Sunday, January 4, 2009

Gifts for Harmony House

Donna and I decided to brighten up the Christmas festivities at Harmony House, where my mother, Sylvia, and Donna's friend, Ruth, live. The group home houses eight elderly women, almost all of whom have varying degrees of dementia. If you have an elderly relative that lives in a full care facility, you will understand how challenging it can be to think of a meaningful gift for the residents. So, we thought bright and cheerful. We thought socks! What could be more fun than tie-dyeing a whole bunch of anklet socks! And that's just what we did! However . . .
We didn't stop there! We thought it would be great fun to make Christmas pillowcases too. On Christmas eve, we arrived right at dinner time with a gift bag for each resident. All the ladies were seated at the dining table and we think they really enjoyed their goody bags. Donna also had made quilted pocket tissue holders and we added some chocolate to the bags. While the ladies were eating, we sneaked into all their rooms and slipped on their holiday pillowcases! Not to forget the hard-working staff, we also made socks for them and fixed up a gift bag for each.

Should you ever need to find a good home for your elderly relative, I strongly recommend Harmony House or one of its two sister homes, all located within one block of each other in Rio Rancho, NM. Owned by Margaret Surrock, the homes offer round-the-clock care, in a loving environment that feels just like home. We couldn't have found a better place for our loved ones.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Convergence

For my nephew, Michael, for Christmas 2008. Michael is sixteen now and very involved in sports, particularly Lacrosse. Michael has already worked two summers for the Parks and Recreation department in his community through a special program in which youth work outdoors during the summer. I designed and stitched this quilt for him. I am so proud of him and all that he does.

Turquoise Trail

For my niece Mary for Christmas 2008. Mary is sixteen now, and will soon be off on a grand adventure to Europe sans parents. It's part of the People to People program. Mary will be traveling with other students from her community and will learn about and visit many European countries. I am so proud of her. The quilt is a twist on the more traditional Bargello quilt patterns. I began working on it with my friend, Pam Sisk. I thought it might be a good gift for Mary.

And, the Winner is. . .

Each year, we make and raffle a quilt to raise money to help purchase food for the educational raptors of Hawks Aloft. A group effort, the label above which was designed and stitched by Twila Bastian, using Bernina Embroidery Software, lists all the names of those who helped with this year's effort.
Here's the 2008 quilt in all its glory, with all the quilting completed!
And, the winner is Marilyn Cimalore of Albuquerque, NM! She purchased 6 tickets at Weem's Artfest in November. We are thrilled with the new home for our quilt. Marilyn is a nature-lover, and is the gift shop manager at the Rio Grande Nature Center. She has a high ceiling in her living room and plans to display her new treasure there! Congratulations!