Art with a Heart

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend a lovely afternoon with the Tarheel Quilt Guild in Fayetteville, NC. I was there representing the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) as the guest speaker for their meeting.

The Tarheel Quilter’s make many quilts for veterans, pre-mature infants at the hospital, and friends. During their formal portion of the meeting, I was struck by many of the stories.  The striking note during the stories was how a quilt made a difference. The story of the veteran who received a quilt a few months before he died. He cherished the quilt, so much that family members argued over who would keep it after grandpa’s passing.

Other stories about premature babies seemingly gaining strength and surviving because the comfort of a quilt coddled them. And the heart-breaking story of one of the members who was struggling for her own life, while in the other side of the hospital a baby was comforted by a quilt she had made and donated. Both the baby and the Guild member survived.

Guild members talked about the power of prayer placed in each stitch of the quilts they make for charity. I believe that quilting is the one art that goes deepen than the beauty of the techniques. There is a strength and connection that comes from being wrapped up in a quilt hug.

My presentation fit well into this meeting. Although the Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts we make for AAQI are too small to wrap around the shoulders of anyone,  they do provide catharsis for the creator, their beauty produces strength for the recipient, and they raise money for finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Quilts are truly an Art with a heart.