Touch Quilts

Have you heard about Touch Quilts?  They are special quilts made with different textured fabrics and designed to offer both comfort and sensory stimulation to patients with dementia and Alzheimers.  Folks who have seen them put to use say they really do help to soothe and relax and lessen the need for intervention and medications.




This is Grace McNab (doesn't she look happy), a member of the Ottawa Valley Quilter's Guild, who makes these lap quilts and also gives workshops on how to make them. She has received so much positive feedback about the quilts the guild has been distributing (for free) that they now provide them to nursing homes and hospital ER departments as well.  Check out  the Quirky Quilts web site to see how they are made and all the guidelines.  Grace offers a slide show of various quilts she has sewed.  I really like the Crazy Touch Quilt.
So many people are facing such a diagnosis that it seems we all know someone who has Alzheimers or dementia.  Anything that can be done to ease their confusion is welcome, I'm sure.

Meanwhile back at the farm I am working away on that first block of Hazel's Summer Wildflowers quilt.

 So far I've incorporated these stitches...satin, back, split, cross, chain, and French knots.  What a lot of fun.  I want you to know about a set of  great tutorials for 79 embroidery stitches  provided by the Wonderful Mary Corbet on Youtube.  These are easy to follow, look professional and provide enough repeats for you to work along with till you get the hang of it.

And here is a last look at my orange Icelandic poppies.  They provide such a bright note in the garden and seem to pop up all over the place.  I think they have spread since the original planting several decades ago.  Too bad they do not last long when fully opened.
 But their moment in the sun is a blazing one.