Our Bodies, Our Quilt

This square was inspired by Celie from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, who used quilting as a coping mechanism and later to express her creativity and to support herself financially. Quilting has been, and still is, an act of resistance used by marginalized groups to empower and build community, as individuals can use its versatility as a form of storytelling. The intention behind our piece was to educate by providing resources, informing people about how to access help for domestic abuse, and helping others. We chose purple as our background color because it represents creativity, empowerment, and agency. Additionally, we chose to use an envelope to house the interactive element of our quilt, given the importance of letters to Celie in The Color Purple, who finds an outlet through writing letters first to God and then to her sister. Inside the envelope, we wanted to provide our community with something they can physically take away from our piece, something for those who may be struggling themselves, something for those who want to learn more about domestic violence on a broader scale, and something for those who want to learn more about our project. Our goal was to ensure that our piece not only told a story, but also inspired action, reflection, and awareness that extends beyond the borders of the quilt itself and into creating a collective change.