Fidelity mats
 

I read about making fidjit mats for Alzheimer's patients on this board and decided to make some. They came out very nice and took them to our local nursing home. I just got a call from the volunteer telling me their therapy people liked them and the patients liked them too. I do not make them any bigger than a fat quarter, using different types of fabrics, silks, corduroy, fleece, and strips of ribbon or lace in the seams. My backing is flannel and I use the birth method with rounded corners but you could also bind them but make sure it's machine stitched. They make great use of scraps and perhaps bring a bit of comfort. Don't know how to post pics which are worth a 1000 words.

:D Auto correct strikes again. I had to find out how one could make a fidelity mat when I read the title. I am glad the activity matts were well received.

Gee, I wish you could post a picture; they sound like something that I could make for a friend who has Alzheimers.
Is it something similar to a fidgit pillow?

I'm thinking about making one for my grandad. I saw him the other day and he has gone downhill very quickly, and I noticed he was fiddling with his arms, so thought he might benefit from one. I was going to put a quick ask out on the board for ideas but now I don't need to :-)
Thank you for your timely post!

Wonderful!!! Do you know how to send a picture through email or text message?? If so, you can send them to me and I will post them here for you!!!

I had to click to see what that is all about ;-)

Well, first the title of the thread intrigued me, then the subject did!

Check etsy or pinterest for ideas, there are scads! Great idea. They would also be useful in OT classrooms. Here is a link for an idea on how to make them. http://www.suggys.co.uk/Leanne/alzhe...t-lap-blanket/ If you look at pinterest or etsy, you'll see all kinds of things that have been included; just enter fidget or sensory. Also aprons: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins...on&rs=ac&len=6 DD is just finishing her Masters in OT, I think one of these would be great for her to have!

What a super idea, I have never heard of this before. I haven't known anyone personally with Alzheimer's and this would be wonderful to make and donate.

Lol yes, the name intrigued me too!!!! They are called by many different names. Some of which are Fiddle quilts. And I know there are others, they are very good for nursing home patients and People with Autism love them!

They are featured in an article in the June/July Quilters Newsletter magazine on page 58. The article contain photos and suggestions for objects that can be included and the need for them to be washable and sturdy. It would be a great public service project for a quilters group. My Featherweight group is going to assemble some at our July meeting.

Our quilt club made these about three years ago, and they were well received by area nursing homes. Ours were blankets about 24 X 36 inches or less. We used lots of fleece, fake fur, satin and every conceivable texture of fabric in any shape, sort of like a crazy qult. These were originally supposed to be "Touch Quilts" that would teach blind babies how to crawl. I saw the idea originally on "Sewing With Nancy", but since have not been able to find that again. For lap touch quilts, they certainly could be smaller.

The mats sound like a good idea.I used to made cloth books with zips velcro fastening,buttons( must be secured between double fabric),fur fabric,lace etc.I also put in suspender fasteners and bra clips, great for the fellas too.The mats would be much quicker to make though,and as my stash of all the bits and pieces are now sadly declined I could find enough for them.Well done Love Letty

These are great!

Susan

Sound great! My old guild made "Texture" quilts for the Lighthouse group. They would get various fabric pieces and sew them into a small quilt for blind babies.

Thanks to all of you for your response. I hope this will inspire others. I just finished six more of these. Instead of birthing method, I used scrap binding which adds a bit of color. Some ideas, sew a 3 inch square to mat, stuffing it with a piece of batting which gives a bumpy feel. If you have a squeaker, cover that with a square. I also use tulle and slip some sequins in the square. I didn't put any beads on the mats for safety reasons. I did make a child's quiet mat using fat quarters, binding it and adding handles for carrying. Everyone at my nieces baby shower liked it.

Could you tell us to where you sent the "Texture Quilts"? I have a bag of stuff to make more, and would like to make some for blind babies.

Thanks to Janie67 for mentioning the article in Quilter's Newsletter. That lead me to a link for the Fidget Quilt Project website: http://rowetogether.com/

This was on QB recently.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...s-t234764.html

Thanks for posting this thread. I am a disability support worker and I am very interested in this type of thing. I work with people on the autism spectrum, very interesting and useful. Thank you.

I have an autistic son. He would have loved something like this when he was young. Thanks for posting, food for thought.