At 96, Yvonne Gibson hasn’t slowed down — she’s still stitching kindness one quilt at a time.
The lifelong sewer from Ashern, spent her winter sewing handmade quilts with help from her daughter, donating them to Siloam Mission to support individuals moving into housing.
Gibson was 11 when she sat in front of her first sewing machine. Today, she continues to sew up a storm, producing lap blankets and quilts for family, friends, and now for Siloam Mission.
She and her daughter, Sylvia Fisette, donated 10 quilts on May 1.
Gibson said she was inspired to make them after hearing Siloam Mission was seeking quilts and blankets for their housing units.
“I was wondering what I could do over the winter and my daughter suggested I make these quilts,” Gibson said.
She calls them her “Crazy Quilts” because many of the colours don’t match. Made from a mix of pre-owned and donated fabric, each quilt fits a single bed and features a unique combination of colours and designs.
Fisette played a key role in the project — she pinned fabric, picked up batting, and provided the quilting frame. “I couldn’t have done any of this project without her,” Gibson added.
Picking a favourite is no easy task. “I put a lot of work into these and they all mean quite a bit. I can’t just pick one because they are all my hard work,” she said.
Rachel Villamangca, community engagement co-ordinator at Siloam Mission, said the quilts will be used as housewarming gifts for individuals moving into their first homes or for residents of Siloam Mission’s new housing unit at 4025 Roblin Blvd. in Winnipeg.
“Receiving these quilts means a lot to the community we serve,” said Villamangca. “They are a beautiful gift that provide shelter and comfort, and they help restore the dignity and self-agency these individuals have often lost.”
She added that Siloam Mission aims to open 700 to 1,000 additional supportive housing units, and donations of bedding and quilts are in high demand. Donations can be arranged by calling 204-956-4344.
Gibson learned to quilt about 15 years ago, after attending a quilting session at Faulkner Hall led by her doctor.
Since then, she’s fallen in love with the craft and has made quilts for family and lap blankets for nearly all her friends living at Glencora Estates in Ashern.
“I give them away as fast as I make them,” she said, estimating she’s made at least 50 quilts and many more lap blankets.
Express Photos Submitted
Gibson has been sewing most of her life. She remembers making a blouse with her mother on a treadle sewing machine. Over the years, she sewed clothes for her four children and taught both her daughters to sew.
Sewing, she noted, is much easier today than when she started.
“When I started, we had to carry coal oil lamps everywhere we went just to light the house,” she said.
Born in Cayer, Man., in 1929, Gibson spoke only French until she started school at eight years old. She later raised her family on a farm in Faulkner. Fisette said that on days her father was away, her mother ran the farm and raised four kids at the same time.
After leaving the farm, Gibson and her husband Jack bought and operated Gibson’s General Store for several years.
Following the closure of the store, Gibson travelled the world — visiting Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Seoul, Singapore, Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Churchill and every province in Canada.
“She is an amazing woman with an amazing mind that remembers everything,” Fisette said.
Gibson said Australia was her favourite place to visit, especially because it meant seeing her daughter.
As for what’s next, Gibson doesn’t plan on slowing down.
“I am just going to keep on making lap blankets until I use up all of my material,” she said.
With plenty of fabric left, a soon-to-be garden box and puzzles waiting, she has no shortage of things to keep her busy.
