Quarantine Quilt

The COVID-19 Collaborative Quilt (aka Quarantine Quilt) began during lockdown in Spring of 2020 as a way to connect with artists and friends during a time of deep isolation. I wrote and mailed invitations and pattern pieces to willing collaborators from around the country, who in turn mailed back hexagonal quilt pieces that they made from fabrics of their choice. The quilt was an open ended question to which participants contributed their own cultural ideas and methods. The quilt used craft as a medium for real world communication, during the pandemic when much of our lives have been spent online

From March 2020 to May 2021 I facilitated this project. I sewed together creations made by friends and acquaintances as they were received, creating a collaborative art project made by an interstate community of artists. 18 people from 6 states participated in the project, creating a full size quilt together. This project has been a way to create meaningful connections with other artists, but has also been a way to introduce a new creative outlet to participants who are less familiar with traditional craft arts. Participants have shown such creative range, from hand printed fabrics to reusing discarded clothing, to create beautiful additions to the project. After finishing the quilt I chose a participant at random to gift the quilt to, concluding the project.