Quilt Designed and Stitched Honor Chai House

POSTED: JANUARY 2012

When a box full of beautiful cloth swatches was donated to Chai House, a home for developmentally disabled young Jewish women in White Plains that is operated by Westchester Jewish Community Services(WJCS), an idea for a project were born. Chai House staff along with Abbe Marcus, Jewish Program Specialist, planned a quilt project that the women could create reflecting their individuality as well as their life together at Chai House.

To help frame the project and understand the love and work that goes into sewing a quilt, the group began by reading the “Keeping Quilt” by Patricia Palocco. Tami Drucker, a Hebrew school teacher and talented quilter, volunteered to help. She showed the women some of her work and pictures of various types of quilts. The group also explored symbols and themes. They loved the Hamsas (Jewish good luck symbols) and agreed to use Jewish symbols and include the Chai House name in English and Hebrew. After practicing on paper, the residents picked out their own pieces of fabric and began to trace their hands and cut out their Hamsas. They also traced and cut Hebrew and English letters. They then helped iron each fabric piece and embroider the quilt border. The entire project took from April - December.

“The quilt project was an opportunity for the Chai House residents to have something to hang on the wall of their own to be proud of,” said Marcus. “The end result is amazing!! It was a meaningful experience and definitely a labor of love for the residents, Tami and staff.”

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