One campers’ inspiration to design a Quilt!

January, 2015

While cleaning my closet last fall, fond memories of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp came flooding back after finding a trove of BTC tee shirts from past years. While I contemplated keeping them, the concept of Wabi-sabi sprang to mind. Not easy to define, Wabi-sabi represents a “comprehensive aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection”. It can also mean “a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing (brought on by an object)”. It acknowledges three simple realities: “nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect”. Wabi now refers also to rustic simplicity, or wisdom in natural simplicity. This reminded me of the spirit I associate with Tuolumne. With this in mind, I was inspired to simplify my closet, and to re-purpose the tee shirts into a BTC memory quilt.

A New Quilt by Beth Stone, a longtime Camper

I used many of our family shirts, and received quite a few donated shirts from other campers and staff. I am now about 2/3 of the way done. I want to finish the quilt this spring, and I need about ten more shirts to complete the total number of blocks needed.  Please look in your own closets, and donate additional shirts to Scott Gelfand, (scott@fobtc.com).

Thank you for donations; I hope to eventually see the quilt in the dining hall of BTC when it is rebuilt and opens once again.

Sincerely,
Beth Stone (30+ year camping history with BTC)