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Outlook: The astronaut who made a quilt in Space

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Dr Karen Nyberg in 0 gravity with her quilt square in space station

12/04/2022 GMT

The astronaut who made a quilt in Space

BBC World Service - Outlook, The astronaut who made a quilt in Space

Astronaut Dr Karen Nyberg launched a sewing project from the International Space Station

When astronaut Dr Karen Nyberg created a quilt square on the International Space Station in 2013, she sparked a worldwide sewing project involving over two thousand quilters.

Dr Karen Nyberg has many talents. She's an engineer and astronaut, but she's also an avid quilter, so when she joined the International Space Station in 2013, she took her sewing kit with her. She created a nine-inch, star-themed quilt square in orbit which inspired over two thousand other quilters to do the same. Karen tells Jo Fidgen about the challenges of quilting in zero gravity and of leaving her three-year-old son and husband - also an astronaut - behind on earth. She's now designed a collection of fabrics called Earth Views based on photographs she took from Space.  

A group of elderly women in the town of Carpi in nothern Italy have become stars on social media. They'd all had a tough lockdown, cut off from family, and were feeling lonely and miserable until staff at the day care centre they all attended had an idea - get them into TikTok, the app where you can make and share short videos. Outlook's Dany Mitzman went to meet the so-called TikTok grannies and the staff who helped them at Residenza Stella's day care centre. 

Presenter: Jo Fidgen

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Dr Karen Nyberg with her quilt square in space. Credit: NASA)

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