The artefact chosen to represent Bell House’s Quilt Academy is a mini incubator quilt, of the kind they donate to King’s College Hospital’s neonatal unit. The Quilt Academy is a regular group that (in normal times) meets weekly at Bell House to work on both individual and group quilting projects. The free Thursday drop-in sessions are a hive of activity where experienced and welcoming tutors share their skills with less experienced sewers or even complete beginners.

Since 2019 the quilters have been making incubator covers for premature babies at King’s Hospital, in collaboration with Project Linus. These are specially designed, technical quilts that cover the incubators in the neonatal unit. They protect premature babies from light, which lets them use their energy to breath and grow, they make the baby’s immediate environment a little quieter, and, because every quilt is unique, they allow parents to identify where their baby is in the unit very quickly. When the baby goes home the quilt goes too, to be used as a playmat.

In the last year (despite the pandemic) 170 incubator quilts, and over 300 since the project began, have been donated. The quilts are given anonymously and are always received with grateful thanks from staff and parents. Every quilt donated saves King’s neonatal department over £300 which means that around £100,000 pa would have been spent by King’s on incubator quilt covers if these quilts were not made and donated. That money is protected in the King’s budget and used in the neonatal ward. Led by Janis and Marianne, the Quilt Academy meets every Thursday between 10am-4pm (once Bell House reopens). It’s a friendly and social group, with lots of opportunity for talking over a cup of tea or over a cutting table! The fun, creative and supportive atmosphere is especially ideal for anyone wanting to get out and meet new people.

The fun and creative Quilting Academy group at Bell House meets every week to work on both individual and group quilting activities. Led by Janis and Marianne, the Quilting Academy is currently working on a new important and challenging project: The Hot Water Bottle project.

Hot watter bottles waiting to be covered.

A month ago, during a cold snap, food bank staff knew there were homes where residents could not afford to put the central heating on, particularly as we were all at home all day long, but they could boil a kettle so they asked for new hot water bottles. It’s natural that the first thing anyone thinks to donate to a food bank is food but in fact lots of other things are needed too, like toiletries, detergents, or hot water bottles for those in fuel poverty. As a response to the shout out from the local food banks, the idea of hot water bottles began to germinate. A group of keen knitters and stitchers from both the Quilt Academy at Bell House and Dulwich Quilters purchased well-priced ‘naked’ hot water bottles and used existing stocks of fabrics and yarns to ensure the cuddly bottles were ready to hand over.

However, some covers were still on the needles when the first snowflakes started to fall on the ground in February. The group has not given up yet, and the idea is now being proactive ahead of next winter. The Quilting Academy has made a bulk purchase of 100 bottles and will reach out to other stitching groups in the area. The ideal goal would be that each participant could quilt or knit a cover for two or three bottles. This will allow local food banks to receive supplies in the autumn and be prepared for the next winter. Watch this space!

Blogs