ABOUT THE DESIGNER - Thorne Whalen
There's
an old adage that talks to things happening in sets of threes. I've heard
it as accidents and, also, as good things. In the case of Thorne Whalen,
what came in threes was her passions.
Passion
number one is a love of quilting. Ms. Whalen Joined a group called,
"Patchwork Angels," where owner Rose Oswald offers classes in
quilting techniques. Thorne took to the techniques as a natural and went on to
win awards for her work.
Passion
number two is a fierce desire to live. Some time back, Ms. Whalen was
give a rather poor prognosis with a disease that offer little hope
for survival. Thorne was adamant that this disease was not going to get
her down and she fought with all she had. But not without a little help
from Passion number three.
Thorne
Whalen is an enthusiastic animal lover. She has cared for numerous dogs
and cats and is a huge contributor to various animal humane
societies. Research has shown that heart attack victims who have
pets live longer. Even watching a tank full of tropical fish may lower blood
pressure, at least temporarily. A study of 92 patients hospitalized in coronary
care units for angina or heart attack found that those who owned pets were more
likely to be alive a year later than those who did not. The study found that
only 6 percent of patients who owned pets died within one year compared with 28
percent of those who did not own pets.
The
therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent
years for a wide variety of patients -people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly,
and the mentally ill.
One
day, while working with the Quilting Angels, Ms. Whalen became so exhausted
from dragging her supplies out of the car that an idea sprang into her
head.
She
began a design in her head for quilting bags. Next,
Thorne, Rose and other quilters at Patchwork Angels Quilt Shop began
study and discussion for what components
would make the perfect bag.
Thorne then entered into an exclusive arrangement with
Award Winner Corporation in Mount Vernon, New York.
Not long after, the Quilting Queens of America (QQA) Quilt Bag
was born and available to all quilters.
Thorne Whalen
lives in upstate New York with her husband Jim and the many
dogs and cats they’ve rescued. Her health is being monitored
and doing well. Thorne credits much of her recovery to the Patchwork
Angels Quilt Shop, citing it a ‘divine intervention.’ Now a percent of the proceeds from the quiltbag will
go to animal rescue.
Thorne
continues to create quilts for raffles to raise funds for Stray Haven Humane
Society. She started an informal organization called QUILT FOR ANIMALS. “We
meet every fall at Patchwork Angels in Endicott NY to sew dog and cat beds for
the Stray Haven Humane Society. This will be our third year.”
Thorne has had an extensive write up in Irish Quilting Magazine.
