Mie Harboe estimates that over the last 15 years, she’s made 1,000 quilts.
That’s probably an understatement.
And doesn’t take into account the many blankets she’s crocheted.
Harboe, 87, spends her days and evenings at her home in Pasadena sewing quilts and crocheting blankets, many of which she donates to the children and families of Hillsides, a Pasadena- headquartered non-profit serving children, youth, and families in need throughout Los Angeles County.
Harboe starts her day at her sewing machine at 7 each morning and finishes around 6 p.m. She spends her evenings crocheting blankets or hand-sewing while watching TV. “If I stay with it all day, I can make a quilt in one day and a half,” she says. An Afghan blanket takes three to four evenings.
She rarely takes a day off – usually only when her daughter, who lives in nearby Rancho Cucamonga, visits.
Harboe says she sews because she likes to stay busy and values productivity – which might be another understatement. “I have to have something to do with my hands,” she said.
Age has not hampered her output. She still possesses the manual dexterity and keen eyesight that such detail work requires. “My eyes are good,” she said. “Not as good as they used to be, but I can still thread a needle.”
Harboe says she never considered herself artistic even though she used to sew her own clothes and those of her daughter. A quilt-making class years ago sparked her interest in the craft, and she’s been hooked ever since.
For years, a friend of hers distributed her quilts to the homeless. Her colorful “log cabin” patterns made their way to faraway places such as Mexico and Afghanistan. When her friend recently died, Harboe began to look for a new home for her quilts and blankets, and found Hillsides.
She is happy that her colorful and warm creations are still “going out into the world.”
Friends supply her with a steady stream of fabric for the quilts. She buys yarn for the crocheted blankets from local thrift stores.
Originally from Odense, Denmark, Harboe moved to Pasadena in 1967. Her cozy home is filled with hand-crafted wooden furniture made by her late husband Aksal, who passed away seven years ago after the couple had been married for 61 years.
Harboe can’t say if quilt making and crocheting keep her young, but the spark in her eye as she talks about her passion for sewing gives credit to this theory.
She does say that she can’t imagine a life without quilt-making. Luckily for the children and families of Hillsides, it appears there will be many more quilts in Harboe’s future – and that’s no understatement.
Hillsides is a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and their families. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.
