Lyndhurst quilters donate ‘Comfort Quilts’ to help paramedics support patients

The Stone Bridge Quilters, a long-standing community quilting group based in Lyndhurst, has once again stitched kindness into action, this time by donating 13 handmade Comfort Quilts to Leeds and Grenville Paramedics.

Dedicated paramedic Pete Joseph, who accepted the donation on behalf of Leeds Grenville Paramedics, said the quilts will be used to comfort young children or sometimes new moms who must travel by ambulance. The group has pledged to provide more whenever more is needed.

For 26 years, the Stone Bridge Quilters have gathered every Tuesday morning, growing from a small circle of seven women into a vibrant group of 25. What began as a way for a group of summer golfers to stay connected during the winter months soon blossomed into a meaningful community service project.

With no quilting experience at the start, the founding members turned to longtime Lyndhurst resident and skilled quilter Velma Kelsey for guidance. Velma taught them everything she knew, skills that continue to live on in every quilt they create, even after her passing.

Today, the group’s mission remains rooted in providing comfort. Their quilts, each approximately 50 inches by 70 inches and uniquely designed to suit the recipient, are donated to patients, accident victims, individuals displaced by house fires, those facing major illnesses and anyone in need of comfort. Many recipients or their families send heartfelt thank-you notes, with one message describing the quilts as feeling “like 100 arms being wrapped around them,” and others noting they “can’t believe someone would think of them with such a beautiful gift,” member Martha Harvey shared.

The Stone Bridge Quilters also support local fundraising efforts. Each year, they donate a quilt to the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair raffle. They also contribute with monetary donations going to various charities in the community.

The group is deeply grateful to the Legion, which has generously provided them with a large meeting space free of charge since shortly after the pandemic.

Martha notes that while the quilts bring comfort to others, the weekly gatherings bring comfort to the quilters themselves: “Though we are quilting for others, it is also about socializing with each other.”

The group’s newest member, who moved from Nova Scotia in 2024, joined after meeting some of the quilters at a craft fair in Lansdowne. Despite being completely new to quilting, she was welcomed warmly and guided patiently. Her very first completed quilt became the raffle quilt at last year’s Turkey Fair.

To fund their charitable work, the quilters often attend local craft fairs to sell a variety of handmade items, including placemats, dishcloths, aprons and more. When these events take place in the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands, they are grateful to the Lyndhurst Community Organization, which allows them to operate under its insurance umbrella. The group says, “Donations of materials and funds are always appreciated, especially as costs continue to rise.”

Recently, area resident Candy Featherstone donated beautifully sewn quilt blocks, which two of the original members, Jane Griggs and Marilyn Crawford, hand-stitched into the impressive quilt now featured in the group’s fundraising raffle. Tickets are available for $5 each or three for $10, and can be purchased by contacting the group at stonebridgequilters@gmail.com.

The Stone Bridge Quilters welcome anyone with a crafty interest, not just quilters, to join them, noting that some members knit or crochet. One member proudly shared that she brings her granddaughter during the summer months because her granddaughter likes to sew and wishes to also “do something kind for someone else.”

The group meets every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 504, at 306 Lyndhurst Rd. Even members who have moved away remain involved; one of the founding members, Barb Kirby, now living in Brockville, continues to sew from home and contributed many of the quilts recently donated to the paramedics.

Through every stitch, the Stone Bridge Quilters continue to wrap their community in compassion and comfort, one quilt at a time.