A dedicated group of quilters in Overland Park has gathered over 2,500 yards of fabric and hundreds of pounds of quilting materials—but not for themselves.
Instead, the Blue Valley Quilters Guild is donating the supplies to incarcerated men in Licking, Missouri, who will transform them into quilts for children in foster care.
“It’s a give, give situation,” said Pat Conover of the guild. “The children are happy, the men who make them are happy. It’s wonderful.”
If this story sounds familiar, it may be because Netflix featured the prison quilting initiative in its 2024 short documentary The Quilters. After watching the film, Conover was moved to take action.
From Prison to Foster Homes
What inspired many in the guild—now nearly 300 members strong—was the inmates’ personal connection to the cause.
“A lot of the prisoners had come through the foster care system,” Conover explained. “They realized what these children are going through. When you move from house to house, you have nothing that’s truly yours. These quilts become their possessions.”
The donations included not just fabric, but also thread, yarn, batting, and even pellets for weighted blankets.
Despite the rainy weather, guild members personally delivered the supplies early Thursday morning after making the four-hour drive to the correctional facility.
Their generous effort is helping bring comfort to vulnerable children—and purpose to the men making the quilts.
This article has been carefully fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and eliminate any misleading information. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our content.
Leave a Reply