Tiverton seniors sew — and reap — big profits

Knitting, quilting proceeds all go to charity; sale is Saturday

By Tom Killin Dalglish
Posted 8/24/17

TIVERTON — The Tiverton Senior Center hosts what is surely among the most productive crafting operations in the region. Within the center's walls nearly 50 senior citizens, all but one of them women, make knitted products and quilts that they sell locally, giving the proceeds to good causes close to home.

The group ranges in age from their 50's to their late 80's.

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Tiverton seniors sew — and reap — big profits

Knitting, quilting proceeds all go to charity; sale is Saturday

Posted

TIVERTON — The Tiverton Senior Center hosts what is surely among the most productive crafting operations in the region. Within the center's walls nearly 50 senior citizens, all but one of them women, make knitted products and quilts that they sell locally, giving the proceeds to good causes close to home.
The group ranges in age from their 50's to their late 80's. All are volunteers. They work at home, or in the senior center where, every Thursday, they gather to visit, knit, and sew their remarkable products.
The Tiverton volunteers, said Senior Center Director Janet Holmes, "give items they've made and/or proceeds from the sale of all their handiwork" — including that from an upcoming quilt sale on August 26 — "to the Star Kids Scholarship Program in Fall River.
In 2016, Ms. Holmes said, three children, all elementary school age, each received $2,000 scholarships for a total of $6,000. This year, over $13,000 has been given to Star Kids Scholarship programs."
The Star Kids scholarship programs, its website says, is intended to "[e]mpower low-income children, who have a parent with a history of incarceration and/or substance abuse, to break the cycle of poverty, drug abuse, and incarceration through education."
This includes "wrap-around support, such as after school nutrition, tutoring, and summer camps," said Kathy Giblin Stark, Executive Director of Star Kids Newport and Fall River.
"We've been the recipient of quilting volunteers' hard work and benevolence for several years," Ms. Stark said. "Their support which helps fund the tuition for three local children each year is a true labor of love. They do so much more than write a check. They spend countless hours creating and selling their beautiful crafts to help provide educational opportunities for these children. The Star Kids family is awed by their dedication and are truly appreciative of what this wonderful group does for so many children."
The senior center's walls and shelves, upstairs and in the basement workroom, are strewn with various yarns and materials, and the results of all this prodigious labor: quilts, baby blankets, bootees, socks, scarves, hats, sweaters, jackets, purses, tote bags, pillow cases, place mats, and assorted other hand-made garments and objects.
All the hand-made crafts the volunteers produce will be on sale — none costing more than $100, most much less — at a "Quilt Show and Sale" on Saturday, August 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tiverton Senior Center, 207 Canonicus Street in Tiverton.
Every Thursday afternoon the senior volunteers gather around tables in the main first-floor room of the center, and in the basement, where they visit, knit, crochet, sew, and advise each other about their handiwork.
On a recent Thursday there were 24 volunteers present, all women except for the group’s one man, Richard Biovin. All were knitting except for a few in the basement workroom assembling quilts.
Each member pays a $5 annual membership fee to participate in the program.
What are you making, knitter Yakoho ‘Yoko’ Paradise, was asked. Is there a philosophy of knitting?
Several of the women had praised Yoko effusively, so she seemed like the go-to person for.
"She's an incredible knitter," said one; "Exceptional," said another. "Yoko will do anything, you can't beat her," said Doris Powers, while knitting a scarf.
For 46 years Yoko had owned the Knitting Circle in Somerset.
"I make anything wearable," Yoko said. "It's custom made, for one person. With a piece of string you can make a fabric— you make it with two needles. What you can do with a piece of string and two needles is amazing to me, and it keeps your mind occupied."
"Yoko has lovingly given of herself," said Mr. Biovin. "We show her our stuff and she fixes everything. She's a master of knitting. She taught me Continental knitting. It's with the left hand and much faster. I've been doing it for some years now,"
Mr. Boivin has been knitting for about 10 years, and started when he began to bring his disabled sister, "to try to help her. Then I found out how enjoyable it was."
The Tiverton group has been knitting and sewing together since November, 1995. Most are from Tiverton, but some come from Fall River and Little Compton. The remarkable crafting program they started 22 years ago has become a hallmark of the senior center.
Pierrette Dumenco, 89, is widely credited for getting the program started.
"She's the glue in the group," said Senior Center Director Janet Holmes. "She's a wonderful lady. People will do just about anything for her."
"I think we help the seniors," said Ms. Dumenco, with a smile. "They need points from heaven. They have so much talent, and they have no one to work for. They do it at home, too, on evenings and weekends."
Ms. Dumenco says her own favorite thing to knit is scarves.
Back when the knitting and quilting program was just getting started, Ms. Dumenco said, "we were asked if we would like to knit things for mother of babies in the SStarbirth program." It was and is, its website says, "the only residential substance abuse treatment program in the State of Rhode Island specifically designed for pregnant and postpartum women and their children."
The members of the crafting group all have objects they most enjoy making. Alexandra Lopes said she's been knitting for 43 years "and most likes baby blankets, booties, and hats."
Helen Gaughan, who happened to be working on quilts in the basement Thursday, said she's been knitting at the senior center for 15-16 years, and said "every week we make a different thing."
In the basement, there were shelves and shelves of batting, and quilting cloth and fabrics, most of it donated, "all arranged according to color; here are the blues, here are the greens," said Ms. Gaughan. There were also shelves of yarns, The basement was packed to the gills.
28 quilts were on display, as were numerous totes and purses, place mats, and runners. "At least 100 items are scattered around here," Ms. Gaughan said. The basement, she said, which was formerly empty or unused space, has been taken over by the knitting and quilting.
After Sat. Aug. 26, senior center quilters and knitters will also be showing and selling their crafts on the following dates later in the fall and winter at the locations indicated: Saturday, Sept. 23 (Sept. 24 – rain date) at Pardon Gray Preserve; Saturday Nov. 4, and Sunday, Nov. 5 at Sakonnet Bay-Brookdale; Sat. Dec. 2 at Tiverton Senior Center.

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