Seeing Purple

Over the past month, I have taken many pictures that were to be included as part of various blog posts.  They will be saved for a future dates, because today I want to talk about the color purple.

Purple is an interesting color. It has long represented royalty. Little girls usually favor purple or pink as their favorite colors. Many ladies, when they grow old, want to wear purple. Purple is a secondary color formed when two primaries, red and blue, are blended together. Wearing purple shows you want to make a statement. When I think of purple, I think of eggplants,  flowers (e.g., violets, lavender, Liatris, larkspur, etc.), and cows (“I never saw a purple cow…”). If you send purple flowers to someone, you are sending a message of pride, dignity, and admiration. Ah purple…

Purple also is a color that represents many causes. For example, the color purple represents Alzheimer’s disease. Names signed on 10,000 purple strips of fabric, represent a tribute to the 5.3 million people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. With the wrong side facing out, 55 purple strips are sewn into panels 6 inches wide by 7 feet long. 182 of these  pieced purple panels will be quilted and hung in a traveling exhibit called “Alzheimer’s Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope.”

I have been fortunate enough to help with this project. I’ve gathered names and have quilted 3 panels for this exhibit curated by the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). I’m also hoping one of my 9″ x 11″ Priority Quilts makes it into the exhibit. Yesterday, I saw a lot of purple as I gently guided my 3rd quilt panel under the needle of my sewing machine. I have touched each of the 55 names on this panel and they have touched me. Much like Alzheimer’s has done to the person, the names appear faded and washed out against the wrong  side of the fabric. With my quilting, I have secured the strips so that the colorful bright purple side of the fabrics will never be seen again. I’d like to think my efforts and those of AAQI are doing the same for the existence of this disease.