Moving from Iowa to Indiana ten years ago, Sharon Jordan and her husband, Roger, were newcomers to Heritage Pointe of Fort Wayne. The senior living community is a Life Plan community, formerly known as continuing care retirement community (or CCRC), offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and short-term rehab.
Wanting to make new friends, Sharon, 79, decided that the best way to connect with others was to make an effort herself.
She sent an email to the whole community asking if any other residents would be interested in putting together a sewing group.
Jordan was thrilled by the immediate and enthusiastic response she received and today counts the other sewing group members as dear friends.
“With me not knowing anyone, it was interesting to see how many people came out,” she says about the group’s first meeting, which was dedicated to formulating what they wanted the group to be and what it would do.
They decided they wanted to make quilts to give to residents of the community’s skilled nursing.
“I’m a needle pointer. I belong to the Embroiderer’s Guild of America. I didn’t know how to quilt, but I was happy to learn,” Jordan says.
Over the past decade, the group, which attracts seven to eight participants to each of their monthly meetings, has made more than 250 quilts that it has delivered to residents of skilled nursing.
The process of making the quilts includes creating the squares, laying them out, sewing them together, putting in the batting and adding the backing and trim. Two of the residents have embroidery sewing machines that they use to embroider each of the recipients’ names on the quilts.
The group personalizes the quilts in other ways. For instance, they made one with apples for a former teacher and others that are red, white and blue for military veterans.
Jordan says one of the most enjoyable parts of the process is when all the squares are laid out and arranged by color, and the group members choose the squares that will make up each quilt.
“It’s creative and fun. People really enjoy that part, and we always have lunch together on that day,” Jordan says.
While most of the group participates in making the quilts, Jordan says some people join the group for camaraderie while working on other projects, whether it is knitting or crocheting.
“Everyone is welcome,” Jordan says, also noting that no sewing experience is necessary to join the group, which will help novices learn to make the quilts.
As the years have gone by, Jordan says the staff at Heritage Pointe have always been encouraging to residents who want to form a group or do an activity related to any particular interest they have.
“It’s kind of like anything you want to do or start is wonderful,” she says. “After all, the more active you are, the better it is for you and for everyone.”
The process of making the quilts takes months, but Jordan says the end result makes it all worth it for her and other members of the group.
“The most rewarding part of this is delivering the quilts,” she says. “They are thrilled to have them. And when I see that, it makes me want to do it all over again.”
