Active Retirement Ireland is delighted to announce the Quilt of Hope/Cuilt Dóchais initiative to highlight the resilience of our members during the long period of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many people have experienced loss, grief, depression and trauma since the Covid-19 crisis hit our shores in March 2020. However, we will soon emerge from this challenging time and we are inviting our members to look to the future by creating a quilt panel for inclusion in the ARI National Quilt of Hope.
Your quilt panel can be made from any items you find around the home and can be sewn, knitted, painted or glued together. Any method of creating a panel is allowed, all you have to do is use your imagination.
For further details, please see the fact sheet below which gives full details of the size of your panel and the various themes of hope. You can contact your Regional Development Officer if you need any further information.
We plan to collate individual panels later during the summer when Covid-19 restrictions allow and put them all together into local, county and regional quilts and ultimately a national Quilt of Hope.
So get going on creating your panel of hope and reconnect with your friends at Active Retirement Ireland.
It won’t always be like this, we will be back soon, bigger, better and stronger than before!
FACT SHEET
What size panel?
Panels can be a maximum 1metre x 1metre square or any division of that as long as its square.
What can be put on the panel?
You can put anything you like on your panel. The idea is that you will find materials from around your home. You can sew, knit, crochet, glue or staple your items to your panel. The idea is to be as creative and as resourceful as you possible can.
Does my panel have to follow a theme?
As it is the Quilt of Hope, we are asking you to express one of four themes in your quilt panel A) Emergence B) Togetherness C) Faith D) Kindness
How long do I have to complete my panel?
You have the months of May and June to complete your panel. Indeed, if you have time, you can complete more than one.
What do I do with my panel once it is complete?
Store your panel flat once you have completed it. A member of your ARA will arrange to collect it when restrictions allow. If restrictions permit, a drop-off point may be arranged for you to bring it to. Your local ARA will keep you informed.
What will happen to the panels?
The panels will be compiled into larger panels of about 4 metres square. They will be sewn together by other ARI volunteers and after lockdown will be displayed to show the resilience and hope of ARI members during this time of crisis.
It is hoped that there will be regional displays and all going well, a national display of panels to form one big Quilt of Hope as an example of the resilient nature of older people during the lockdown periods of Covid 19.
We also suggest that you take a photo of your panel so that we may include it into a digital panel that can be displayed on our website.
