Monday was my first day back “sewing with the seniors” at the assisted living facility. I have not been there on a regular basis since last fall due to physical limitations on my part.
I have to say, I could not have managed without the participation of my husband. He was my “saving grace” getting the ladies machines plugged in; machines “reassembled” etc. Honestly; only one lady had the ability to thread her machine and needle on her own. The rest needed assistance with getting the thread through the guides and tension discs; and through the needle; winding bobbins etc. Two ladies “brought” their machines to our workshop. The other two ladies were using machines that were “donated” to the facility. Sadly the facility did not set up enough machines, so some ladies just got to “watch” and talk. I know there are other machines in a closet somewhere, but…..no staff to go find them. (This is a $15K/month facility and some things just make me scratch my head.)
I decided the project for the next few sessions will be “Quilt as you go” placemats. I chose this project because our local quilt shop has a charity drive going on. Here are the details from Serendipity Quilt Shop, https://www.serendipityquiltshop.com/ Dagsboro DE website —” Studies have shown that persons receiving home bound meals (similar to Meals on Wheel) feel motivated to eat meals on a more regular basis if they have an attractive place setting.
CHEER has been serving Sussex County since 1971 and provides over 230,000 meals annually to eligible home bound seniors in Sussex County. This vital service ensures that no senior in Sussex County goes hungry.
As quilters, we can support the meal program and these seniors. Use up your scraps or other fabrics that you often wondered why you purchased and make placemats! Perhaps you’d like to attend a free Sit & Sew and make placemats! 60% of home bound meals are delivered to men so please keep this in mind while sewing the placemats.
Our goal is to provide 1200 placemats this year. Please join us in our effort to make our seniors feel remembered and cared for by making placemats that are approximately 12” x 16” or 14” x 18”.
To prep for the day of sewing with the seniors, I cut backing fabric 15″ x 19″ and prepared batting of the same size. My batting was what I called “Frankenbatting”….scraps of batting cut and fused together with Pellon easy-knit tape (EK150), looking a bit like a mad scientist creation when done, but highly functional. I use this often and had to order a new package this week.
I really like this product; quick and easy to use. Just straighten the edge and butt the join together and press the tape down. I have BAGS of cut-off scraps of batting that are just “too big” to cut up for dog bed filler! This is a great way to use them. Anyway….once I had my fabric and batting ready; I used a bit of ODIF 505 spray baste and affixed the backing to the batting. I gave it a little press with the iron and in no time had 10 placemat sets ready for sewing.
The ladies were given direction and assistance as they sewed the precut strips I provided to the batting and backing. We assisted with finger pressing in between strips.
Working on placemats
Over the course of an hour and 1/2 we played with a lot of strips. Trish got one finished and started a second one. The other ladies will no doubt finish next week!
I trimmed down the only finished placemat when I got home and added the binding. Trish had picked the placemat intended for a man. It has bold colorful stripes on the back and she worked with “non” floral fabrics.
Off & on all week I have been trimming my friend June’s stash of blue & green fabric and setting aside “more strips” for next week; and selecting other fabrics that will make pretty placemat backs. Since I have all her fabric, and she is part of the group, I thought it was a great way to use her fabric. She enjoyed seeing “familiar” pieces. I enjoy that she is back to sewing after almost 2 years.
The ladies seemed to enjoy the project, doing something for someone else. They just “want to sew” and I hope that sewing for someone else will give them some personal satisfaction too. Honestly, the residents at this facility live in 1 or 2 room apartments and don’t have room for any “stuff”; so anything they make gets given away.
Stitching Grandma 