Calling all textile enthusiasts!
Here's an idea that can help repair our "torn social fabric."
Visualize on the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, an enormous quilt laid across the lawn of the Washington D.C. mall, a quilt with blocks from all 50 states. Our quilt will represent the rich mosaic of our country, expressing our histories, identities, and our common ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.How might this grassroots project get accomplished?• First send out the idea through as many channels as possible to alert quilters, teachers, church and community groups. Download the flier!• Start working to create unique quilt blocks within families, communities, regions, then states, widening the reach each year.• Emerging state coordinators would gather quilt blocks made in that state to bring to Washington on July 4, 2025 to display ongoing progress. The quilt would spread out in its final culmination in 2026, in celebration of our country's 250th anniversary.Textiles are intimately essential to human life through cultural clothing, flags of pride, shrouds for mourning, baby quilts to welcome new life. Textile art can help heal divisions: there are quilters across the political spectrum! Through the creative act, each person can move from despair towards a sense of hope, community, and love for our country.Let's “re-weave our National Cloth” towards a more perfect union!
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
(Rev. Martin Luther King)A united America can be a super-power of love.
(President Jimmy Carter)
How To Get involved
Tell your friends!
Download the flier
Share the Video
Start quilting an 18-inch square!
View the Quilt Size template
View examples of Quilts
Quilt Size Template
Sample Quilt Squares
MORE INFO
Who started the National Quilt Project?
Mary Milne is a textile artist living in Ithaca, New York. She participated in the Peace Ribbon Around the Pentagon project (in 1985) and launched the idea for the National Quilt Project in 2024. She is looking for collaborators from across the country!What are the quilt square dimensions?
The quilt pieces need to be 18 inches square. At each corner, a 6" ribbon should be sewn on to tie to adjacent quilt squares.
Download the PDF for a printable version.Who can I contact if I want to become more deeply involved?
Do you want to help organize quilters? Can you see yourself as a coordinator for the National Quilt Project? Would you like to offer your skills in other ways? We welcome your participation!
Please write to us at [email protected]
What are some other examples of quilting and activism?
Previous examples of large-scale textile activism include:Peace Ribbon Around the Pentagon
Wound 15 miles through Washington in 1985
27,000 connected fabric panelsThe AIDS Memorial Quilt
Displayed in 1996 on Washington D.C. mall
40,000 panels honored 110,000 who died of AIDS
