This picture shows 4 of the 576 beaded squares that comprise the 9/11 Bead Quilt Project that I was so blessed to be a part of. The square in the lower right corner was my (then 8 year old) daughter’s first piece of bead embroidery. Her square, like all of the others, measures 3 inches high by 3 inches wide. By itself, it’s a small token — but collectively, these quilts measure approximately 9 ft by 9 ft. That’s 81 square feet of tiny little beads, woven by people from around the world; woven by people who felt compelled to share their grief, love and hope in response to those tragic events.
The quilts are now in the collection of the National September 11th Museum and Memorial at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. A few people have asked me if the quilts will be displayed publicly today. Unfortunately, they will not. I misunderstood and thought that the museum would have its grand opening today, but in actuality, the memorial is the only portion that will open this year. The museum will open next year (2012). Until then, you can enjoy these beautiful and healing works in our online gallery. I encourage you to take a moment to view the project today. Remember what happened, pray for the families and survivors, and hope for healing.
we had flown into italy for 6 wks just 1 hour before plane #1 struck. it was so traumatic being away & not knowing italian. BUT i can’t imagine the difficulty explaining that horror to young children! what your daughter created was such a positive contribution… healing for others & hopefully for her.
my 5 & 9 yr old grandkids have NO knowledge of this at all. they rarely see TV. BUT i bet vivi will hear about the 9-11 hubbub in 2nd grade tomorrow. kids grow up so fast today. i wonder how long we can or should shield them from such human madness.
It was very difficult to explain to my daughter — largely because I could not comprehend it myself. I am so pleased that she wanted to be a part of this project, and that she was able to see a more positive side of the human spirit in action.
She turns 19 next month, and she has watched (and helped!) over the past 10 years as our team worked to assemble, exhibit, and ultimately place these quilts with an appropriate museum. I hope that this experience has given her some positive examples of the power of community and compassion.