A Blind Mermaid and Her Quilt

This Christmas gift was one of my favorite ones of the year.  And the gift wasn't mine.  This gift was given to a girl who could not see it.  Cora's grandmother ordered her a quilt but said she needed it to be a sensory experience.  My gift came in the form of a picture of a smile bigger than any smile I have ever seen.

It was a challenge unlike any I had been given.  I set out to get as many different textures as I could possibly find that could still be put in a washing machine after being loved on with children's hands. 

Though the colors may not be visible to the blind or vision-impaired owners, I wanted to make sure it was visually appealing and identifiable by those with normal vision.  I wanted it to be able to be a conversation starter for the person it belongs to.  I feel like it can be a great way to show people the way they interpret the world with their hands. 

The ocean floor is made with a thin brown and yellow ribbons that have a rough and scratchy texture.  I made sure to select a thin ribbon because I know that texture may not be appealing to some individuals.  I just want the textures to mimic the objects they represent.  The brown and yellow ribbons represent the sand and tiny shells on the ocean floor.

Each square has a different pattern of waves and different types of ribbon material and texture, just like the waves of the ocean.  Some of the waves are completely sewn down to  the quilt while other ones are not sewn down so they can be played with and twisted and pulled on. 

There are random loops sewn into the quilt. 

 Some of the ribbons have threaded tassels.

The square in upper-right hand corner is bright yellow with rainbow-colored ric-rac ribbon in a star shape to  mimic the sun.  The sky has diagonal orange lines about an inch apart to represent the rays of sunlight.

Triangles are sewn throughout the quilt between some of the squares.  These triangles can be folded back and forth like ocean waves.

 The other squares of the sky are white.  Some of them have sailboats and world maps on them.

There is seaweed sewn into the bottom of the quilt as well.

There are several elements that go along with the quilt.  They are made with a variety of materials, many which are not washable or would shrink when washed.  They are all backed with felt so they can be placed on the quilt and moved around as if the quilt were a playmat.

 One is an octopus made of stretchy silky fabric.

 Another is a  decorative bow for wrapping presents, representing coral.

The jellyfish is made of reflective shimmery purple fabric.  The tentacles are bouncy and stretchy.

 The starfish is a coarse spongy material.

For the turtle, I used a green-jeweled compact mirror and glued on ribbon loops for the legs, head,  and tail.

The fish has squishy material with a bumpy texture, mimicking the scales.

I sewed Cora a mermaid and made sure she looked as much like her as I could.

I also made a cloud out of minky fabric with blue yarn that looked like rain.

I created a sun out of sparkly, glittery orange fabric.  I did not sew it on to the quilt because the material was not washable, but the rainbow ric-rac helps her to find where the sun belongs on the quilt.

I would love to make more of these sensory experience quilts.  There are a variety of uses for these quilts.  They are great for blind or visually impaired individuals, playmats, tummy-time blankets, Alzheimer's lap blankets, and quilts for those with unique sensory needs.  It would be great for children who are restricted to the bed  for medical  reasons. Most importantly, it is perfect to cuddle up under and sleep with.

There are a variety of directions I could take this project.  It is not limited to an ocean theme.  The next quilt of this sort I plan to take on is a mountain/woodland-themed blanket.  I will include trees, rocks, a campfire, and a tent for the detached items. 

I would love to create thousands of similar sensory experience quilts.  Please contact me if you are interested in a custom quilt like this one.

Quite a Mighty Mermaid

This little mermaid has crossed seas and nation borders to be in the family she is in.  And soon a quilt will cross many miles and a state border to wrap its warmth around her.  But this quilt is a bit different.  Many times, when I finish a quilt, I find myself sending its new owner a message something along the lines of "I just finished your quilt!  I can't wait until you see it!"  This time it will be different.  Pretty soon I hope to be able to say, "I just finished your quilt.  I can't wait until you FEEL it!"

Rewind for a bit of a back story...
This little mermaid has a grandmother she calls Golly.  And her Golly Grandmother is an angel of a woman my husband and I (and I am sure MANY others) call Mama Dixie.  I found myself in the presence of Mama Dixie for the first time in January of 2008.  I had just stepped confidently into the career path of special education.  A professor of mine recommended that I do my practice teaching at a small private school called Scenic Land School.  As soon as I walked in, I was hooked.  I loved the homey feel of this tiny school with spunky teachers and a super handsome after-school tutor.  Mama Dixie was one of those spunky teachers.  And super handsome after-school tutor is now my husband.  One afternoon in late February, Mama Dixie pulled said tutor to the side.  She advised him that he better ask me out on a date or he would regret it.  He told her that we had been dating since Valentine's Day.  So obviously, this woman knows what she is talking about.  She taught us what teaching should look like and feel like.  She was our Chattanooga Mama since both of our Mamas were on other sides of the country. 

Then Mama Dixie was the Mama that moved away to be a Golly to Miss Cora.  Cora was adopted from India.  She is blind.  So her Golly decided she needed a special mermaid blanket.  Cora loves mermaids. Read this story if you don't believe me: "A 6-year-old blind girl met a mermaid in Memphis"!    So I made her a half-blanket half-playmat and a mermaid that looks...and feels...just like her.  I am going to do my very best to help her feel all the wonders of the ocean: the grains of sand, the gooiness of seaweed, the waves, the squishiness of an octopus, the stringiness of a jellyfish, the pokiness of a starfish, the roughness of coral, the ripples of seashells, the puffiness of clouds, and the streaks of sunrays reflected off of the water's surface.  I want her fingers to help her glimpse the ocean.  It will be quite a mighty task, but she is quite a mighty mermaid.  And every blind mermaid deserves to feel the ocean, don't they, Golly?