Delicate hobby of quilting gives US maximum security prisoners purpose
A new award-winning Netflix documentary offers an intimate look at the men's struggles, triumphs and sense of pride in creating something beautiful while behind bars.
If you were to think about who a typical quiltmaker is, most of us probably wouldn't say prisoners in a level-five maximum security prison in Missouri, United States.
New award-winning short documentary The Quilters, out on Netflix this week, follows a group of men inside the South Central Correctional Centre, two hours south of St Louis.
Every day, from Monday to Friday, they head to a special quilting space inside the prison and work on pieces for about eight hours to give to local foster care children.
Director Jennifer McShane says the "buzzing" sewing room got crowded with their tight film crew, gear and the prisoners inside.
Supplied / Netflix
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Documentary director Jenifer McShane, who has covered the voices of women prisoners and law enforcement officers in her previous works, tells Saturday Morning she wanted to follow the same idea of spotlighting marginalised stories.
“I mean, when you say quilter, usually most people, at least in the US, think women, midwest, church basement. Most people would probably feel that way and that's actually not the case. Quilting really has broadened into quite a spectrum. But still you don't usually think of that when you're driving past a prison or a prison sign.”
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The prisoners got into sewing and quilting after the wife of a chaplain, who was visiting the prison, felt their despair, boredom and guilt bubbling to the surface. So she asked if anyone would like to learn quilting and was amazed by the response, McShane says.
“What I've learned in all my projects that were related to prison is that you really need a sense of purpose, no matter where you are, even if you're not probably going to leave there, there needs to be a reason to get out of the cell, get your feet on the ground and do something that makes you feel that there's a point to what you're trying to give back to the world.”
Giving back to the community and learning a new skill gives the prisoners a sense of purpose, director Jennifer McShane says.
Supplied / Netflix
McShane says she was surprised to see how committed they were in the dedicated sewing room, which was buzzing like a beehive, with inmates learning from each other, fixing each other’s mistakes and collaborating to finish a piece.
“I think that was kind of beautiful to observe that you can discover this artistic creative avenue within yourself at any age and in a place that wouldn't necessarily nurture it. It's not a place where you would think you would actually work on these kind of skills.
“It's actually kind of relaxing in the sense that it maybe takes your mind into a more positive place and then you're feeling creative and purpose-driven, and then you're making something beautiful and you're giving it to someone who you think might really need it or appreciate it.”
McShane says she didn't want the focus to be on how the prisoners ended up in maximum security, but rather how they spend their time now and how they are collaborating for a bigger goal.
Supplied / Netflix
The parallels between foster care in the US and the prison system probably also fuelled the men’s passion, she says. But she wanted to focus on how these men managed to carve out a tight-knit community for themselves in a harsh environment, instead of how they ended up there.
“Their enthusiasm for giving to foster kids was really, really strong. I mean, you could sense their passion for that.
“I think it's this idea of another group that maybe has been forgotten and giving some sense of meaning to those kids saying, ‘You don't know us, but we care about you and here's something that's meant just for you.'
“There's something kind of amazing about giving a child, who doesn't have a home and doesn't really have a lot of belongings, something that's homemade and personalised just for them. It just created a lot of emotion for the men.”
McShane says she enjoyed spending time in the sewing room.
Supplied / Netflix
While initially the prison physically seemed like a scary place, McShane grew fond of the sewing room, which was stacked floor to ceiling with donated fabrics and packed tight with sewing machines.
Going back to show the final cut of the film to the men was “the most moving screening I've ever done”, she says - they became emotional seeing the children receiving the quilts and their reactions on camera in the end credits.
“Several of them said, 'we wish we could hug you' because of course they're not allowed to do that in a max [security prison], but they were really moved. They felt like I had told their authentic story, which is the best compliment you can get.”
Missouri maximum security prisoner Chill, in the Netflix documentary The Quilters
Supplied / Netflix
It also became a great opportunity for the family of the mean to see what making those quilts meant to them and connect, she says.
“One of the men's sister told me that her daughter has never met her brother. The prison is very far away. I think he discouraged visits, maybe because he's a little embarrassed to see her.
"She was saying what a great opportunity it was for their own family to talk about what he's doing there, what happened, their own kind of family story because they're not in that sewing room either. They said, you know, these guys call home and talk about these quilts constantly, but they've never seen them being made.”
