HEALING HEARTS

Dorothy Osterloh, 93, of Freistatt, is pictured hand quilting a keepsake piece for Samuel, the 2-year-old grandson of Tamra Sunby.

Busy hands make for healing hearts

This lovely butterfly quilt hangs above the bed in the home of Dorothy Osterloh. It has been made with delicate handkerchiefs, folded by Osterloh, to resemble floating butterflies.

Recovering from a loss sometimes takes on many forms.

Some might go into a self-imposed hibernation, while others throw themselves into work, spending little time at home, surrounded by memories.

For Dorothy Osterloh, 93, of Freistatt, her love of quilting has given her solace following the loss of Cody Sunby, the son of long-time friend of hers, Tamra Sunby, and of her daughter, Edith Harmon.

“Tamra and I have been friends for a long time,” said Edith. “When her son, Cody, passed away unexpectedly in October 2019, we were devastated. His son, Samuel, was just 18 months old at the time, and we were at a loss as to what to do.”

Cody died from a condition known as hypertrophic cardiac myopathy, a condition in which a portion of the heart becomes thickened without an obvious cause. This results in the heart being less able to pump blood effectively. Symptoms vary from none to feeling tired, leg swelling, and shortness of breath.

Tamra’s sister, Pam Dorton, happened to be sorting through a closet, where she found two antique quilt tops, hand pieced by her mother, Rethal Williams.

“I didn’t know what to do with them,” she said. “They were made of flannel. I took it to Edith and asked her to quilt it, so it could be passed along to Samuel. It was supposed to be a secret.”

Pam had passed along the other quilt top to her sister Tamra, who, in turn, asked Dorothy to quilt it so it could also be sent to Samuel.

“That’s how the secret got out,” Pam said. “We had the same idea. Actually, Tamra was supposed to bring a different quilt top. She didn’t know that I was going to bring one first.”

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Working on those projects seemed to be a much needed balm to Dorothy’s soul.

The girls wondered over the pieces they recognized as being from Cody’s childhood flannel pajamas and other scraps of fabric recognized from earlier times.

“I think this has been a healing project for mom,” Edith said. “Mom’s blood pressure was getting really high, and we got her on Hospice before Thanksgiving in 2019. But she has continued quilting.”

“I’ve been quilting since before I was married,” Dorothy said. “I worked at the Mt. Vernon Senior Center, quilting up to five hours a day. Then I got carpal tunnel and had to quit for a year.”

Edith, who was formerly employed at the Ben Franklin store in Mt. Vernon, had a customer bring in a quilt top to be machine quilted and told her, “You should have it hand quilted,” and home to Dorothy it went.

The customer was so pleased with the outcome, word spread quickly and Dorothy was inundated with requests to hand quilt tops for those who had learned of her skills.

“I think these two projects helped keep Mom focused,” said Edith. “She also made Cody’s baby quilt.”

In all, Dorothy has quilted hundreds of works throughout her career.

“She has 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, and they all got quilts,” said Edith. “She has made untold baby quilts throughout the years.”

“I’ve quilted at the church, with a ladies group, and at the senior center,” Dorothy said. “I’m blessed with good eyesight. I can still thread these tiny needles.”

“This has helped heal mom’s spirit, but I think it will help heal Tamra’s spirit, too,” said Edith.

Although her quilting time is now limited, Dorothy still enjoys creating new projects through the church quilting ministry, including baby quilts and replacements for those who have lost their belongings in a fire.

“I enjoy watching television and reading books when I’m not sewing,” Dorothy said. “I still love quilting, but now only do it two hours at a time because I have no deadlines. It’s relaxing to me.” n