Disaster Blocks

[teacupdelights]

Welcome Primlover!! Nursing home residents LOVE lap robes, especially handmade ones. As you know, many of them have very few if any visitors, and they are especially appreciative of the attention and thoughtfulness shown to them. Others have already commented on some of the hows and wheres of pursuing this project.

I would add that, in addition to this time of year, one could consider Valentine's Day, Easter, or just any time at all as an ongoing project for kid's hospitals, nursing homes, local shut-ins, etc.

Carol

[Kittyquilt9292]

Primlover, welcome to this greatest place to be. You're gonna love it here. I know from experience when my mother and father (at separate times) there are so many people in nursing and personal care homes that never see a visitor. I used to think their family had just abandoned them. After discussions with the nurses, I quickly learned that many of these dear people don't have family anymore, therefore have no one to visit them. Just having someone come and visit a few hours makes such a difference to them.
That being said, perhaps after the Christmas holidays, we could set up a project. As Teacupdelights said, after Christmas we often don't think about this group. Perhaps I'll give it some serious thought and then throw out a suggestion. Any comments about this from anyone, pls post. Is this a good idea? carol/kittyquilt

[kho]

Hello Primlover and welcome, I know an 83 year old lady who makes them and takes to the local nursing home. She just ties them for the time factor.

[primlover]

Hi ladies! It was so good to find such encouraging words and welcomes from all of you! I've toyed around on a couple of chat rooms long ago and no one ever acknowledged me. Quilters are THE BEST!!!! I am seriously going to start planning on some lap quilts for the elderly. I just think it would be a wonderful opportunity to bless some of our seniors and spend some time with them. I can't wait to get started. I'm pressed right now to make a quilt for my sister so will have to try and squeeze in a few blocks while the grandsons are napping. Thank you all for welcoming me to this forum and hope to make good friends here with all of you! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pam

[CindyB]

Pam - welcome to the forums!!! Everyone is right, this is the best!!

You're only a couple of hours north and west of me - I live near Carroll, Iowa!!

I haven't done anything specific for the elderly - but maybe one of these days we can get together and knock out several lap quilts! I use my sewing machine to free motion quilt, and it works well.

I'll PM you my address for the disaster blocks right off, so check your messages at the top of each page. (everything is SEW easy on here!)

Then, I'm off to bed, it's been a long afternoon and I just got home form the ED with DH -

Cindy

[spudmom]

Welcome to this wonderful forum Pam! It is my second home now.....

Years ago my grandmother made lap robes through her church women's group, now remember the many years ago part, out of double knits. I don't know if you can even find those any more, but I will say, they wore like iron! My grandmother ended up with two when she was in a wheelchair, and then I took them home with me and used them for our son when he was little. I know they have to be washed frequently, and stains can be a problem, but I just used spray and wash, and got out dirt and stuff all the time.

These were just random fabrics, squares, I am guessing about 6", and tied. When you would see all the fabrics in piles at the church you just couldn't imagine how they would ever look like anything, but they grouped like colors etc, and every one was a pleasant sight.

I still have the flannel string quilt that was our son's as a newborn, those ladies were pretty darn talented!

And just a personal story, when my grandmother was in her last years, her eyesight was bad, her hands hardly worked anymore, I would ask her, "Mimi, what did you do today?", besides all her laundry and cleaning and cooking, and she would say, "Oh, I just cut 1000 squares for the church". And that was with scissors.

I have always kept those lap robes in the back of my mind, as a good way to "use up" fabric.

Lynne
who misses and thinks of her Mimi every day, and thanks her for showing her the way to all things related to fabric

[Georgiapeach]

primlover, hello and welcome to the forum! My name is Pam, too, and there's another Pam on here, also....so the "P's" are gaining in numbers now! LOL! Yes, I agree with your heart-felt words, the elderly all too often get pushed aside and neglected and that is a shame indeed. I absolutely think we should address this in "Projects From the Heart" and thank you for bringing it up. Afterall, we're all going to get our turn one day to be in that phase of life, so it might do us good to remember the elderly now and extend ourselves to them! Thank you for your insight and thoughtfulness with your suggestion. And again, welcome to the forum, so glad to have you with us!

If primlover's suggestion gets temporarily forgotten thru the busy/hectic holiday season, let's please remember to get something going with it as soon as we can! I can barely remember what day it is lately! LOL!

Pam/GP

[justdawne]

CindyB,
I think you're right about disasters and banding together. Throughout the year we should strive to make them when we have time. You never know when something will pop up and we should be prepared, if possible.

A friend of mine was just commenting on how badly the Carribean suffers during storm season. I wish I had enough time and skills to reach out to them also. I still quilt slowly and sometimes it really annoys me. I'm just hoping that with practice I'll get better AND quicker!!

I'm willing to make more scrappy stars after the New Year - just in case. I have 2 for you now but am hoping to make 1 more before I mail them to you next week.

dawne