Concordia Residents Quilt for Good

Concordia resident Flo Bump stands next to the all white quilt she made

When Concordia Haven Retirement Apartment resident Flo Bump started the year 2024, she also started a big project: a king-sized, all white, handstitched quilt.

Flo is a member of the Haven Quilt Ladies group, which is comprised of residents who bring their interest and skills together to both create their own works and finish the works of others. They sell most of their work at Concordia events to raise funds for Concordia’s Good Samaritan Endowment Fund, which provides charitable care to residents and patients in need.

“A resident who used to be part of our group moved to an assisted living facility, and she donated all of her quilting and sewing materials to us,” said Nancy Pauli, another member of the group. “We found this large piece of white fabric, and then we realized that she had already hand-drawn an intricate design on it to be quilted.”

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The group frequently takes on quilts that other residents can’t finish, but this piece was different in that it required hand-quilting, not the machine quilting that most of the members do. Flo, who moved to Concordia in 2023, was newer to the group, but ready to take on the project.

“I always try to start a big project on New Year’s Day, but last year my big project was moving,” Flo joked. “I was ready for a challenge. One of the first questions I was asked when I joined this group was, ‘Do you hand quilt?’ And fortunately I do.”

She started working Jan. 1 and finished the quilt three months later on April 1. Her husband Dennis bought her a quilt frame to put in their retirement living apartment, so she could work on it whenever she got time.

The final product, an all-white quilt with 12 stitches per inch, took Flo over 600 hours to complete.

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“It’s a museum-quality piece,” Nancy said. “Many quilts have the same pattern repeating throughout, but this is a combination of patterns, so it’s quite unique.”

While the group usually sells their finished pieces at the Concordia Haven Apartments Vendor Sale on campus, they chose a new approach for this special piece. They will be selling tickets at various Concordia events throughout the rest of the year, including the upcoming Summer Festival, Oktoberfest, Vendor Sale and other events yet to be decided. Only 1,000 tickets will be available (1 for $6 or 5 for $25), with a winner to be drawn at the Havens Vendor Sale on the Concordia at Cabot campus in November.

Flo with the finished quilt

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The group hopes to raise more than $5,000 for Concordia’s Good Samaritan Endowment Fund, and they’re happy the project was made possible through both the resident who drew the original pattern and through Flo who finished it.

“We’re all excited that this quilt is finished because it’s finishing someone’s work for a good cause,” Flo said. “We’re happy that what we make can help others.”

For more information about when and where tickets for the quilt will be available, contact Director of Development Larissa Yates at 724-352-1571, ext. 8363. To learn more about Concordia’s senior living communities, visit our locations page or send us a message through our contact form.


Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations.

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