Sleep In Heavenly Peace: Around The Frame
A few years ago, my brother Richard Levihn was volunteering at one of the Community Harvest Food Bank sites when he got to talking to a fellow volunteer, Dennis Claymiller. During one of their conversations, Richard mentioned that I owned a quilt/fabric shop on the south side. Dennis told Richard his mom Carol was a big sewing and quilting enthusiast. I recognized her name as I had accompanied a friend to her home for a small gathering of quilters decades ago. Carol took time to show me some of her finished projects and remarked that her quilting stitches weren’t the best and they never improved over the decades. Dennis shared with Richard that his parents were getting older and would eventually be living with family.
Two summers ago, I was contacted by Dennis’ brother Ed, who informed me that Carol’s church and quilt friends had recently been through her fabrics and sewing area and invited me to come by to see what I may want to purchase. Going through her fabrics made me smile as I saw all sorts of prints and homespun fabrics neatly folded on shelves, just waiting to be plucked off and sewn for family, church, or charitable giving. I also found two Kroger bags of fabric folded, image side up, to easily view all the designs that would make for great small projects. Not until I was back at Born Again Quilts did I discover I had two bags of pillowcases made by Carol’s hands. Big, beautiful, and bright pillowcases! Novelty prints like frogs and Star Wars while others were more adult florals and foulards.
I picked out three for my grandchildren and the other 28 needed to go where they would be most needed and appreciated. Enter my cousin, Sue Christman. Now retired from a decades-long career at Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana, she not only serves on the board of My Autism Ally, but she also volunteers for Lifehouse Community Church in Huntertown. Lifehouse holds an annual event in December to give out items to help make Christmas a bit brighter for their neighbors. Throughout the year their outreach includes food assistance, clothing from Martha’s Closet, and medical assistance from their walk-in health clinic located at their Fort Wayne campus, the former Forest Park United Methodist Church 2100 Kentucky Ave., Fort Wayne.
The dates for the food pantry and information on Martha’s Closet, the referral-based clothing ministry can be found at: lifehousefw.com on the “Outreach” tab.
I went to the Fort Wayne location to meet up with Sue and meet her fellow volunteers. They were busy setting up for the event from the many generous donations that had been collected for the Saturday, 12/14, event so many in the community could select Christmas items to enrich their family Christmas celebration. The three of them were working hard against a tight deadline. When I showed them my pillowcase contribution, they were so delighted as to how many unique pillowcases would soon be under the heads of so many. As Vera Nazarian stated, “When tough times come, it is particularly important to offset them with gentle softness. Be a pillow. To make all the more poignant, Carol Claymiller died on Nov. 25, 2024, exactly a month before Christmas. Something tells me she’s looking down on all the folks sleeping on her pillowcases in heavenly peace!
Merry Christmas and resolve to be a pillow in the new year.
This column is dedicated to the memory of Carol D. Claymiller.
Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts a restoration and fabric shop. If you have a quilt or textile you wish to share with her, contact her at 260-515-9446 or bornagainquilts.com.
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