing a kit to make a Chicken Pin Cushion. And another big thank you to Nancy for providing a tutorial to make it. For those who wanted to “glam up” their Pin Cushion, Nancy provided some additional applique “tutoring” and a few bits and pieces for embellishing.

Caring Love and Support: Something to Hold Onto When You Can’t Hold Your Baby

**A big thank you to Leslie for speaking to the Retreat participants about the Scented Heart project at the Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Leslie detailed this project as follows:**

“Many parents of critically ill newborns are unable to hold their babies because they are in incubators and connected to tubes and monitoring equipment. The handmade hearts provide a meaningful way for families to bond during this difficult time. Parents wear the hearts close to their skin so they absorb their scent, and the hearts are then placed in the baby’s incubator. This allows the baby to be comforted and reassured by the familiar scent of their parents, particularly their mother.

Often, additional hearts are provided for siblings to wear and place in the incubator as well, helping to strengthen family connections. When parents feel there is little they can do for their newborn, this simple gesture offers comfort and a sense of involvement.

Research has shown that familiar parental scents can help reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure in these vulnerable infants.

Our goal is to create 200 packages for families, with each package containing two handmade hearts. Unfortunately, this is not enough to meet even six months’ worth of demand, making every heart we sew an important contribution.

Hearts will be available for sewing at our September meeting for anyone who would like to make their own. They are made from two 5-inch squares of flannel with no batting in between. Please do not use black or yellow fabrics, as these colours can make it difficult for medical staff to assess jaundice.

Thank you in advance to everyone who has already picked up materials and made hearts. We have received more than 50 hearts so far, and we greatly appreciate your support as we work towards our goal.”