Pleasant Hill, CA – Every few weeks, during the fall and winter months, we receive large bags stuffed full of quilts. These quilts have been lovingly made by the Scrappy Quilters, a group that has been meeting regularly since 1993 at the Mt. Diablo Education Center in Pleasant Hill.
Most of the quilts delivered to us find their way to Bruns House, our inpatient care facility in Alamo. They are carefully laid on the beds of each of the six private rooms, warmly welcoming new patients. The families and friends of our patients love having the quilts in the rooms and are welcome to take them home as a memento. The remainder of the quilts are distributed to our home patients by our care giving staff.
What Katherine Crow remembers most when visiting her friend at Bruns House, besides the warm loving care she received, was the beautiful quilt that brightened her room. The quilt was significant to Katherine because she had been sewing as early as she can remember and the hominess that the quilt represented made her feel like her friend was in the right place. Katherine has fond memories of quilting with her three daughters, Caroline, Barbara and Deborah. When Deborah, the younger of the sisters was born, Caroline and Barbara were 6 and 8. They made a quilt for their baby sister on a dishrag loom and Katherine sewed the binding. All three girls were bored during their home economics classes because they already knew how to sew. Over the years the three sisters and their mom made numerous quilts for their families and friends. Katherine says that her girls became better quilters than she.
Sadly, Katherine’s two eldest daughters became ill and recently passed away. Caroline spent her last days at Bruns House. Katherine, who is no longer able to sew, and her surviving daughter Deborah had to decide what to do with the numerous boxes of quilting fabric. They remembered the quilts at the Bruns House and called us to see if the material could be donated and somehow used. We immediately thought of the Scrappy Quilters and they happily took all the fabric.
Now the fabric is finding its way into the quilts that adorn the beds at Bruns House. Both Katherine and Deborah feel that it is the perfect way to honor Barbara and Caroline and the legacy of their sewing and quilt making.
