An Aberfoyle Park quilters group will donate its 1000th quilt to charity by the end the year.
Since starting in 2017, the Stitchers in the Hills Charity Group has made and donated quilts to a range of children’s, domestic violence, palliative care and First Nations charities and services.
Group coordinator Diane Aldridge said reaching the milestone of 1000 quilts was a team effort by a wonderful, skilled group of retired women aged from 70 to 85, and Di’s husband Garry.
“We started the group six years ago with six people, and now there are 13 of us who meet in my home in Aberfoyle Park every fortnight to cut fabric, sew and pin the quilt layers together,” she said.
“Right from the start the idea was to be a charity, giving quilts away, while providing a way for our quilters to stay physically and mentally active.
“We sew a label onto each quilt we donate, saying it was made with love and care by the group and showing the year it was made.”
Diane said the feedback the group received from those who’d been given quilts could bring tears to your eyes.
She recalled the story relayed to her by nurses of a palliative care patient in Flinders Medical Centre who had received one of the group’s quilts.
“The woman was a quilter. She was in the last days of dying of a brain tumour and she had lost her sight,” said Diane.
“Her husband sat with her as she lay in bed with the quilt and described its colours and design. They sat there together and cried.”
There is also the story of a Stolen Generations healing camp run by Relationships Australia.
“We were asked to make quilts for the Indigenous people attending the camp, but we didn’t have suitable Indigenous-designed fabric,” said Diane.
“We found wonderful fabrics at a shop in Karoonda, the Mallee Country Connection. The shop donated extra fabric on top of what we purchased.
“The finished quilts were placed on the beds of every participant at the camp. We were told that the participants couldn’t believe that the quilts were theirs to keep and take home, and that people cared.”
A major supporter of the group is the children’s charity Variety, which donates money to buy the expensive wadding that goes in the middle of the quilts.
The quilters group sends back the finished quilts so they can be given out during the Variety SA Bash, an annual convoy heading into the South Australian countryside.
“The quilts are given to children along the way, mainly those who are disadvantaged or are living with disability. So many of them are in need and they can be isolated,” said Diane.
“Variety has told us that the quilts not only keep the children warm but bring real smiles to their faces.”
The group has also donated quilts to Ronald McDonald House, the Childhood Cancer Association and domestic violence services such as Coolock House. And they’ve turned their hands to creating Christmas tablemats for Meals on Wheels, making facemasks during COVID and putting together quilting kits.
The group members give their time, creativity and work, but their success is also due to donations of fabric and money to buy materials.
“My sewing room is full of fabrics, some of it donated by people who’ve heard about what we do,” Diane said.
“And now my husband Garry is retired, he also helps coordinate the group, picking up materials, helping with cutting, and cataloguing and photographing every quilt we give away.
“It’s all worth it. We don’t do it for the thanks, we do it because we love it, and we’ll all keep doing what we’re doing while we’re still upright!”
IMAGE: The finishing touches: Robin, Liz, Diane Sandra and Olive at the Hills quilters group