I've been struggling with a serious case of no sewjo this Fall and the U.S. Election on Tuesday didn't help the mood. But we have to pick ourselves up and keep on going.
I shared some of the health challenges my mother faced last year, but I haven't talked about my mother-in-law's (MIL) challenges. She's been declining into dementia for a few years now, with a dramatic change in the last year. It's heartbreaking to watch someone you love slowly lose themselves and become dependent on those around her for just about everything. She can't do most of the things she used to love and since we don't live close to my in-laws, it's hard to help them much on a day-to-day basis.
The Ottawa Valley Quilters Guild had a Touch Quilts for workshop yesterday and, seeing that they had one spot left and our family schedule wasn't insane, I signed up. I can at least make her a quilt.
Touch quilts are great for Alzheimer's patients and little kids, as the tactile nature of the quilts appeal to both. I also learned that the colour black can seem like a hole to Alzheimer's so the quilts we made could contain no black. Parts had to be soft in case the quilt gets whipped around. Also, no beads or anything removable that looks like candy.
Instructions for a lot of the quilt techniques I learned and tried yesterday can be found on the Quirky Quilt site by Grace McNab. They don't take that long to make.
First up, I made a quilt for my MIL. She loves light yellow and blue. With Touch Quilts, the key is the tactile aspect so a good design and pretty colours are secondary. However, I wondered if I could do a bit of both for her.
Lots of different textures to feel and things to do with this one which appeals to patients need to pet or rub and pull. Unfortunately, the quilt batting I brought for this one was too small when I opened it up so I decided to finish it up at home. I hope she'll like it!
I had enough time to make another one that I could donate. This one doesn't have batting as I'm told some patients find them too hot.
I'm hoping that completing these two projects will get the sewjo going again. Always a boost when you can make something for someone else. :)
The Ottawa Valley Quilters Guild had a Touch Quilts for workshop yesterday and, seeing that they had one spot left and our family schedule wasn't insane, I signed up. I can at least make her a quilt.
Touch quilts are great for Alzheimer's patients and little kids, as the tactile nature of the quilts appeal to both. I also learned that the colour black can seem like a hole to Alzheimer's so the quilts we made could contain no black. Parts had to be soft in case the quilt gets whipped around. Also, no beads or anything removable that looks like candy.Instructions for a lot of the quilt techniques I learned and tried yesterday can be found on the Quirky Quilt site by Grace McNab. They don't take that long to make.
First up, I made a quilt for my MIL. She loves light yellow and blue. With Touch Quilts, the key is the tactile aspect so a good design and pretty colours are secondary. However, I wondered if I could do a bit of both for her.
Lots of different textures to feel and things to do with this one which appeals to patients need to pet or rub and pull. Unfortunately, the quilt batting I brought for this one was too small when I opened it up so I decided to finish it up at home. I hope she'll like it!
I had enough time to make another one that I could donate. This one doesn't have batting as I'm told some patients find them too hot.
I'm hoping that completing these two projects will get the sewjo going again. Always a boost when you can make something for someone else. :)
Love your Alzheimer's quilts and may have to look into them a little more (since I mostly quilt for donation these days). That dread disease runs in my family as well (my dad and his brother, my dad's dad and his sister) so hopefully a cure will come soon. And don't worry about us in the US--if we survived 8 years of Obama, I think we'll be better off with Trump! I truly think Hillary would have been the last straw for us.
ReplyDeleteVery nice and benefits to the maker and the giver! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great! Thanks for sharing the link. I've been wanting to learn more about touch quilts.
ReplyDeleteNeat project! I had heard about special quilts for folk with dementia, but had never seen one. Yours are quite pretty, and I'm sure your MIL will enjoy her favorite colors. I'm off to read more about them at the link you posted.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those quilts. I think I might give one a try. Sorry to hear about your MIL.
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