A little warmth for the holidays
Bible Hill couple creating quilts for kids
BIBLE HILL, N.S. – Jean Streifling doesn’t waste time lying awake at night. If she can’t sleep, she simply gets up and works on quilts that will give comfort to others.
She and her husband, David, are making lap quilts for children who will be in the IWK during Christmas.
“We’re making a lot of them because we have a quilting machine, but there are other people with the Seventh Day Adventist churches in Truro, Pugwash and New Glasgow who are working on them, too,” said Jean. “A woman in Pugwash has handsewn some.”
Jean started thinking about making quilts after she was given one as a gift. She bought a second-hand quilting machine in June 2014. David had to assemble the machine, so he’s familiar with the parts and is now able to handle repairs. He also programs the machine for different patterns.
They’ve made 444 quilts since buying the machine, and almost all of them have been given away.
“Sometimes people need comfort, and this is a socially acceptable way to give a hug,” said David.
When a building was burning he went home and got quilts for a couple of people who had been forced out of their home.
Others have gone to people who were seriously ill or about to have a baby. The Streif lings hope there will be about 40 quilts ready to deliver to the IWK on Dec. 23
“We’re both retired teachers and I always had a soft spot in my heart for kids,” said David. “It’s nice to do something that will help them in some way.”
It requires about nine hours to make the simplest lap quilts, and more complicated designs can take up to three times that long. Jean embroiders a Bible verse on the back on each one, and the fact that it’s been created by the Quilting Ministry of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
About $65 worth of materials goes into one small quilt. Some material is donated, and the church helps, but Jean and David buy much of it themselves.
Jean’s getting a little tired, but she’s determined to finish the quilts she’s started in time to get them to the IWK.
“If this helps some little children, it’s worth it,” she said. “I want to help these kids.
“We’re taking the quilts to the church to have them blessed, so they’ll be a blessing to whoever gets them.”
“We’re both retired teachers and I always had a soft spot in my heart for kids... It’s nice to do something that will help them in some way.” David Streifling