Sisterhood and Stitches

Zuri Quilters, July 2016

The word Zuri means "beautiful" in Kiswahili. And beautiful is the perfect way to describe our Zuri Quilters luncheon Saturday, July 30th at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville.  In July we put aside our precious sewing machines, don our fashions and make our way to a local restaurant where we pause to celebrate sisterhood and stitches. This month's lunch was extra special because it was an opportunity for our newest members to showcase their first quilts.

Thanks to a "Thrive Community Arts" grant from  Metro Arts (Metro Nashville Arts Commission)  Zuri was able to hosts a series of workshops this spring to introduce African American women in the Bordeaux/Whites Creeks area of Nashville to quilting.  The goal was to try to get the women to see quilting as a form of preserving tradition, shaping identity, and expressing neighborhood values. Registrations learned about African American women's quilting tradition, explore notions of a black aesthetic, and enjoy hands-on classes taught by Zuri members on selecting fabrics and notions, choosing sewing machines, quilting notions, and turning fabric into art. The grant was a success in that quilting inspired and activated the imagination of all who registered. The shared experience of art-making prompted each woman to take the leap and join Zuri and make quilting her personal form of creative self-expression.

Welcome Sandra, Kosher, Jeanne, Jackie, Gertrude, Katherine, Angela, Rosa, and Debbie!!