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Davis Journal

Wrapping Ukraine with a heart of quilts

Jun 06, 2022 01:20PM ● By Sarah Segovia

“Quilters are givers and this is our quilters’ way of giving back,” said Gina Halladay, co-founder of Wrap Ukraine with Quilts by Hello Cottons. “One night, I was talking to a friend of mine from Ukraine about how she had to flee her home. I asked her if I were to send her a quilt and she knew that someone here in the U.S. was thinking about her, would that help at all? She just burst into tears and said, ‘Yes.’ So we sprang into action!” 

Since March 17, Wrap Ukraine with Quilts has been able to donate 3,156 quilts to Ukrainian refugees. “Without people donating the quilts, none of this would be happening. Quilters desire to give, help and share their talents. The really special thing about a quilt is that they are a legacy item. In the future, it can be passed down and the story of how it was given can be shared. Each quilt is handmade, it’s unique and lets the receiver know they are cared for and it can help keep them warm,” said Halladay.

“We started this project, but it’s people like Linda Edminster, owner of Quilter’s Attic – one of our donation sites, who are getting the word out there in an old school grassroots way,” she said. “Quilters, telling quilters and it’s thanks to individuals and businesses who are sharing this that we have received donations from 35 states.” 

They work with a local non-profit called Lifting Hands International that provides aid to refugees, in the USA and abroad, said Halladay. “They are sending out cargo planes of supplies every two weeks to Ukrainian refugee camps. It costs them $5,000 every time they send out a cargo plane, but they don’t charge us anything to send our quilts along with the other supplies. We will also accept store bought or handmade blankets, because they need other bedding materials in general.”

A full list of needed items can be found at https://www.liftinghandsinternational.org/needs-list. 

“At the end of 2021, my friend Beth Hopkins from Wichita, Kansas, and I were going to start an online store with online quilting classes, but when we went to buy our supplies all the fabrics were on backorder due to the pandemic,” said Halladay. “Then after the war in Ukraine started, we pivoted and used our website and supplies to start Wrap Ukraine with Quilts.”  

“My husband saw the article on KSL about Wrap Ukraine with Quilts and he shared it with me because I had been looking for articles about quilting and of course my heart is just wide open for these people. I can only imagine what they are going through,” said Edminster. “First we shared in our newsletter that they were looking for donated quilts and then we decided to become a drop off site for quilt donations. Our idea was the easier you make it for people the better.”  

“Her shop has collected 10% of the quilts we have received so far,” said Halladay. “We both are planning to at least do this through the end of this year. Right now, we have a three man team. My husband, Hal, my friend Beth and myself. I’m working about 12 hours a day managing the quilt donations. So, I am thinking I may need to hire someone. We are also looking for some warehouse or office space. We are thinking by the end of this year we will get 10,000+ quilts or more.” 

“Quilters love to quilt and they are always starting new projects, they eventually run out of people to give them to and end up with some sitting in their closet, this is a great way to make use of them,” said Edminster. “The fun thing is some women go the extra mile and sew in a pocket or stuffed animal to make their quilt even more special. Another woman from Finland even made baby caps to send along with her quilts. It’s sad to think that there are babies being born into this mess.” 

“My Ukrainian friend, Italia, fled to Poland until she could get to Spain to stay with her brother- in-law. Her husband and brother-in-law stayed to fight for their country,” said Halladay. “Italia ended up suffering from stress related blindness and PTSD after she escaped. The stress levels of these people are really high. We can't even comprehend what these people are going through. Italia has gained back her sight and luckily she works for a tech company, so she can still work remotely, but that is not the situation for many people.” 

Halladay said it was really important for their website to have two things: a live quilt donation counter and a way to connect the quilt maker with the quilt receiver which they have been able to do through a QR code. “When you donate a quilt you can register it and get a QR code and once received the receiver can scan the QR code and be connected with the maker of the quilt. Connecting people makes it real. We have heard stories of people becoming pen pals or connecting through social media and it just creates that human connection that is so needed right now.” 

“One important thing to remember when donating is that there are different qualities of fabric,” Edminster said. “Cheaper fabrics will not last. The fabric will disintegrate and the color will be lost. These quilts could have a lasting legacy and quality fabric is an important part of that.” 

“For the future, I will be visiting Poland in July to plan a humanitarian retreat there later this year,” said Halladay. “We are hoping to get a sewing machine company to donate some machines that we could use to start a business there to help employ Ukrainian mothers who have been displaced in Poland. We would help support them to sell their quilts.” 

At this humanitarian retreat they are planning for in September, the goal would be to teach any refugees to sew, who want to learn. “We will be taking a crew of people who know how to sew to help teach,” said Halladay. “There will be an application process and it will not just be fun and games. It will be some work, so we will have to vet people. Our goal would be to make as many quilts we all can in two days. We would also be going to the border to hand out quilts and help work in the food trucks there.”

Most of the refugees are women who do not have a place to go back to, she said. “We don’t know how long this war will last or how long it will take to rebuild afterwards, so these women need a way to make money and provide for themselves and their families in the meantime.” 

Quilt donations are accepted at Halladay’s house in Lehi or at the Quilter’s Attic in Bountiful, Halladay said. “But you can ask your local quilt shop if they are accepting donations. For people who do not quilt, we welcome donations to cover extra expenses to send and receive quilts. We have Venmo @hellocottons and we take checks or cash as well. Right now, we are working to become a foundation, so that donations will be tax deductible. We were given free booth space at the Quilts Festival at the Salt Lake Convention Center. We will be accepting square donations there.” 

For more information visit hellocottons.com or wrapukrainewithquilts.com or follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @hellocottons. To learn more about Edminster’s shop visit quiltersattic-utah.com or follow her on Facebook Instagram @quiltersatticutah. l