Touch Quilts for Alzheimer Patients

The Touch Quilt Project is an initiative of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, sponsored by Manitoba Blue Cross with funding from Manitoba Community Services Council.

The purpose of the Touch Quilt Project is to create a caring community throughout Manitoba that is responsive to the needs of people living with Dementia.

Each touch quilt kit contains:

• 36 - 6 inch squares of various different types of fabric, including polar fleece, fun fur, polyester, cotton and cotton blends.
• polyester batting
• one solid piece of fabric for backing

Sewing a touch quilt is quick and fun.  There is a bit of a challenge because of the variety of fabric types and weights.  Some pieces are stretchy. 

This kit had baby blue polyester lining for the backing.

The red block with the soccer ball on it is jogging fleece. 

The soft brown square below the yellow and green plaid square is fake fur. I trimmed one quarter inch of the fur off the edges so only the fabric bottom is in the seam allowance.

The first thing I did was lay out the squares and test each one for stretch.  If the square was stretchy, I used interfacing to stabilize it.

This lap quilt still needs to be sandwiched, quilted and have binding put on.

The kits do not including binding as it is optional.

This is my second kit.  Below are photos of the first touch quilt I sewed.  I added ribbons around the outside edge and a flannelette binding.

The white square is a big thick chunky piece of fleece.  Some of the squares are soft like velvet.  I may still add some buttons to further decorate it.

These little quilts are easy to make.  The label is iron on, I used Big Bertha my Pfaff QE 4 to embroider my initials and the year on it.

This backing is some sort of spandex that has sparkles!

For more information on this project please check out the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.