Quilt-makers from different communities in the Interlake joined forces to make two new “dignity quilts” for the Gimli Betel Personal Care Home.
Betel’s recreation manager Bryanne Hjorleifson (left) with quilters Allison Atkey and Heather Dankochik with one of the new dignity quilts that four members of their Fibre Arts Group made for the Gimli Betel Personal Care Home
The quilts are used in place of a sheet or a body bag for a resident who has passed away. They provide a greater measure of dignity for a loved one at the end of his or her life.
The quilters are part of the Fibre Arts Group that’s based out of the New Horizons 55+ Activity Centre in the north end of Gimli.
Janice Skene, Heather Dankochik, Donna Kerns and Allison Atkey are members of the Fibre Arts Group, and they worked together to make the new quilts.
The PCH had reached out to them late last year, said Skene, to see if members of the group could design and make two replacement quilts as the quilts that had been donated about 10 or so years ago to Betel were becoming worn out with washing.
“The four of us got together to make the new quilts. I supplied the panels. Allison designed the quilt and Donna pieced them. Then I quilted one, Heather quilted one and Donna did the binding for one,” said Skene, who lives in Arborg and travels to Gimli to attend the group’s regular get-togethers. “We’ve donated other items to Betel. We try to help when we can.”
The Fibre Arts Group, whose members include other fibre artists such as crocheters, had donated some lap quilts to Betel before Christmas, she said.
And members of the group are very busy, putting their skills to work to help support a number of local and external community organizations.
Members make quilts for various charities such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds beds; the Thelma Wynne organization; Project Linus; and “a church in Winnipeg that has one of the poorest postal codes in Canada” that gives kids quilts at Christmas. Some members also knit toques for premies (babies born prematurely) at one of the hospitals. Some are working on a project to make pet pillows for the Gimli Humane Society. They use scraps of fabric stuffed into either old pillowcases or upholstery samples.
“We’ve all got our own little projects and we do a little bit here and there. I started contributing quilts to Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s Winnipeg chapter about a year ago, and now there’s an Interlake chapter. Items go as far south as Stonewall and as far north as Hodgson. And I’ve had other members of the group help me with that,” said Skene. “Another one of our members works with Thelma Wynne. We can do what we want to do as far as the causes we take up.”
Some members of the Fibre Arts Group also volunteer at the annual Lakeside Quilters show, which is coming up this May in Gimli.
Skene said there are about 30 members of the Fibre Arts Group and they average about 15 people (some are away during the winter) when they get together. The majority of the fibre artists are based in Gimli, but they also have members from Arborg, Winnipeg Beach and Winnipeg.
“We don’t just quilt. We’ve got members that knit and crochet,” she said. “We welcome new members if they want to join. We meet on Tuesdays at New Horizons in Gimli. You don’t have to be there every time. It’s a good, friendly group of people.”
The get-togethers typically run from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. They work on their projects, help each other out, have show and tell then have lunch.
Gimli Betel’s recreation manager Bryanne Hjorleifson issued a message via the Friends of Gimli Betel Facebook page to thank the four quilters for their generosity and kindness, adding that they worked “tirelessly” to bring Betel’s vision of dignity quilts to life once again.
Hjorleifson said the end of a person’s life and their final journey “are just as important as all the steps that came before,” and Betel wants to make sure each resident is treated with “dignity, respect and honour during their last trip down the halls.”
She also paid tribute to the skill that went into making the quilts, calling them works of art from the heart.
“The finished dignity quilts are incredible — so much attention to detail combined with true artistic talent in a breathtaking compilation,” said Hjorleifson. “Two quilts were made to ensure we had one for each floor, and the results are just awe-inspiring. They are both works of art from the heart that will truly be appreciated for years to come.”
Several people posted comments on Facebook to thank the New Horizons’ quilters for their donation to Betel.
“What a beautiful and compassionate gesture to the person who has passed away, to be wrapped in a blanket of love and beauty as they are transported to the funeral home,” wrote Leslie Finley Samborski.
And Jocelyn Barlow, who makes a variety of quilted items and has sold them at markets in Gimli, wrote that the “colours and patterns are so beautifully appropriate. Clearly these quilters are meticulous crafters.”
