It takes the Village – and more – to aid war victims
The barrage of horror stories emerging from the ongoing invasion of Ukraine put a quilting bee in Christine Economos’ bonnet.
The Greenwich Village resident, joined by dozens of fellow seamstresses from quilting groups across the metropolitan area, created 150 blue and yellow comforters for shipment to the war-torn nation as a sign of support for the Ukrainian people.
“I got started just watching the news, seeing all the refugees and children,” she told the Daily News. “The whole story was so horrifying, and I thought about what I could do. Send money? And then I thought the thing I can do is make quilts.”
Economos, sitting in an apartment filled with boxes of quilts, said the creators made the quilts in a variety of sizes to fit infants, toddlers, older kids and adults. A GoFundMe page generated money for shipping, and the Manhattan based-group Razom for Ukraine helped identify shelters in dire need of such aid. “The word got out and the quilters got behind their machines and started sewing,” said Economos. “A quilt is comforting, something a child can hold and wrap themselves up in. A quilt is personal.”
And its creation shows a level of commitment: A quilt, she said, can take two to three days to finish. The participating groups included the NYC Metro Mod Quilters Guild, Brooklyn Quilters Guild, Northern Star Quilters’ Guild, Patchwork and Prayer Ministry, Three Birds and Stitches and Long
Island’s Manhasset Public Library Needle Arts.
Northern Star Co-President Jody Sullivan recalled seeing photos of a young Ukrainian mother and her son living in a train with a piece of cardboard as his lone protection from the cold.
“I thought, ‘He needs a quilt,’ ” said Sullivan, who wrote a message reading “Love and comfort” on the label of her work. “Just something inspiring to say, ‘We’re behind you and don’t give up.’ We want to give whatever comfort we can give.”
Economos said the quilts can measure up to 60 inches by 80 inches, and she, too, added a personal touch to her work: A small patch with “Glory to Ukraine” written in Ukrainian above her name, a red heart and the year 2022.
Sullivan said the homemade and heartfelt works made it clear that quilting is more than a hobby for all the participants: “It’s an art form. In the old days, they’d say we’re little old ladies sewing scraps together.”
As for the Ukraine effort, “We’re making them to be used,” she explained. “You don’t have to worry if the stitches are not perfect. They’re made to give comfort and warmth.”
Economos, who also recruited a pair of neighbors ages 7 and 10 to the quilting cause, said it was important to keep the project going as the war continues and the Russian occupation of Ukraine approaches the start of its fourth month.
“That’s the thing we can’t forget,” she said. “This is not a news flash. It’s an ongoing thing, and we can’t forget about them.”