BLANCHARDVILLE - What began as a work of technical skill turned into one of emotion for Lois Jarvis.
The Madison native came to River Valley Trading Company in Blanchardville on Monday to talk about her Ground Zero quilt.
The faces of 621 victims of the 9-11 attacks are incorporated into the quilt.
Blanchardville was the 96th stop for the quilt, a tribute to those who perished in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C.
The quilt began its travels after it was posted on Jarvis' Web site in 2001. People began contacting her and asking if it featured any of their loved ones. From there, they requested it be displayed in their hometowns, at family reunions and other places for family and friends of the victims to view it.
"In the beginning, I was so involved in the technical aspect, it wasn't emotional for me," she said. During the quilting process, though, the emotion of her project finally hit her. "As they were passing under my sewing machine, it really got to me."
Jarvis described the quilt as "one of the easiest I've ever made" from a technical aspect, because she printed pictures downloaded from CNN's Web site right after the terrorist attack, directly onto fabric, which she then cut out and pieced into the quilt.
She initially designed a quilt that was shiny and colorful, but realized very soon that it wasn't right. When she came across a Lonestar quilt pattern, she knew it was the one. The starburst pattern, made of diamond pieces bearing the faces of victims, seems to explode from the center of the quilt, an intentional pattern choice. The quilt border is made of different shades of gray, symbolizing smoke and concrete, Jarvis said.
The audience asked Jarvis questions not only about the creative process of the quilt, but its technical process as well. One audience member summed it up with the comment: "It's incredible."
The Madison native came to River Valley Trading Company in Blanchardville on Monday to talk about her Ground Zero quilt.
The faces of 621 victims of the 9-11 attacks are incorporated into the quilt.
Blanchardville was the 96th stop for the quilt, a tribute to those who perished in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington D.C.
The quilt began its travels after it was posted on Jarvis' Web site in 2001. People began contacting her and asking if it featured any of their loved ones. From there, they requested it be displayed in their hometowns, at family reunions and other places for family and friends of the victims to view it.
"In the beginning, I was so involved in the technical aspect, it wasn't emotional for me," she said. During the quilting process, though, the emotion of her project finally hit her. "As they were passing under my sewing machine, it really got to me."
Jarvis described the quilt as "one of the easiest I've ever made" from a technical aspect, because she printed pictures downloaded from CNN's Web site right after the terrorist attack, directly onto fabric, which she then cut out and pieced into the quilt.
She initially designed a quilt that was shiny and colorful, but realized very soon that it wasn't right. When she came across a Lonestar quilt pattern, she knew it was the one. The starburst pattern, made of diamond pieces bearing the faces of victims, seems to explode from the center of the quilt, an intentional pattern choice. The quilt border is made of different shades of gray, symbolizing smoke and concrete, Jarvis said.
The audience asked Jarvis questions not only about the creative process of the quilt, but its technical process as well. One audience member summed it up with the comment: "It's incredible."