Amazing Serendipities of Quilting – Builds Community Spirit, Helps the Needy, Grows Self Esteem and Confidence and Calms the Spirit

Quilting is an amazing past-time - quite apart from producing a wonderful keepsake, it brings people together in community spirit and friendship, it can help the needy, it grows self esteema and confidence and can calm the spirit.

Sydney Australia (PRWEB) May 7, 2006 -- The wonderful ladies of the Dryden Quilters have been making quilted sleeping bags for the homeless for over 14 years. As the ladies finished each sleeping bag they recite their “roll-up prayer”.

“Lord, take the work of our hands and bless it and in thy name let the person who receives this gift know that they are loved. Amen”.

The ladies have now reached an amazing milestone of creating 2,000 sleeping bags. When a sleeping bag is given to someone it also comes
complete with toiletries, socks, mittens, a sweater, hat and scarf – all rolled in a sheet of plastic. These bags are intended as a temporary measure while the recipient gets themself into a more settled situation.

Friendship is also one of the wonderful spin-offs of quilting. The women in the Dryden quilting group range in age from 50 – 90 and love the interaction with each other. Shirley Kozlowski, one of the quilters, says “it’s like an old-fashioned
quilting bee.”

A group of ladies from The Quilting Loi group – men also welcome – find that very strong friendships are built not to mention self esteem and confidence.

Quilter Hilda Valentine said, “I’m amazed because I never thought I could do this.” Many quilters in The Quilting Loi’s group are amazed that they are able to produce such wonderful results. Marilyn Santiago says,

“To see the smile on their face, the satisfaction, it’s amazing.”

The calming of the spirit is truly one of the great serendipities of quilting and there’s always a story behind each one of the quilts.

A mother in Marilyn’s group was helped through the grieving process of her son’s death through quilting. Another woman thought of it as therapy to take her mind off her breast cancer. She was able to focus on the beautiful creation at hand and take hermind off her problem at hand.

Santiago believes that “Quilting is a wonderful thing because it provides instant gratification – instant gratification that last a century”

If you’d like to find out more about creating beautiful heirloom quilts please visit
www.myspecialcraft.com

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