A question I’m getting a lot in my your comments is, “What do you do with your scraps?”. While in the past, my scraps have become anything from pillow stuffing to sunglasses cases (because I have about a bajillion pairs, to other smaller items of clothing like scarves, this year they’re going to be used for something totally different.
My good friend Cole works with dementia patients, and he had a great idea!
The scraps from this year’s refashions are going to become fidget quilts for his patients.
Here’s a few examples of what fidget quilts look like.
I didn’t even know what a fidget quilt was until Cole explained it to me.
As Alzheimer’s victims progress through the later stages of this terrible disease, the last sense they have that they can really respond to is touch. Their hands are restless and anxious, frequently tugging at their blankets or themselves. These quilts, with multiple textures, as well as objects to pull, zippers to zip, and other odds and ends to “fidget” with help to soothe their nerves and keep their hands occupied. This also makes it easier for their caregivers.
The quilts aren’t very big, just large enough to fit on a patient’s lap, so I’m pretty confident that we’ll be able to make quite of few of these at the end of the year. Another nice thing about the scraps I’ll have is that many already have buttons and other interesting tactile notions still attached, which makes them perfect for this project.
As I’m writing this, I’m realizing how sad this project sounds, but I hope you don’t feel that way. Anything we can do to help make someone else’s life a little better has to be a positive & happy thing, doesn’t it?
Anyways…that’s what I’m doing with my scraps. 🙂
