One of our Rejig projects this year is to use some of our extensive stash of recycled fabrics, zips, ribbons, and interesting button tins to create a series of Fidget Quilts for the local Alzheimer’s Society. We also have two Duke of Edinburgh Award students doing a placement at one of our weekly sessions, so they are busy creating their own versions too.
There are many benefits to creating a Fidget Quilt for someone with dementia, as the small lap quilts can provide a soothing and personal way of helping to ease feelings of agitation and anxiety. They also provide a good starting point for memories and personal stories.
There are lots of examples of Fidget Quilts with tutorials and instructions on the internet if you are interested in making a quilt yourself. I’ve included some useful links below to get you started. It’s a very interesting process to plan and create a quilt like this, as each quilt is unique and allows both the maker and the person who receives it to enjoy all the different challenges involved.
CLH offers a good summary of what a Fidget Quilt (or “busy blanket”) is, and how they can help dementia sufferers.
Patchwork Posse has a nice and simple tutorial, and provides some ideas to get you started.
This PDF from the WI has some brilliant ideas for different tactile squares on your quilt.
