6 Stops for the Quilt

1 Theme, 6 Stops, 6 Surprises

In this past week, I took the quilt to 6 different places.   Even though I used the same simple theme of quilts   with all the  groups, each experience was uniquely  different. I walked away from each group with a special thought or reminder that I hadn't expected.

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1 - Silverado

Even though this is my 4th year gathering around the quilt at Silverado, I still have to be reminded to keep it simple.  Sometimes I bring so much stuff and so many ideas to the table it can be  overwhelming.    When I began talking about the history of quilts with this group, I noticed Pearl admiring the quilted bib and Mary examining the Amish potholder.   I took the hint and turned the focus towards them.   I forgot all the games and thoughts I wanted to share and we were off on some tangents about babies and cooking.  It seemed a better fit for the group on that day.  Sometimes less is better.

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2 -A New Group at an Adult Day Care

My group at Sheltering Arms in Houston also has dementia, so I started out with just a quilt on the table and added as we went.  The biggest treat for me with this group was watching them react when I pulled out a small book  about quilts made by the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama.  Many of the sweet elderly women in my group looked like they could have been the very women from this isolated community who have been making quilts since their ancestors were slaves in the area.  The women lit up as I explained how the Gee's Bend quilts were discovered a few years ago and have gone on tour as prized works of art.  At this point many of the women began to share stories about quilting grandmothers and non electric sewing machines...and the sentimental magic that comes from recognizing pieces of quilt fabric that you once wore as clothes.

At one point Dorothy noticed the similarity between the book cover and a patchwork piece I had pulled out earlier.  My dear friend Claire made that piece over 30 years ago and I've always admired it.  I had to smile as I watched these folks compare Claire's work with the quilts of Gee's Bend!  I'll never see Claire's patchwork piece with the same eyes.  I'll always remember this enthused group and their eager comparisons.

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3  - Assisted Living in Sugar Land

I learned an important lesson from the folks in Sugar Land.  Men like talking about quilts, too!  Bud sat down and flipped over the edge of the quilt to examine the stitching.  Then he noticed the quilting hoop was broken.  He offered to fix it, if I had glue and string. I didn't, but Lucille got some from her room.  What fun to have this group suddenly engaged in a project I hadn't expected.   I left this group with a mended hoop and a quilt folded into a triangle. (Bud folded the quilt like the American flag!)

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4-Hospital

I had my first time sharing the quilt at a skilled nursing facility in Sugar Land.  The atmosphere was something between a luxurious hotel and a brand new hospital.  I was excited about sharing with a new group of seniors in such a quiet and comfortable space.  I prepared the table with a few quilts and props and prepared to greet some new friends.  What I wasn't prepared for is the obvious fact that people in hospitals often deal with pain.  I deal with dementia and language issues and troubled children, but I've never worked with people who might be physically hurting.  I had a sobering moment when I realized I would only have one dear woman in my group a short while.  Her son brought her to our room in a reclining wheelchair.  He eagerly pointed out the quilts on the table to his mother.  Then he told me with great enthusiasm that his mother had a whole room at home devoted to her quilting.  This new friend couldn't stay long because of her intense pain.  She has been on my mind ever since.  I wonder what quilting stories she would have been eager to share on a different day! 

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5 - Community Center in Richmond

I always have to plan something for the Center, that will engage the folks who have difficulty with English.   I brought along these colorful, wooden shapes to help us talk about designs in patchwork quilts.  It was nice to have something concrete for a few who shy away from discussion.  Pretty soon everyone at the table was making designs with the colorful shapes.   There was a quiet murmur of voices and even a little humming as the group fiddled with their pieces.  It felt like a quilting bee, minus the sewing.  You don't have to have needle and thread to achieve the same sharing atmosphere of the old quilting bee.  You just have to have a common project.

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 6 -  Shelter in Fort Bend County

My last stop in the week was the Women's Shelter.  It was fun to climb onto the quilt with the kids after a week of gathering around tables.  The kids were pretty wound up on this day, so  we did a few silly songs with lots of movement. We stood and jumped on the blue border and pointed with our feet at different pictures on the quilt.  When a little of their energy drained, we moved onto other things and finally I brought out the wooden shapes. 

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 Kids vs. Adults

What an odd thing to find myself comparing.  All week  I watched older hands working carefully to form shapes and designs. Then suddenly I was watching tiny hands, snatching up colorful pieces and pressing them firmly  onto the quilt.  Some worked on their knees, some clapped and cheered at their own accomplishments.  I didn't hear humming in this group, but I heard  voices jabbering away, negotiating here and there as  small fingers traded colors and shapes.  What fun to see the same enthusiasm I'd seen  before, but everything was louder and quicker with the children.  It reminded me of something I of course already know...  

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...Old hands were once young.  And the smaller, quicker hands will someday be old.  I so hope those little hands can live long and enjoy as many adventures as the old ones!
 

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