The Future is Bright - Youth Gallery Review

It is easy to feel a bit discouraged by current events. And when you feel down, it can be difficult to have hope about the future. When we chose ‘Youth’ as the topic for the 13th issue ofCurated Quilts, we had no idea what would be happening in the world around us, but what we found was serendipitous. Our young people are inspiring! The quilts they shared with us are a bright shining light amidst a bit of darkness.Curated Quilts, Issue no. 13: Youth is a reminder of how important it is to deliberately put energy into fostering creativity within the children around us. The future is bright, and we are glad that the Youth issue landed when it did.

We Are All Born Equal but Our Education Makes Us Who We Are by Mila Bekele

We Are All Born Equal but Our Education Makes Us Who We Are by Mila Bekele 

Through her experience in public schools, Mila has found that resources are not spread equitably. She says, “Nobody’s socio-economic background or neighborhood should ever prevent them from learning in a safe and well-equipped environment; that is something I firmly believe in and will try my best to ensure.” Mila’s use of the open book as a backdrop for her message is clever and adds power to her quilt. 

Kandinsky Quilt by Raewyn Gaffney (age 5) and Kelly Spell @kellyspell

Kandinsky Quiltby Raewyn Gaffney (age 5) and Kelly Spell @kellyspell

Raewyn’s quilt was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’sSquares with Concentric Circles. Her aunt, Kelly Spell, sent her fabric squares during the Covid quarantine. Raewyn then cut the fabric into circles and designed the quilt. She used glue to attach the circles to the background squares. Raewyn and Kelly worked together using raw-edge machine appliqué to complete the quilt top. 

The Staircase by Olive Zella Burton (age 9)

The Staircase by Olive Zella Burton (age 9)

Olive chose colorful fabrics when designing her quilt because she thought it would make people feel happy. “Bright and joyful colors make me feel that way. When people feel happy, they feel more hopeful. When you’re hopeful, you feel calm and not as worried.” 

Broken to Build by Logan Jacobsen (age13)

Broken to Build by Logan Jacobsen (age13)

Logan made Broken to Build out of old dress shirts from Goodwill. We love the reminder this quilt provides that when things get broken down, it provides an opportunity to build something better and more useful.  

Rainbow Dots by Abigail Ray (age 8)

Rainbow Dots by Abigail Ray (age 8)

Rainbow Dots exhibited at QuiltCon 2018 in Nashville. The grunge dot fabric used in conjunction with the half-square triangles creates a sense of motion in Abigail’s quilt. Abigail says, “I love creating art and making quilts and fabric items using a rainbow of colors. It makes me proud and so happy to create useful objects for family, friends, and myself to enjoy.” She sleeps with the quilt on her bed each night. 


You can find these youth quilts and more inCurated Quilts, Issue no. 13: Youth. Purchase your copy today! 


By Brittany Bowen Burton

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