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Monday, April 06, 2015

Inspiration Mondays

Love, Laughter, and a Little Insanity has started a new forum:
Inspiration on MondayWelcome to the first edition of Inspiration on Monday! Inspiration on Monday is a forum to share things that we’ve created and things that we are doing to help inspire others. Posts about projects in progress, finished projects, tutorials, and how-tos are all welcome. Feel free to share recipes, crafts, lifestyle, organizing, and DIY tips, and any other idea that can spark inspiration.

link-up rules:1. Link up your post(s) below. This can be a recent post or an old post, but please do not re-submit a post you’ve already submitted for Inspiration on Monday.2. Please link back to Inspiration on Monday or my blog somewhere in the post you are submitting3. If applicable, please share the source that inspired you in your post. Credit where credit is due.4. Try to comment on at least one other participant’s post. Encouragement can be so inspiring!
Check it out Trish's blog.

I'm eager to see what other book bloggers are doing!  From gardening to bookbinding, there are so many of you have creative pursuits to share.


I've continued working on my fidget quilts for AD/dementia patients.  I get side-tracked frequently, however, working out various possible embellishments.   

"Ribbon Pull" is f.q. #5.    

 At least it isn't raining, but I wish we could have a little sun.
The ribbons have knots in the end that prevent them 
from pulling all the way out.
I was so excited when I found this idea!
(more on that below)


I got the idea for the ribbon pull here:

  And Next Comes L-- Dyan made a ribbon pulling quiet book page, and the idea was perfect for a fidget quilt.
 Dyan got the idea from The Imagination Tree (which had several great ideas for homemade  manipulatives).



Several of you have asked about what fidget quilts are--so I'm including a couple of links, but the idea works for anyone that needs sensory or manipulative activities--toddlers, disabled, autistic disorders, kinesthetic learners, anyone who needs sensory integration, not just those who suffer from AD or dementia.


fidget quilts help soothe  


Dementia quilts  - "A dementia quilt is a small lap quilt that includes things that might trigger something from a dementia patient's senses. Sometimes they are called "Fidget Quilts" because they inspire the patient to interact and fidget with the quilt."  (excerpt from post)

14 comments:

  1. I love this idea Jenclair! I haven't heard of this concept before but it makes perfect sense--and sounds similar to my daughters fidgeting with the silky parts of their blankies when they're trying to comfort themselves. My older one was sometimes given a shirt in school to button and unbutton when she was upset. I really love the ticker tape tags on the side, too. Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. Thanks, Trish! Love the idea of buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt as a soothing, self-comfort activity. I may have to cut up one of my husbands shirts for a quilt!

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  2. What a beautiful quilt and such a lovely idea. I'd never heard of fidget quilts until now and I'm definitely going to go do some more research into it, thanks for a great post!

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    1. The little quilts are fun to make, and I love that they provide a useful purpose!

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  3. I've told you how much I love the idea of these. It's amazing how engaging the senses will bring some calmness to Alzheimer's or dementia patients when they are agitated. Music worked wonders with my father and my mother as well. Both of their care centers used various techniques. And since those patients often have similar reactions to young children, the buttoning/unbuttoning task that Trish told about would be similar. Good job, Jenclair!!!

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    1. Yes, music can be beneficial. My aunt, who taught music for years, recorded some favorite hymns for my father, and he enjoyed them for both the music and for the reminders of his childhood. Even after he know longer remembered much, the music soothed him. Yep, Trish's comment about the buttoning/unbuttoning is a great idea, and I am certainly keeping that in mind. :)

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  4. I know I've said this before but I want to say it again: your quilts are beautiful! And thanks so much for explaining what fidget quilts are.

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    1. Thanks, Melody! As soon as I have a couple more, I will take them to a home with a dementia unit to donate and hope they bring someone as much pleasure as I've had making them.

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  5. Beautiful! I love the colors you chose.

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    1. Thanks, Irene! I'm on to the next one and experimenting with a couple of ideas for the one after that!

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  6. This quilt is just so cheerful and vibrant! Can't wait to see what else you come up with!

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    1. Thanks, Iliana! This renewed interest in quilting has side-lined my reading, but such fun.

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  7. What a great idea! I knit and crochet to combat anxiety, I imagine this quilt would work the same (busy hands, calm mind).

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    1. Yes, it is one of my methods of combating anxiety as well. The quilts are as much for me as for the people who will receive them!

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