At the upcoming Batavia Quilt and Textile show, the tone could be one of remembrance for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In addition to quilts produced locally, Wisconsin resident Lois Jarvis’ Ground Zero quilt will be on display. The quilt is composed of pictures of about 700 individuals who perished in the terrorist attack.

“They started coming out with the number 6,000 (as a projected death toll),” Jarvis said.

“A friend of mine committed suicide 25 years ago, so I know what sudden loss is. (The terrorist attack) became my pain, times 6,000.”

Jarvis needed an outlet for her grief. A quilter by trade for the last three decades, she set to work on what is now the Ground Zero quilt, which has since made rounds across the United States with the American Spirit Quilt Show.

“As an artist, (quilting) is my medium and it’s the way I express myself,” Jarvis said.
The quilt is done in a “Lone Star” pattern, which evokes the image of an explosion. The starburst of faces is surrounded by a border of grays, symbolizing a smoke-enveloped city in mourning.

The quilting in the seam line along each side of the small diamonds making up the Lone Star skips the inner border and continues into the outer border. Jarvis said this creates the effect of a chain link fence providing a place for viewers to express their reactions to this event. The images of the people on the quilt were downloaded from the CNN Web site starting just a few days after Sept. 11.

Jarvis hopes the quilt reminds viewers that the loss of the buildings and material content is not important, but the people — brides and grooms, fathers and mothers — who perished that day, are the important things to remember.

“The quilt has a lot in there,” Jarvis said. “My thought at the time I was making it was, ‘these people’s lives are shattered.’ The people who got left behind — how did they fill that hole left in their lives?”

During the Batavia Quilt and Textile Show in July, Jarvis’ quilt, as well as the Millennium Quilt, created by Laurie Kames of Elburn, will be featured. Kames’ quilt is made with 2,000 different pieces of fabric traded from quilters from all of the states as well as six different countries. The back of the quilt features letters that came with the fabric.

The show, sponsored by the Batavia Depot Museum and The Fine Line Creative Arts Center, will also feature many other quilts and textiles by local artists.
Carla Hill, director of the Batavia Depot Museum, said she is thrilled both Jarvis and Kames are participating.

“This is our first year for our show,” she said. “When we received both of those applications we just knew they would be something people would really want to see on top of all the other beautiful quilts artists have submitted applications for.”

Hill has wanted to do a quilt and textile show for a number of years.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work and I certainly appreciate the people who put on these shows,” she said. “I just thought, ‘this is the year I want to try it.’”This will be a traditional show with a contemporary interest featuring a quilt and textile exhibition, a vendor hall, demonstrations and programs. Sandy Schweitzer, a certified quilt appraiser, will be appraising quilts at the show. Anyone interested in scheduling an appraisal can call to set up a time at the Batavia Depot Museum at (630) 406-5274.

A $40 fee per appraisal will be charged.
A program on quilt care and display will be held July 15.
Admission to the show is $5, $4 for seniors, and children under 10 are admitted free. Coupons for a $1 off are available at the Batavia Park District offices. For more information call (630) 406-5274.