Saturday, April 16, 2011

A Quilt Story: Remembering the Holocaust


I just wanted to share what I think is a fascinating quilt. I will tell you what I know about the story, and what it depicts.

This was not made by me. For a couple of years, I have passed it in the history hallway at my college, never really noticing it until this year when a) I became closer with the professor whose office is next to it and b) I started quilting. I really wanted to know what it was about.


My professor told me that an older student studied here a few years ago. She had some connection to the Holocaust - I think she said it was her grandparents. She wanted to thank the history department for all that they had done for her, so she made this for them. A simple story, but still beautiful to me - especially since the Holocaust is my study of interest.

I tried to get a good picture of it in the case , but that was more difficult than I thought. Obviously, the Stars of David symbolize the Jews. My professor said she used the dark-colored, plain scraps to capture the mood of such a tragedy. In the middle, you can see a watch tower - it's supposed to be a concentration or death camp - probably the latter, though.

Then, there's this, my favorite part.


The one bright white scrap, to symbolize hope. I love how the quilting reflects this - those lines extend across the whole quilt, which you can see in the first picture a little. The stippling is beautiful, too.

I'm so inspired, and every time I walk passed this, I realize how much I love quilting. It amazes me how quilters can capture emotions like this.

I really want to meet this alum! I'm going to talk to my prof again to get her email, if she has it - it didn't even cross my mind until now.

I hope your weekend is wonderful!


6 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful quilt! It's neat that the triangle representing hope is so clear a symbol, with the color and the stitching emanating from it. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Hearing the story of the quilt brings it altogether. It's great story and a beautiful quilt. Thank you for sharing it.

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  3. What a wonderful story. The quilt is truly an inspiration. I hope you will be able to contact its creator.

    Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Thank you for sharing. This quilt is amazing.

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  5. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for being a Holocaust scholar. My dad was just 21 yo, already drafted into the Polish army when Hitler invaded. After 3 wks defending Warsaw he was a POW under horrible conditions for 2.5 years. Attempting escape earned him a trip to the first of three concentration camps, where he spent a total of 3 years. When I toured one of the camps my Dad had been imprisoned in, Dachau, a few months ago, I learned that in addition to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, 5 million non-Jews, like my Catholic dad, were also exterminated. Standing in the same square where my dad and thousands of others had stood I felt a great many emotions but the strongest ones were wonder, awe and gratitude. Wonder and awe at the strength of the human spirit, gratitude that my dad survived those atrocities! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!

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  6. I thought this was really beautiful. I found another one (I was doing research on Holocaust Art) that you might be interested in. http://thequilter.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/my-holocaust-quilt/

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Let's start a conversation! I love comments and I'd be happy to reply to all who have an email address accessible. Thanks for commenting!

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