The Freedom Quilt Hungary Project by Reagan Simpson

Overview

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 21:46:40 UTC

The Freedom Quilt Hungary Project united people around free speech and democracy through art movements and public events. In 1989, eight workshops were help at US Embassy American Corners locations where participants created quilt blocks based on a prompt of "what does freedom mean to you?"

The blocks were sewn into a large quilt by members of the Hungarian Patchwork Guild at the Skanzen Szabadteri Neprajzi Muzeum in 2019.

Image of Combined Quilt Blocks

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 21:49:53 UTC

What Happened in 1989?

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 21:59:54 UTC

In 1989, significant events took place. This included the falling of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which led to Hungary's independence and the opening of Hungary's border fence. During this time, the Hungarian Patchwork Guild was formed through a government-issued grant, and 30 years later (2019), a US Department grant allowed for projects celebrating the 30-year anniversary of their independence.

Contributions Today

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 22:11:46 UTC

The head of the project, Christalena Hughmanick, published a book and PDF of the freedom quilt patterns for the Hungary movement for people to freely purchase and partake in making quilt blocks even today. The quilts can be donated to be features online via Hughmanick's social platforms.

Blue: A Tradition

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 22:21:15 UTC

A noticeable trend in the quilts during the quilt movement and future designs representative of it is the use of blue dye in each quilt block. The dye process is very complex: printing blocks apply starch-paste designs on white cotton, then the fabric sets in an indigo bath for hours until the desired shade of blue is reached. It is then rinsed in sulfuric acid and water, which reveals the white patterns and rinses excess dye. Seven families in Hungary today still make blue-dyed textiles, used mostly for quilting.

From:

Hungarian blue-dyed quilts keep tradition alive (chron.com)

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 22:22:48 UTC

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 22:22:59 UTC

rxylexis — 2023-11-27 22:23:09 UTC