YELLOW HUGS

Image: Detail of quilt by Zoe and Friends.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday 24 February 2022, the shock was felt around the world. In the immediate aftermath, most of us held our breath and hoped for a quick and peaceful resolution. When that didn’t come, communities everywhere began to galvanise, showing their support for Ukraine in whatever ways they could. Not least was the global community of quilters. The warmth, comfort, and simple domesticity of the quilt seemed to signify all that was now in jeopardy for the people of Ukraine, as our media screens filled with images of shattered buildings, people fleeing their homes with only a handful of possessions, and crowds of strangers sheltering in cold, concrete spaces.

Image: Details of sunflower quilt pattern. Courtesy of SewCanShe on Pinterest.

The hashtag #QuiltersStandForUkraine began to trend, as initiatives emerged everywhere, and the colour that united them all was yellow. It was a reflexive response as instinctual as it was global. On Pinterest, quilters like SewCanShe offered downloadable patterns ‘If you promise to donate your Peace for Ukraine sunflower quilt to a refugee family or charitable organization (local to you or international).’ In America, hello cottons issued a call to ‘wrap Ukraine in quilts’. Their website shows a count of 13,166 quilts donated to date.  

Image: Detail of quilt by Zoe and Friends.

By now, it was May and the war had been raging for 3 months. In Australia, artist Janno McLaughlin shared her ambition ‘to wrap the bombed buildings and muddy graveyards of Ukraine’ in ‘a quilt of sunflower patches… like a giant hug for Ukraine’. She sought 1000 quilt patches to form a quilt large enough to cover ‘an acre block’. She received almost 9000, from makers all over the world: “some from South Africa, we've had some from Massachusetts, New York, England, church groups, artists everywhere, New Zealand and all over Australia…from all communities— artists, makers, CWA, schools, support groups, disability sectors, First Nation peoples, galleries…extraordinary and ordinary people.” The quilt now measures some 300-400 metres, so is constructed in portions that can be laid end to end or side by side. In August, it was shown in London—at the Albert Hall, Tate Modern, across the Thames, on Millennium Bridge, in Hyde Park, overlooking St Paul's Cathedral, at the Ukrainian Embassy, on farmland, and at No. 10 Downing St on Ukrainian Independence Day.

The quilt, dubbed by Janno’s Ukrainian partners The Road to Peace, has now been held, worn, touched and displayed in recitals, dance, performance, prayer and silence. In Ukraine, when it is safe to do so, 400m x 2m will be laid down on roads, hung, draped, and wrapped around broken buildings and bomb sites.

Image: Artist Janno McLaughin received hundreds of squares from all corners of the world. Courtesy of ABC Upper Hunter: Bridget Murphy.

But although the war has continued to rage, coverage has slipped down the media agenda, and the topic is less pressing in everyday conversation. Compassion fatigue has set in.

But quilters are a resilient and determined breed. And now another group of women who love to sew, Zoe and Friends, have come together to make a group quilt. It features 25 individual panels, employing a wide range of textile techniques— including patchwork, quilting, appliqué, and embroidery. Zoe and Friends say, ‘The range of styles and techniques represent the many individual stories and experiences of Ukrainians at war, while the colour and imagery unite the many narratives.’ Each unique panel measures 24cm x 24cm, representing the 24th of February, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, with the finished piece measuring 163cm x 163cm. 

Image: Detail of quilt by Zoe and Friends.

The aim is for the quilt to raise money for the Disaster Emergencies Committee Ukraine Appeal, run by Action Aid. Everyone who donates will be entered into a draw, for a chance to win this wonderful quilt. The draw will take place on 6th January 2023. When you donate, don’t forget to leave your contact details to ensure you are eligible. In the meantime, you can whet your appetite by viewing the quilt on Instagram.

Image: Quilt4Ukraine by Zoe and Friends.