Mary Ann McCammon is an instructor in CCQ’s Thursday class. She also travels to Eldoret, Kenya to teach quilting to women recovering from obstetric fistula surgery. Mary Ann works with Beyond Fistula, a small non-profit that supports women after surgery to reintegrate with their families and gain financial independence.
In her most recent trip, Mary Ann learned that some of the Kenyan quilters prefer cutting fabric with scissors rather than rotary cutters. Ann (pictured at left/top), the production supervisor favors the type of scissors that Mary Ann brought to the class last November. CCQ’s Betty DeHaven located three of these from CCQ donations and Mary Ann shipped them to Ann in Kenya last month. “She’s thrilled,” Mary Ann said. “It’s another example of CCQ helping women.”
Mary Ann also meets with the Eldoret Quilt Guild (pictured at left/center) when she travels to Kenya. “On my most recent trip I brought them a bunch of books, rulers and patterns that had been CCQ donations that our women couldn’t use. They couldn’t get their heads out of the books; they were delighted. In return, they are machine sewing the cloth pockets we hand sew on the back of the story quilts (pictured at left/bottom).”
There will be a fundraiser to support the Beyond Fistula quilting program on Sunday, November 20th. Contact Mary Ann for details.