Sacred Threads

On Sunday I was at the Sacred Threads quilt exhibit in Herndon, VA, near the Washington DC Dulles Airport. eQuilter has sponsored this quilt show for many years, but this was the first time I was able to see it in person.

Sacred Threads features quilts that are about Joy, Inspiration, Spirituality, Healing, Grief, Brotherhood and Peace. The quilts express so much emotion and deep thought that it takes 2 hours to get through the 160+ pieces, which were arranged in groups by theme.

The juried show really ran the gamut – from traditional patchwork to experimental fiber art – and from realistic portraits to abstract textural pieces. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was really pleased to see that all points of view were included.

This show – this project – was introduced to me by Vikki Pignatelli many years ago. Vikki described the show to me, and when she asked me to consider being a sponsor, I had to say yes!

It is obvious that the show is about more than just making pretty quilts. It was an opportunity for the quiltmakers to process and express very intense feelings, and then the viewer was also able to have an experiential interaction with the artist's emotions as the viewer stood in front of each piece.

I spent several hours there Sunday, and enjoyed watching the viewers' reactions, as much as seeing the show!

At the closing of the show, I spoke at their sponsor reception. Quite a few people showed up, including many eQuilter customers! It was great to visit with all of you who came to the show! Jinny Beyer was supposed to speak at the reception as well, but she begged off because of the birth of a grandchild. Well I guess we'll let her off this time… *smile*

July 4th was the final day of the show, but you can experience this show again in two years. If you'd like to send an entry to be considered for the next exhibition, watch the website for a Call for Entries about a year from now!

Here is a quilt from the show (above) called "Passed This Way" – which is inspired by the flowers and colors of the Day of the Dead, and the personal roadside memorials that commemorate someone who has passed away at that place. It is by Candyce Grisham of Washington, MO…in the "Healing" category.

Speaking of Loss and Healing, our 2155 quilts in Japan are going through the final process of clearing the customs paperwork, and our contacts are working to distribute all or most of the quilts at a special event on July 13. We will follow these events closely as they unfold, and report back to you as soon as possible, hopefully with some photos from the distribution.

Our contacts are working with a Buddhist monk who has already been presented with a quilt, and his response was that he couldn't believe the beauty and the quality of the quilts. This has been the response of everyone who has seen these quilts – that the quilts donated were of a very high quality and are obviously a very deep and sincere expression of caring and comfort from the 2000+ quilters who sent their handiwork to strangers on the other side of the world. Bless you!