By Patty Mintz

In winter, there’s nothing like Hodge Podge. Not the traditional dish made with veggies and cream, though. These are warm and cozy one-of-a-kind blankets created by a talented group at the Flowercart’s supported worksite in New Minas.

Each tufted Hodge Podge blanket, whether twin, double or queen-size, is composed of a top made of 8” x 8” squares cut from top-quality second-hand cotton corduroy clothing, polyester batting to add weight and warmth, and a backing of cotton cloth. The combination mixes practicality with an appealing rustic, heritage appearance.

Flowercart clients who make Hodge Podge blankets use the same process for lap quilts, couch throws and pet beds. They also make pillow shams and stadium blankets with wool fabric for extra warmth.

Client Tammy Hiltz of Kentville has a special talent for sewing bias-cut binding with deft precision. “I’ve just got that knack,” she explains, smiling shyly.

Support worker Nancy Lavallee teasingly calls Hiltz “the queen of trim. She has quite a technique. We have experienced sewers who come in here who can’t do what she does.”

Erica Roy excels at cutting the squares and arranging the colour schemes.

“She has a great sense of colour,” says Lavallee. “Erica surprises and pleases us all with her choice of colours.”

On the quilt rack today is a luscious concoction; rich shades of brown, navy and black artfully arranged. Roy, who also makes sure every single Hodge Podge blanket that goes out the shop door has a name, has dubbed this queen-size beauty “Chocolate Milkshake” and it does look good enough to eat.

“Vanilla Smoothie” - a similar stunner – is a monochromatic colour scheme of beige and off-white. Blankets made with a mix of bright coloured squares are also very popular.

Each client has her own expertise and takes great pride in the part of the quilt for which she is responsible.

“Every time we do it, the quality gets better and better,” says Lavallee, who joined the project about eight years ago and at one point came up with the idea for the pet beds, which have four layers of fill for added softness.

“I have one in every room of my house and my dog knows he has to lay on that. Our pet beds have sold very well over the years.”

Lavallee says the public seems to like that the blankets are made only with corduroy or denim.

“We’ve always used corduroy,” says Lavallee. “We wanted a material that had the weight and a consistent texture.”

Public support essential

Used clothing donated to the Flowercart is sorted carefully to find the best materials.

Without the public’s support, including donations of materials and equipment such as sewing machines, the project would not exist. And that would mean a real loss for the community and the clients because Flowercart promotes community participation of adults considered to have an intellectual disability by increasing their employment opportunities.

The women enjoy their work at the spacious studio and have fun while they’re at it, but they also take their jobs seriously.

“They’re the experts, they really are,” says Lavallee.

Custom orders can usually be accommodated. She recalls one blanket in particular destined for Ontario as a wedding gift. The made-to-order, cream colour queen-size blanket was embroidered with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding.

Donna-Lynne Holmes, administrative assistant for Community Employment Services offers another example.

“We had one woman come in with her little dog and a picture of where she wanted the pet blanket to go. She said, ‘I’d really like it to be round’. We said, ‘round?’ but we did it,” although for a slightly higher price.

Priced reasonably, wear well

It’s little wonder Hodge Podge blankets are hot sellers. They are priced reasonably wash and wear really well and are a testament to recycling.

Not only does the public recognize the skill, hard work and quality materials that go into each cover, “what clinches it for them is they love the idea it’s made at Flowercart and that most of the materials are recycled. It’s a feel-good product.”

Which helps to explain why word-of-mouth is their only form of advertising.

“People hear about us from a friend, or go to a friend’s house and see one. It’s like a grassroots kind of thing,” says Holmes.

Hodge Podge arts and crafts work is done mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, says Holmes. “Some of the workers do other contracts through us;” for example, they sew elastics for Michelin, package mulling spices for local farm markets and have made oil spill socks for industry, flute swabs and white felt peace poppies.

Hodge Podge blankets can be ordered through the website -- www.flowercart.ca -- or purchased directly from the workshop where they’re made: Site 1, 8736 Commercial Street, New Minas (across from Fritz’s) – 902-681-2103; or from Hatt & Kul, Main Street, Wolfville.