Community members Sarah and Garrett Vogel adopted a 4-year-old boy named Moses in 2012. On the day of his adoption, he was given a quilt covered in trucks to celebrate the start of his new life.
That handmade quilt was created by members of the La Plata Quilters Guild. Thirteen years later, Moses still keeps it tucked safely in a chest.
Kids like Moses aren’t the only recipients of the Guild’s quilts. The group also donates to hospice organizations, veterans groups and children in foster care, among others. It also makes cat and dog beds from fabric scraps to donate to the La Plata County Humane Society.
Sarah Vogel says “love” is the word she most associates with the heartfelt quilt the Guild gave Moses all those years ago.
“There was a lot of love that day, between the quilt and the adoption, and Moses getting his new home and his official parents,” Vogel said. “And I know the Guild put it together with love.”
Two years ago, Vogel joined the Guild herself and, in a full-circle moment, donated her own handmade quilt to a newly adopted child – just like the one Moses received in 2012.
The Guild has operated for nearly 40 years and has been giving back to the community since its conception, said longtime member Barb Morgan.
The Guild donated 242 quilts and 130 animal beds last year, Morgan said. So far this year, it has donated 77 quilts and 70 beds.
“We’re incredibly appreciative they bring beds over to us regularly that they make out of all their scrap material,” said Colleen Dunning, development manager at the La Plata County Humane Society. “It makes a huge difference. (The animals) appreciate it.”
The quilts are often made collaboratively by multiple Guild members, and the process is intricate, involving a great deal of work, Morgan said.
The time it takes to complete a quilt varies depending on factors such as size, available equipment and binding time, Morgan said. In general, a single quilt can take anywhere from five hours to several days.
Individual quilters or collaborators choose the designs they want to include in the quilts they donate. But aesthetic variety – and personal connection to the recipients – is key, Morgan said. For example, the trucks on Moses’ quilt delighted him as a toddler. Ensuring that all kinds of people feel connected to their quilts is a priority.
“It’s really up to the maker, (but) we try to cover all the bases,” Morgan said. “You know, we have boy quilts and girl quilts and guy quilts and women quilts – the colorings can be different. If we do veteran quilts, quite often those are red, white and blue. (And) the (quilts gifted to) Gold Star families include a gold star in the design.”
Quilt Guild member Mary Ebner said she has seen firsthand how impactful the quilts are in the community.
“We get notes and letters from the different organizations – from some of the recipients – and it touches my heart to hear how much it meant to them to receive a handmade quilt,” Ebner said.
One of the most touching notes Ebner recalls came from a family member of a hospice patient after the person died. “(They) told us how much that quilt meant to their loved one, and how much more it means to them as the surviving family member to still find comfort in that quilt,” Ebner said.
Veronica Martin, senior director at Durango’s Community Shelter and Southwest Safehouse – which serves survivors of domestic violence and other violent crimes – said the quilts donated by the Guild have given adults and children seeking refuge, who often arrive with very few personal belongings, something meaningful to call their own.
“Oftentimes, our survivors are fleeing and they leave their homes and they have nothing – they don’t have any of their personal possessions,” Martin said. “Having something that they can know is their own property is just so comforting for them.”
Donating quilts is part of the Guild’s mission, Ebner said. Members don’t expect accolades or applause – they simply want to bring a smile to someone who may need it.
“It's a hug,” Morgan said of the comfort the quilts provide. “A hug that you can wrap (yourself in).”
epond@durangoherald.com
