Customer Reviews

America from the Heart: Quilters Remember September 11, 2002

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Not only is this book is a powerful tribute to September 11, it also contains a wide variety of both traditional quilts and innovative art quilts. All of the quilts were made in the five short weeks following tragedy so they could be displayed at the 2001 International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas on October 31 to November 4, 2002. Many of these quilts are now a part of a traveling exhibit which will be at many quilt shows throughout the country. The book beautifully documents each of the quilts along with the thoughts and feelings of these quilt artists.

What could be more American than a quilt? Women and men have made quilts for several hundred years to keep their families warm and to fulfill their desire to create. This book offers a look at the work of quiltmakers who have expressed their feelings by creating original design quilts in the painful weeks after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The multitude of feelings and thoughts span the range of human emotion in the face of an event that changed our lives forever. There is something immensely comforting in seeing the images and reading the words that helped each quiltmaker deal with their horror and sorrow. Most of the quilts were made in the USA, but caring people from other countries also sent their love and sympathy in quilted form.

The majority of the quilts were sold at on-line auction to benefit the Families of Freedom Scholarship fund and all of the profits from this book go to the same good cause. Some of the quilts are on a two-year tour so you might be able to see them in the fabric...

A book to be treasured for the beauty of the quilts, the feelings of the quiltmakers and the humanity we share.

Could quilters of the world finish quilts within six weeks? That was Karey Patterson Bresenhan's challenge to Internet members of QuiltArt. As long as it wasn't upsetting, every single quilt sent in would be on display in Houston. There, almost 300 quilts ended up being part of the international exhibits of memorial quilts.

Bresenhan didn't stop there. She went on to write a beautiful book. This way those who couldn't get to Texas would still have a chance to see the quilts.

Quilts with angels would seem to be such natural crowd-pleasers. For me, they certainly were here: Flights of angels; Liberty weeps for her country; Mountain of sorrow; Pray for New York; September 11, 2001; and Transformation scene. Three others also had such an impact on me: Mourn with those who mourn, Too many, and Wish you were here.

AMERICA FROM THE HEART is user-friendly in the way it's organized. The book also is thoughtfully written and wonderfully illustrated. It's one of my favorite quilting books, along with JACOBEAN RHAPSODIES by Patricia B Campbell and Mimi Ayars.

I had purchased the book for myself when it was first published. The 2 I bought were for 2 quilting friends who were not aware of it. I found the book to be thought provoking, evoking much sadness, yet it brought me a great deal of admiration for those people who were able to express their thoughts with such clarity and beauty. Many must have worked on their art pieces feverishly to turn them out in such a short period of time.

I have wanted this book ever since I saw a segment of the full exhibit, I don't remember where. Diane Herbort's quilt on page 37 is especially affecting in person. Any American who has blood running in his/her veins felt it turn cold, then hot, on the morning of September 11, 2001. I have attempted to be a better citizen ever since, giving special support to those in the military services and the first-responders, people who are willing to give their all that we may resist the insanity of that day. This book with its artist statements, is a fabulous history of the early days following September 11. Kudos!