Chelsea Quilters Provide Comfort With Handmade Donations

Each quilt includes a label that reads “Made Especially for You by the C.A.A.D.Y. Corner Quilters.”

Every Tuesday afternoon at the Chelsea Senior Center, a small group of kindhearted quilters gather together to practice their craft—not for fun or for profit, but to provide a measure of comfort for people in need across Washtenaw County.

The group calls themselves C.A.A.D.Y. Corner Quilters, in honor of their home communities of Chelsea, Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Ypsilanti. For almost two decades, these artisans have been collecting materials, stitching quilts, and presenting them to local organizations in hopes of providing a touch of warmth and healing to neighbors who may need it.

Most of the materials are donated, and the quilts are produced collaboratively, with different members contributing to different stages of the process for each quilt. Since 2008, they’ve given away more than 1,000 quilts.

Recent recipients include University of Michigan’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, St. Louis Center, Faith in Action, Jewish Family Services, Dawn Farms, House N2 Home and the Michigan Foster Care Closet.

Member Mary Randolph emphasized that the quilts are never sold. “Each one is made to be given away,” she said, noting that each quilt includes a label that reads, “Made Especially for You by the C.A.A.D.Y. Corner Quilters.”

Beyond their donations, the group has also been a part of other important community projects. In 2022, they partnered with the Chelsea District Library to help create a large-scale community quilt honoring the Senior Center’s long-time Executive Director. That quilt, featuring more than 100 individual squares contributed by local residents, now hangs in the library as a permanent installation.

Originally the group met in different members’ homes but eventually moved to the Senior Center for a more open and accessible space. “We decided to relocate to the Chelsea Senior Center so that others could join us at our weekly gatherings,” Randolph said.

The generous group meets at the Chelsea Senior Center on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and new members are always welcome.