History of Quilts + Community
Quilting is an age-old process, practiced in many cultures throughout the world. In America, its origins were strictly utilitarian, recycling discarded materials to create warmth and protection from the cold. The word quilt is defined as a warm bed covering made of padding enclosed between layers of fabric and kept in place by lines of stitching. Historically, this process might draw together a community to create and complete a quilt. Such is the origin of the Social Justice Sewing Academy’s process.
Throughout the creation of our quilts, we are focused on community. The creation of a SJSA quilt is the living definition of the quilt itself, layers of community that come together to create. The quilt top is the students and young people across the country using their voice and personal expression to create the message we all see. The quilt back is the collection of organizers, sponsors and volunteers that support the community outreach and stand behind the organization providing foundation. The stuffing is comprised of donations and materials from fellow artists and vendors, collected to create the quilts. The stitching is the international community of volunteers that embroider and embellish our work, echoing and amplifying our artists’ messages and bringing it all together. Finally, the piecing and binding is the volunteer sewers and longarm quilters that provide the final assembly and finishing touches to complete the quilt.
Throughout the creation of our quilts, we are focused on community. The creation of a SJSA quilt is the living definition of the quilt itself, layers of community that come together to create. The quilt top is the students and young people across the country using their voice and personal expression to create the message we all see. The quilt back is the collection of organizers, sponsors and volunteers that support the community outreach and stand behind the organization providing foundation. The stuffing is comprised of donations and materials from fellow artists and vendors, collected to create the quilts. The stitching is the international community of volunteers that embroider and embellish our work, echoing and amplifying our artists’ messages and bringing it all together. Finally, the piecing and binding is the volunteer sewers and longarm quilters that provide the final assembly and finishing touches to complete the quilt.
Community Quilt Process
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Step 1 | SJSA Workshops Participants are invited to design and create quilt blocks expressing their passion, pride, concern, anger or sadness regarding social justice issues they care about. Through one- on-one and group discussion, topics are selected and design decisions are made. Using a scale drawing of their message, an individual raw-edge appliqued block is created using fabric and fabric glue. Step 2 | Embroidering The Message The quilt blocks are then sent to a community of embroidery volunteers around the world. Once they receive the blocks, each volunteer embellishes and embroiders them, following the young artists’ design requests while also adding their own personal style, to amplify the messages conveyed on the blocks. Step 3 | Piecing the Quilt Top Once the blocks have been embroidered, embellished and mailed back, the blocks enter the hands of another community of volunteers who sew the blocks together to create a quilt top. Once it is pieced, the quilt top is layered on top of batting and then a backing fabric, creating the “quilt sandwich”. Step 4 | Longarm Quilting SJSA's longarm quilter, Nancy, takes the quilt sandwich and mounts it on a large machine frame for the final quilting step. The longarm quilting machine sews through all of the layers, permanently joining them and providing an overall stitched secondary design to the quilt. Once this is complete, the binding of the edges of the quilt finishes all raw edges and creates the outermost edge of the quilt. Step 5 | Sharing the Message The finished quilts make their way to museums, schools, and community spaces where they stimulate community dialogue and bring awareness to the wide variety of social justice issues. Quilts are showcased to advocate and further amplify the messages and bring awareness to social justice issues that youth care about. All in all, our approach centers community, youth voice and social justice. |
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