MHA Communities – Live at Home
Quilting with elderly residents
Working with the elderly community to explore their heritage through the design of a collaborative quilt. The quilt will celebrate the diverse background and history of the participants and will be a physical representation of places, people, events, objects that have been important in their history.
Through a workbook, participants were asked to reflect on what led them to settle in Southampton and were encouraged to design and create a square of quilt to reflect this. The importance of their own unique stories was emphasised and each participant was able to reflect on their own journey. By stitching all the squares together they can see the similarities with others and create a sense of community at a time when people have been feeling very isolated. 20 participants have contributed squares so far.
In 2021, an exhibition at a local art gallery will display the quilt and participants will be able to come and see the final piece
“We wanted to find something meaningful and creative for members to do during the pandemic. We were drawn to this grant as the focus was very clear and we had a clear idea on how I could make this work for people as a remote home learning project.”
