Many of you will remember getting an e-mail newsletter from us on Sept. 13, 2001, asking subscribers if they would like to make a little red/white/blue quilt to be sent to New York to be given to families of the firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers who were lost in the tragedy. Make it small, simple, and fast is all we asked.
The response was immediate and immense. Within a month, over 2,300 quilts were sent in from almost every state, as well as several foreign countries! It turned out to be a "hand's on" way for quilter's to pour out their feelings and thanks for the bravery of all those lost. There was national coverage on television, articles in newspapers, 40 were on exhibit at the Houston Quilt Market and Festival, and a film crew documented the event for a future production. Mary Ellen, herself, rode up in the bucket of a fire truck to take this picture of the quilts!
This week we heard from one of the women who sent a quilt. She currently lives in Abu Dhabi, but was a member of the Prairie Star Quilter's Guild in St. Charles, IL, back in 2001, when her guild responded to our project. She is currently serving as president of the Abu Dhabi Quilting Guild with 70-80 guild members from all over the world. Since their guild meeting this month is today, Sept. 11, she wanted to share the picture of our store and all the quilts at the meeting. Diana also sent a picture of the quilts donated by the Prairie Star Quilter's Guild back in 2011, before they were sent to us.
Diana said "It made us all feel like we could send a little love and best wishes to those whose lives would never be quite the same," and that pretty much sums up how we all felt.
Oh, yes...we remember and we'll never forget!
To see more of the donated quilts, see the photo gallery in the "Patriotic Little Quilts" book available on our website.
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