Gilroy
– Being 85 and blind doesn’t stop Alice Clewett from donating
her time, talent and a whole lot of quilts to people in need.
Since moving to Gilroy 27 years ago, Clewett has held her own
holiday tradition: She sews as many as 120 quilts throughout the
year, then donates them to organizations helping the homeless
during the holidays.
Gilroy – Being 85 and blind doesn’t stop Alice Clewett from donating her time, talent and a whole lot of quilts to people in need.
Since moving to Gilroy 27 years ago, Clewett has held her own holiday tradition: She sews as many as 120 quilts throughout the year, then donates them to organizations helping the homeless during the holidays.
“I’ve had a good life, and I want to give something back,” she said. “I’ve been lucky to have a good husband all these years, and four good children. I feel blessed.”
Blessed might not be the first word that comes to mind when considering what Alice Clewett and her husband of 66 years, Harold Clewett, have been through.
In early December of 1983, their 44-year-old daughter died suddenly of an unexpected heart problem. During the weeks following the death of her daughter, who also enjoyed sewing, Alice Clewett gathered all of the fabric her daughter had collected and worked feverishly to make 45 quilts by Christmas of that year. She then donated them to the Salvation Army.
About 14 years ago, Alice Clewett was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an eye disease that worsens over time and can significantly damage vision. The condition has impaired Alice Clewett’s ability to sew the quilts on her own, but that didn’t stop her – it just made room for a little teamwork, she said.
To make the quilts, Alice Clewett counts on the help of her husband, their in-home care provider Babbeth Del Rosario, and their 73-year-old neighbor Ann Winzeler.
Winzeler purchases scraps of printed material at the Gilroy Senior Center, which sells about 15 yards of material for $1 – a steal, Winzeler said, as even low-cost retail stores sell material for about $2 a yard.
Alice Clewett sews the pre-cut fabric to a blanket. Del Rosario then stitches the edges of the quilts, something Alice Clewett can’t do because of her poor vision.
Prior to Del Rosario’s help, Alice Clewett would try to complete the stitching either by hand or with a sewing machine, but her hands often came dangerously close to the machine’s quickly darting needle.
“I had never even picked up a needle before doing this,” Del Rosario said. “The first few times were kind of hard, but I’ve learned now. It’s fun.”
Harold Clewett also used to pitch in by threading the needles, but now she uses self-threading needles made for the vision impaired. Harold said now he enjoys watching his wife and Del Rosario sew their masterpieces.
When the quilts are complete, Winzeler drives Alice Clewett to homeless shelters and other organizations to hand deliver them.
This year, the quilting team will give 50 quilts to the Gilroy Armory and several baby quilts to the Gilroy Senior Center holiday drive. And they’ve already donated 48 lap robe quilts to Meals on Wheels.
Alice Clewett said she’s been sewing quilts “forever” – at least as long as she’s been married. She works on the quilts almost every day during the winter and less in the summer, when she also gardens outside.
The larger quilts that will go to the armory measure 80 inches by 48 inches, and the baby quilts are about 42 inches by 42 inches.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t sew and give – not sell, give,” Alice said. “We don’t spend a lot of money doing it, but we do a lot. And we get a lot out of it.”
