Community with Quilts

Cincinnati Community Quilt top

I’m not feeling well; no new projects today. Instead how about a project from a few year ago.

When I moved to Cincinnati in 2005, my friend Denise encouraged me to join the quilt guild there. I showed up to my first meeting feeling awkward and out of place, but a few months later I jumped in with both feet. Being involved with the guild helped me feel part of a community.

This quilt is the epitome of community. To celebrate the opening a quilt exhibit in 2008, the Cincinnati Art Museum collected fabric from the Cincinnati community. Over 100 people/groups donated fabric in a variety of colors and materials. Then another 75 members from the Ohio Valley Quilters’ Guild constructed the quilt. I had the honor of organizing the quilt’s creation.

Several large boxes overstuffed with fabric were dropped off at my home. With the help of my non-quilting friends, we organized the crazy collection of fabric into color coordinated packs for guild members to begin making blocks.

The members made 9” blocks with the fabric from the packs in any pattern they wanted. A month later the blocks were turned in and a small group gathered to lay out and piece together the completed blocks. A member donated her time to do the quilting and another did the binding. It was a project inspired and created by a community.

Cincinnati Community Quilt – finished