Coffee Creek Quilters

Our students are incarcerated women at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) living in the minimum-security dormitories. Women must achieve and maintain a CCCF determined level of personal behavior to be eligible for and remain in the quilting program. There is a long waiting list for the program and once accepted, very few students leave before completing all three quilts, which takes from 10 to 18 months.

Our students are typical of the population of women at CCCF. Most are between 25 to 45 years old. Many have experienced interpersonal violence, homelessness, and the absence of supportive parents growing up. Most have mental health and substance abuse needs and quite a few suffer from chronic medical conditions. Thus, the majority enter the program with challenges. As one student said, "You have to be patient with me. I lost a lot of brain cells with 18 years of drug use." Another told us, "I wasn't sure I would be able to finish this (her first quilt). I need to be active all the time - was selling drugs - always moving - but this has taught me that I can be still and patient."

Patience is one of the first things students learn along with a sense of accomplishment. So many tell us that finishing their first quilt was one of the first things they had ever finished in their lives and they regained a sense of pride by completing something that someone else would appreciate. The idea of giving back is very important. One student described how her premature twin girls both were given quilts when they were born "and now it's like I can give back." Many women make their third quilt for a loved one, often their children. Her eyes filling with tears, a student told us "I can finally give something to my daughter. I never gave her anything until now."

In addition to learning patience, perseverance, and problem solving, our students frequently tell us that having the teachers "show up" every week for them is the first time anyone has ever made and kept that kind of commitment to them. Our teachers also provide examples of healthy female relationships that many have never experienced. As one student said, "I watch how you teachers relate to each other. You have a bond with each other. I have never experienced that myself and I'm 50 years old. When I get out, that is what I want to do - I want to have healthy relationships with other women."

Our students make amazing changes during the program. They go from not being able to find a quarter inch mark on a ruler, read a pattern, thread a sewing machine, or sew a straight seam to completing three quilts. The goal of this process is to nurture our students' self-confidence and self-esteem, attributes that we hope will enhance their success at living in the community after release from prison.