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Coffee Creek Quilters donates around 100 student-made quilts every year to a variety of organizations. Last week we heard a sweet story about one of our donation quilts. This particular quilt was one of twenty-one donated to CASA of Jackson County in Medford. Diane Campbell, an instructor in our Thursday class had delivered the quilts in January 2015. Last week one of Diane’s students told her that one of her dorm mates had received a photo of her grandbaby who is in foster care in Medford. In the picture, the baby was wrapped in one of our quilts. The label was visible and showed the quilt was made by another dorm mate who is a good friend of the grandma. We instructors were touched by the story. Mary Shiffer, an instructor in our Wednesday class summed it up nicely for us: “This is a lovely story, proving the interconnectedness of humanity. What we do individually with CCQ is extremely important. I cannot solve the ills of our world by myself but I can change the experiences and attitude of one woman at a time. For each of these women, what they learn about giving, receiving, working hard, sharing, helping, laughing, crying, courage, trusting and more than I could ever name, changes the world for her and also for me. This story reminds me why I even give up Wednesday night Winter Hawks hockey games to be at Coffee Creek. For me, I remember the Christopher Movement motto, ‘It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.'”

Student quilts from the Coffee Creek Quilters prison quilting program will be on display September 19 at the Treasures in the Attic quilt show. Some of our instructor-made quilts will also be on display and available for purchase. This event includes an opportunity to have your quilts appraised by local experts, a vintage market with collectible quilts, a quilt raffle, and presentations on a variety of topics. Details can be found on the Treasures in the Attic flyer. Treasures in the Attic will be at the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center, 11275 SW Durham Ln., McMinnville, OR on Saturday, September 19, 9 am to 5 pm.

CCQ members gave moms incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility the opportunity to make journals with their kids at the prison’s annual TACE event on July 11 and 12. TACE is Through A Child’s Eyes, an annual summer event sponsored by Wilsonville Rotary where Moms and kids take part in interactive games, crafts, and other activities. They enjoy a BBQ meal together and discuss what is happening in their children’s lives. Between children, moms, volunteers and staff, about 800 people attended this year. CCQ provided supplies for participants to make journals — matte board donated by local frame shops for covers, paper inserts, and fabric ties to make them into books. The women and their children put their artistic ideas together and came up with amazing creations. Many of the moms wrote meaningful entries in the journals for their kids. CCQ board member Betty DeHaven and her husband Dave took charge of the activity again this year. “We are constantly encouraged by seeing the connection between mother and child, and the satisfaction and seeing the nurturing that takes place. We consider it a privilege to be part of this event,” Betty said.

We heard a sweet story this week from Beaverton’s Quilter’s Corner quilt shop. One of their customers decided to celebrate her birthday by buying $100 in fabric to donate to the Coffee Creek Quilters prison quilting program. We don’t know who the anonymous donor is, but we truly appreciate her generosity. We are also grateful for Quilter’s Corner’s support of our program. Owner Deb Messina often features CCQ in her monthly newsletter and the shop serves as a drop-off location for donations of fabric, sewing machines, and quilting supplies. You can learn more about Quilter’s Corner and sign up for their newsletter on their website, quilterscornerstore.com.

CCQ recently donated quilts made in our classes at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility to Kinship House, a Portland nonprofit that serves kids in foster care. We received a touching thank-you letter. Dear Coffee Creek Quilters, We truly appreciate your selecting Kinship House as the beneficiary of your efforts. Your decision to provide your handmade quilts to children in foster care was heart felt and very touching. We had several children walk up with wide eyes to the selection available and touch the blankets with hesitant hands, as though they could not believe that something so beautiful could be meant for them. One young girl was told by her foster parents that she already had enough blankets at home, that she did not need another one. But for several weeks she would ask to see a certain quilt, blue and brown with pictures of kittens. For some reason this particular quilt called to her. Finally she convinced her Dad to let her trade in one of her blankets to be able to take that blanket home. The day she was allowed to carry it out the door, she cradled it in her arms so tenderly. I am sure that blanket will be with her for many years. Everyone who heard where the quilts came from understood the importance of the connection between those making the quilts and the children and families receiving them. They felt the love, the sorrow and the hope that each blanket represented. We are truly grateful to have been a part of your program! Sincerely, Tia Shows Kinship House ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can learn more about Kinship House at their website.

People often ask us how we structure our quilting classes at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. In some ways it’s the same as a class in a quilt shop. Instructors explain the basics of cutting strips of fabric with rulers, rotary cutters, and mats. Students learn to thread a sewing machine, sew quarter inch seams, and follow a pattern. In other ways, CCQ classes are very different. Prison security rules require that we count every pin, needle, and rotary cutter blade before taking them in to class. We pass through a metal detector before entering the dining room where class is held. And there are restrictions on the color of clothing we can wear, such as no blue jeans. Our goals are similar to quilt shop classes, but with some differences. We want our students to become proficient in quilt-making techniques. But we also strive to teach patience, perseverance, problem-solving and the importance of quality work. We work to nurture our students’ self-confidence and self-esteem, attributes that we hope will enhance their success at living in the community after release from prison.