In
The News:
Putting
the Pieces Together Makes a Dream Come True
By
Meg Grey
July
12, 2006
 |
|
Eleanor Frazier admires one of the
four quilts that were put together for her by the staff of Avon Quiltery.
Meg Grey/Flyer photo
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AVON — Back in 1952, Eleanor Frazier started to make a quilt out of scrap pieces of sewing projects she had done for her family and a few clients who had hired her as a seamstress.
Frazier said her first daughter was born in May of the following year and her plan was to complete the quilt and one day give it to her daughter.
But taking care of her new baby was top priority and eventually, Frazier packed the quilt pieces away, thinking she would get back to them when things slowed down.
It’s now 2006 and Frazier is a resident of Hearth at Prestwick in Avon. Finally, things have slowed down enough for her to get back to that quilt. The problem is that she now suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and vision problems. And, she has two daughters so she’ll need a quilt for each.
“My mother and mother-in-law made quilts for all of their children,” Frazier said. “It was a family tradition.”
As an activity at the Hearth, residents were given sheets of paper that read, “If I could, I would love to ...” The rest of the paper was blank, with residents asked to complete the sentence.
Frazier said she listed ice skating, skiing, dancing, and traveling to Australia. She also wrote that she would finish the quilt she started in 1952.
At 77 years of age, she’s not going ice skating or skiing, but one of her wishes was granted.
The Never Too Late Foundation, an organization that grants wishes for senior citizens, stepped in to help Frazier get her quilt finished, and then some. The staff at Avon Quiltery volunteered to donate their time and resources to make four baby quilts for Frazier’s unborn great-grandchildren.
“They’re just precious and they’re so much more than what I could have done,” Frazier said.
The quilts are made of the original fabric that Frazier had saved from her sewing projects, with some new fabrics that matched the retro pieces.
Dian Himes of Avon Quiltery also surprised Frazier with an extra gift — a table runner made of the same materials.
“I just love it,” Frazier said. “I’m so grateful.”
Himes said the quilts had been carted back and forth by the store’s staff over the last several months in order to get the project complete. She said it was a challenge to find fabrics that matched Frazier’s original pieces, which had to be done in order for the blankets to be crib size. The staff was also careful to make the machine-made quilt look as if it had been handmade.
“I think they turned out really sweet,” Himes said. “If I were in her shoes, I would hope someone would volunteer to do something like this for me.”
Now, Frazier said all she needs is for her grandchildren to “get on the stick and start having babies” because she’s got quilts waiting for them.
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