On Aug. 18, 2021, Washington Post writer Cathy Free shared the stories of prisoners: Richard Sanders, William White and Fred Brown. They are serving time in the South-Central Correctional Center in Licking, Mo. The three are also active in the prison’s quiltmaking program.
Brown, 66, recalls watching his mom sew drapes as a child in Chicago. Now he enjoys sewing, too. Not what you would expect from a prisoner convicted of armed kidnapping and rape, now serving a prison term of 15 years to life. He began sewing four years ago after learning inmates were making quilts for charitable organizations and children in foster homes. In the 10 years since it began, the prison group has donated more than 2,000 quilts.
The prisoners design and sew personalized birthday quilts for foster children in Texas County, where the prison is located. Case manager, Joe Satterfield, who oversees the program said, “They especially love making something for kids who might have nothing… caseworkers in the area provide us with the kids’ first names and birthdays, and the guys do the rest… It gives them comfort and satisfaction to know that a quilt they’ve made is going to a child who may not get another birthday present. You can really see a change in attitude with the guys after they’ve been doing this a while…”
In 2015, as William White was beginning a 25-year sentence, he heard about the prison’s sewing room. Prior to his incarceration, he ran an upholstery shop in St. Louis. He thought sewing in prison might help pass time. Quilting helped him find new purpose and he now spends almost seven hours each day designing and sewing kid’s birthday quilts while also working eight-hour shifts as a cook. White said, “I don’t need much sleep, and… I’d rather be here doing something for a child who needs it…”
