A Quilter Doesn't Quit

By Athan Bezaitis on December 23, 2008 10:36 AM

On a drizzly Wednesday morning late in the fall semester, Frances Dudley paused in the middle of her quilting lesson at the Ahmanson Senior Center.

Her students, mostly beginners along with a handful of special visitors for the day, looked a bit lost. She held up a half-finished, cream-colored quilt with blocks of red and green sewn together side by side in diagonal pathways.

“This is called a ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ pattern,” she said. “Comprised of nine blocks, this traditional design is made from strategically arranged right triangles and squares. It’s a very basic pattern and one my mother often used.”

Her guests, a handful of USC Davis School of Gerontology students and Andrus Center volunteers, were there to see the work of the African American Quilters of Los Angeles. Made up mostly of retirement-age women from the USC neighborhood, the quilters hold weekly meetings at the center.

Across the room a hodgepodge of themed quilts were displayed. A holiday design featured a Christmas tree with family members’ names embroidered as ornaments. Another depicted the yellow and purple jerseys of Los Angeles Lakers past and present with the team emblem in the middle.

Han-Jung Ko, a first-year master of science in gerontology student, translated a mahogany quilt with Chinese characters along its borders for the designers, who did not know their meaning.

“The characters mean the phoenix. Its appearance signals good luck and peace in Chinese culture,” she said.

Some of the quilts were contest winners that will be passed on to children and grandchildren. Others will be donated to charity.

“I quilt for babies,” said Bernice Hilson, a longtime quilter with more than 20 years of experience. “Many of our quilts go to underprivileged children. We also quilt for needy elders. Sometimes we make gifts to give at weddings. We also give them to our families to be passed down as heirlooms.”

For the Andrus Volunteers, an organization of community members over 55 with an interest in research, advocacy and working with college students, the trip was a chance to bring new people into the USC fold.

“Several of the women are interested in our guided autobiography class, and this is a great opportunity to tell them about Andrus Center services such as the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence and the Tingstad Older Adult Counseling Center,” said Andrus Volunteer coordinator Linda Broder, who distributed brochures to the women.

For the students, the field trip was an opportunity to see gerontology theory put into action. As holiday music wafted through the hall, laughter erupted from tables filled with women busily quilting and chatting.

“As we learn in class, people do not lose their creativity as they age,” Ko said. “Some of these quilts are complicated and have very imaginative designs.”

Studies show community-based art programs contribute to health promotion and disease prevention. They also reveal a positive impact on maintaining independence and reducing risk factors that drive the need for long-term care.

For Dudley, who teaches the beginners, quilting brings back memories of her mother in Newark, N.J., during the 1950s.

“Whenever it got cold, my mom would give us an extra quilt,” she said. “Her friends would come to the house to quilt, and she would serve them jelly bread and coffee.”

Hilson, from Memphis, Tenn., said quilting has been a tradition handed down for generations in her family.

“We teach our daughters because our mothers taught us. Where I come from, cover was very important. ”

Melvia Jones began quilting when she retired because she felt her career pulled her away from a sense of ethnic identity.

“I needed to search for who I am and my culture. I came from a mostly black community in Texas. When I got to L.A., I found the social intermix to be a pleasant change, but it was unfamiliar. The quilting class has helped me find the camaraderie I needed.”

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