Eight years ago, a group of friends got together to make quilts for children in need. That first year they produced perhaps two or three.

Today, Kwiltz 4 Kidz gives away more than 50 handmade quilts a year to fire victims, people who have been diagnosed with a serious medical condition, children in crisis or those who are simply in a difficult place. For Sue Burge and the other quilters, the colorful, intricately stitched comforters are a way of reaching out in time of need.

“It is like a big warm hug,” Burge said. “It is warmth, it is comfort. When somebody is in crisis, they have something to wrap around themselves, until they are ready to break out and live again.”

Recently, members of the group gave three quilts to the Gregory Wing at St. Andrews Village to be used by the Compassionate Companion program. Compassionate Companion volunteers spend time at the bedside of patients who are in the last days of their life, reading to them, holding their hand, ensuring that nobody has to die alone.

The quilting group also makes placemats, walker bags and wheelchair bags, all of which add a bright, cheerful, homey touch, said Gregory Wing Activities Director Jerie Phinney, who said that residents like the placemats so much they sometimes have them framed.

“Residents keep them in their rooms and have them on their tray tables. It just brightens their day and it also orients them to the holidays and the time of year,” said Phinney. “It is something bright, cheerful and comfortable.”

Even beyond the beautiful designs and colors, the time and effort that went into each quilt, placemat or walker bag sends a clear message, she said.

“It really is a labor of love,” said Phinney. “When you give these things to people, you give love.”

Group members say they enjoy getting together to make the quilts and they also like the idea that they are making somebody’s day brighter.

“It is the camaraderie of the group definitely. We are a tight-knit bunch, pardon the pun, and I like to think of it as giving people a little happiness in time of need,” said Cindy Goodwin.

Karen Keyes, who learned the art of quilting from her mother, a master quilter, taught the other members the craft when they first began meeting in 2006.

At first, they had access to only two sewing machines and put their quilts together using hand stitching and applique, a much more labor intensive process. Today, however, the group has six sewing machines, including one commercial machine specifically designed for quilting.

The American quilting tradition started in the pioneer days when women would get together to socialize while using scraps of cloth left over from other projects to create something useful and warm.

Keyes, one of the group’s founders, said the (Kwiltz for Kidz) women get together for the same reasons today.

“Most of us are retired and we have time,” said Keyes. “This is just so much fun for us.”