Bountiful residents Merrill and Jean Gillette are proof that you’re never too old to learn something new, and never too old to make a difference.

The 82-year-old couple took up quilting in the summer of 2020 and, with the help of their daughter Holly Clark, have made and donated 113 quilts. 

“Holly had donated three quilts and I said we could do something like that,” Jean said. “We don’t even have to buy any fabric, it’s all donated by people with leftover fabric scraps.”

Merrill takes the fabric and cuts it into strips or squares. Jean sews the squares together, forming an intricate design for the quilt top. Clark adds a back and edging to the quilts and gets them ready to send to the Charity Anywhere Foundation, run by Gordon and Susan Carter.

“A lot of people are doing a lot of little things, making a big difference in the world. It’s the people who are open-hearted and have a bit of time here that make a difference,” said Susan. 

Although Merrill and Jean aren’t as healthy or spry as they used to be, the family has set up a system that works for all of them. Clark’s dog, Luna, also gets involved, reminding Jean, who has health problems, when it’s time for her to take a break. 

“Luna has been getting to the point where she’ll pat my legs and let me know it’s time for me to rest,” Jean said. 

For more than 20 years, the Charity Anywhere Foundation has provided quilts, hygiene kits, medical supplies and dental products to places as far away as Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Mexico, and as close as the Navajo Nation. 

“The people who get these quilts, we don’t know who they are and they don’t know who we are,” Jean said. “But we want to keep going as long as we can.”

Merrill, who’s never sewed or quilted a day in his life, loves the creative process of quilting. He organized the fabric donations in his basement workroom and is always ready to offer input on the designs. He especially likes working with denim fabric and adds a signature pocket to the quilts with a denim theme using his wife’s 1959 sewing machine.

“The way they put all the pieces and scraps together is just amazing,” Clark said.

What the family likes most about their quilting experience is there’s no rush. They can work for a bit and stop for breaks. They know there will always be a need for warm quilts, even if it takes a little while to get the work done.

“They’re not just quilts. They are pieces of art,” Susan said. “There’s a precision to making quilts. The colors are beautiful and it’s always fun to see what they’ve created.”

Merrill has two words of advice for seniors who are thinking about learning a new skill or getting involved in a charity. “Do it.”λ