Sew Much More than a Quilt

For residents in The Quilting Circle club, expressing themselves through arts and crafts is not just a hobby, it is a passion and a way to share their gifts and talents with others. This year, six residents who call Ecumenical Retirement Community home, tackled one of the biggest group projects together—a quilt that depicts every month of the year. Each element of every square was hand-stitched by the residents.

Residents Ernie Panza, Judie Zerbe, Bonnie Blessing, Mady Blank, Shirley McLaren and Peggie Puerzer met regularly, divided the workload, shared fabrics and threads and then went back to their apartments and own crafting corners to complete their part of the project. Each resident took a different month and reflected their special tie to that particular month or holiday.

“I was a teacher by profession so had fun putting the August square together because I thought about my classroom and the excitement of the first day of school,” shared Judie. “I also worked on April. As a young girl, I always loved dressing up in a fresh dress for Easter church and coloring eggs. The speckled fabric, flowers, bunnies and eggs in this square takes me back to that time.”

The residents were not limited to the type of fabric or media that they used. For example, in December, the wheels on the car are buttons. The Love Bird square features birds holding rings in their beaks to represent the month Mady and her husband got married. Although Mady was not physically able to do the stitching, her idea inspired the Love Bird square that her friend assembled.

The quote in the middle of quilt says: “Youth is a work of nature, Age is a work of art,” and captures the spirit of this project. The residents tapped into their youthful memories and their decades of crafting experience to create this special quilt.

“Groups like this are so important for our residents,” described Diana Bixler, Dynamic Living Director at Ecumenical. “When residents engage in an activity they love, their passion and joy for the project is shared with everyone around them.”

The members of the Quilting Circle do not have plans for another quilt at this time, but that hasn’t stopped family members and neighbors for requesting quilts. Meanwhile, their own personal craft projects continue. Judie makes scarves that are donated to local churches, other members of the club make baby blankets for local hospitals.

The Quilting Circle would like to share heartfelt gratitude to Susan Kaveney, a community volunteer with Calvary United Methodist Church helped the group with the final assembly of the quilt. Thanks to her support, the residents saw each of their individual projects become something beautiful.

The Quilting Circle’s creation is proudly displayed in the mailroom of the Independent Living Building. Contact an advisor to plan a visit to Ecumenical Retirement Community to see the quilt for yourself.