Pre-school quilt - advice?

The Kindergarten class at my son's Montessori school decided to make a quilt for one of their classmates who has recently been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that has left her paralyzed from the knees down.  One day she's complaining that her legs hurt, they're saying it's growing pains, and the next thing you know she is diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome.  Incomprehensibly sad....  The students all decided they wanted to make a gift for her, and they ended up wanting to make a quilt.  Each child decorated one of sixteen squares with embroidery floss, buttons, and cord.

Knowing I sew, they asked me if I could quilt it for them.  Of course!  It's certainly the least I can do.

But now, after getting the squares, I find myself in a little dilemma.  They're incredibly puckered.  I don't think I could fix the embroidering without compromising the children's work -- it's after all *their* efforts that are important, not mine.  My job is to sort of permanently attach theirs together.

Do I just sew them together as patchwork and let them pucker?  Perhaps I should cut them into smaller shapes around their embroider and applique them down on a backing fabric?   The gravity of the meaning of the project is making me indecisive.

Any advice would truly be appreciated!  I need to make it as soon as possible before this poor girl gets any worse and before school lets out.



Didn't they do a fantastic job?  Some of these six-year-olds can embroider better than I can. :)