THE final public community sewing day for The Fabric of Winchester saw around 15 people make bespoke quilt blocks for inclusion on several special memory quilts.
The Arc, in Jewry Street, hosted St John's Winchester on Sunday, October 22.
CEO Clive Cook, who is retiring from the role in March next year, explained the thinking behind the project.
He said: “It's called Fabric of Winchester and it's about a gift to the hospice which is five or more memory quilts. We're gathering people together in the local community and asking them to prepare a block for the quilt. The block should represent a memory or association with a person or a place.
“The charity has been around for the best part of 800-900 years. We consider ourselves part of the fabric in Winchester and this project is meant to reflect that.
“Ultimately, we're looking to finance our dementia service and expansion. It has been going really well. We have eight sewing machines which have been kindly lent to us by Janome.”
People can donate a piece of fabric, clothing or sewn quilt block to the project until Friday, November 10.
To meet demand for the Community Sewing Days, a final two ‘drop-in’ sessions have been scheduled between 10am until 1pm on Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10, enabling individuals to finish their pieces prior to the closing date.
At The Arc on Sunday, October 22, Melanie Armstrong said: “I've set out four sets of leaves to represent my family. So my husband and myself and my three boys. Two of the boys have got married recently and the third is getting married in the next two weeks.
"So each leaf represents a person. I will put each name on the leaf and I will put their marriage dates beside each leaf. We've also got a little baby coming in January so going to do a tiny little leaf with January 2024 next to it. It's such a nice idea to put memories into something someone else will enjoy.”
Judith Moss said: “I'm a quilter, so my block is just a very straightforward quilting block. I've chosen blue and yellow to mark Ukraine. I belong to a group called Meon Valley Quilters which meets in Swanmore and Waltham Chase.”
The Fabric of Winchester aims to encourage the sharing and cherishing of memories, particularly highlighting the important work of the St John’s Winchester Dementia Support service, which has provided life-changing support to more than 300 individuals living with dementia since the programme’s inception in October 2022.
The completed quilts will be on public display at The Arc between January 12 to 14 2024 and then donated to Winchester Hospice, for use by their patients.
BLOCK DONATION
Bringing colour and vibrancy to The Fabric of Winchester, a member of the Winchester community has donated a beautifully stitched block to the project. Quoting the fabric used within their block, the project participant comments, “My block is made from fabric offcuts from baby quilts and dressmaking clothes that were for my children.”
This block, along with other stitched blocks, donated fabric, and bespoke business blocks, will be sewn together by volunteer Wessex Quiltmakers to create several ‘memory’ quilts, before being publicly displayed at The Arc between 12-14 January 2024 and then donated to Winchester Hospice as a gift from St John’s Winchester and the local community.
With just over a week to go until the block donation phase ends, individuals, communities, and local businesses are encouraged to donate a stitched block that represents a memory or donate a piece of meaningful fabric for inclusion in one of the several quilts.
HOW TO ACCESS THE DEMENTIA SUPPORT SERVICE AND WHAT TO EXPECT
Trying to access support for those living with dementia can be a difficult process to navigate.
For the St John’s Winchester Dementia Support service, a self-referral form on the St John’s website is the easiest way.
Once a referral has been received by the St John’s Admiral Nurses, the team send a letter of acknowledgement to the referrer.
Following confirmation that the case falls within the service remit, the team conduct an assessment with the family or carer to determine its suitability and the level of support required.
The support service also accepts referrals through one of the three Winchester GP Surgeries; St Clements, Friarsgate and St Paul’s, the Older Persons Mental Health services, Winchester’s team of Admiral Nurses, the Proactive Care Team, and Andover Mind.
Support is provided through a person-centred approach and is tailored to each individual case. The service supports the family and carers of those living with dementia, for as long as is required.
Alongside supporting families and individuals under the service, the team signpost those in the Winchester area to local services who are best placed to help, including St John’s Hand in Hand if suitable. Facilitated by the St John’s Dementia Support team, the St John’s Memory Wellbeing Centre and the Dementia Support walking group is available to those beyond the Winchester district, and family, carers and individuals can expect to be welcomed into a friendly and supportive, large network of members.
COMMUNITY SEWING DAYS
Drop-In Sessions:
10am-1pm, Thursday, November 9 at St John’s Winchester Community Room
10am-1pm, Friday, November 10 at St John’s Winchester Community Room
All Community Sewing Days are free to attend. Attendees are encouraged to bring along any fabric with sentimental value, although materials and sewing machines will be available for use. Volunteers will be on hand to assist participants in using the sewing machines and can offer advice on design and construction.
HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?
- Donate a piece of fabric or clothing, along with a Block Donation Form which captures the story or memory behind your fabric or item of clothing
- Stitch your own 9” x 9” ‘block’ (the squares that make up a quilt) – this can be done independently or at one of the Community Sewing Days
- Join one of the free Community Sewing Days
- Purchase a ‘Business Block’ for your business
- Share your memory or story along with any photos of your block on social media and use one of the hashtags: #FabricOfWinchester or #StitchedTogether
- Sign up to receive Fabric of Winchester updates via the St John’s Winchester website
SUPPORT THE ST JOHN’S DEMENTIA SUPPORT SERVICE
In recognising the power of personal stories, Fabric of Winchester participants are asked where possible to consider a gift of any size towards the St John’s Dementia Support service, donating for those whose memories are cherished.
With the support of the community, St John’s will be able to answer every call for help, meeting the unprecedented demand for the free service and transforming the quality of life for all those in Winchester living with dementia.
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