Every Monday from 9 a.m. to noon a small group of volunteers come together at The Lodge on the Canal (formerly the Sweden Senior Center) to cut multi-colored fabric or ”tie” the quilts made by their leader, Jim Smith.
Jim, a Kodak engineer technician retiree, who “got bored” after finishing his “to do” list, has put in about 1,800 hours a year making quilts; he’s been with the group ever since Elsie Farmer and her late sister, Dorothy Tidwell, started the quilters’ group ten years ago. Residing in Hamlin, Jim is joined by his wife and “sew-mate,” Joan, who works along side of him.
The quilters are proud of meeting their goal of producing nearly 300 quilts per year. Jim keeps an inventory list of each year’s cotton 60 by 80 inch “Trip Around the World” patterned quilts made and distributed in the Greater Rochester area: In 2016 – 294; 2015 – 254; and in 2014 – 313 quilts.
Recipients who received quilts on a regular basis include: The V.A. Hospital in Batavia, Open Door Mission, Wilmot Cancer Centers at Strong, Unity and Rochester General Hospitals, Migrant Summer School Program, and Women’s Shelters in Monroe (Willows) and Orleans (Pathstones) Counties.
Other individuals who receive “care” quilts, may have lost a loved one or a home to fire or a change in lifestyle (moving to a nursing home).
The busy Monday morning quilters also work on another project begun a decade ago – “tying” the sleeping bags that Jim makes for the Open Door Mission.
Some of the quilters meet the first Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a perfect time for anyone in the community to come that wants to work on their own project or get help with an unfinished quilt. Last year, this group made 100 place mats for the Meals on Wheels program.
On January 23, Terry Brown, a social worker of the Wilmot Cancer Institute at Park Ridge, stopped by with donuts and muffins to thank the quilters for their lovely quilts that were given to patients in various oncology units. That same day at The Lodge on the Canal, a resident stopped in to purchase a quilt he plans to send to his in-laws in Germany.
The S.S.A.I. (Sweden Senior Association, Inc.), a 501© (3) organization was established to serve the interests and activities of the Lodge on the Canal. The S.S.A.I, for example, underwrites programs, including the quilters’ and their costs of supplies not donated. In addition, the funds raised over the years through quilt raffles, the Holiday Bazaar, seasonal centerpieces, placemats and stuffed animals for sale at the Lodge on the Canal, help with expenses.
The quilters would greatly appreciate donations of cotton fabric and quilt batting; particularly heavy weight denim, outdoor and drapery fabrics, etc. for making sleeping bags. These items can be dropped off at the Lodge on the Canal, 133 State Street, Brockport, NY 14420. Monetary donations are payable to: SSAI, Attention: Quilters, at the same address.
Newcomers are always welcome. Stop in at 133 State Street on Monday mornings. No skills needed. No age limit. Take it from Pat Cooper, a weekly participant who says, “There’s such a great feeling of accomplishment when you finish a quilt!”
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