P E A C E Q U I L T S
Building Better Lives Through Art
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Tree of Life Market Bag ($20)
PeaceQuilts is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), humanitarian organization relieving poverty in Haiti by establishing and supporting independent women’s quilting cooperatives. Currently we work with approximately 100 women organized into seven cooperatives in Lilavois, Croix-des-Bouquets, Cayes, Bel Anse, Roche-a-Batteau, and Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, with plans to expand. PeaceQuilts provides training, materials, supplies, marketing assistance, and educational opportunities. We also market their one-of-a-kind art quilts in the United States, and are in the process of developing a product line of affordable quilted items which are now being sold in retail shops, online and at Macy's as part of their "Heart of Haiti" initiative. Our goal is to help each cooperative to become self-managed and self-sustaining.
Here's how you can help us right now!
Put basic tools directly in the hands of the quilters!
PeaceQuilts wants each of the quilters to have her own "kit" of basic tools and supplies. Some of these items are available in Haiti, and our policy is to purchase everything possible there in order to contribute to the Haitian economy. Other items are only available in the US at this time, but with your help, we can purchase them in bulk, at wholesale prices. Since these necessities are used every work day, throughout the entire year, we purchase only high-quality, professional tools and supplies. Here's how your donation can get these vital basics into the hands of the quilters, and help them to earn their way out of poverty. Below are some examples of the kinds of supplies your donation will help to purchase. Remember, your gift of any size will make a difference in the lives of these quilters, and is fully tax-deductible. You can click on the link below or send a check to PeaceQuilts, RR1 Box 534, Edgartown, MA 02539.
$20 buys 1 pair of high-quality dressmaking shears, OR 3 pairs of embroidery scissors OR rotary cutter replacement blades
$30 large cutting mat OR gridded ruler and rotary cutter
$50 buys dressmaking shears, embroidery scissors and rotary cutter with blades
$75 buys needles, thread, scissor set, rulers and rotary cutter
$100 buys a complete kit!
Click on the link to donate!
Founding members of PeaceQuilts are shown here with PeaceQuilts' Quilting Coordinator, Maureen Matthews McClintock (third from left) and PeaceQuilts Executive Director, Jeanne Staples (far right). (photo credit: David Barreda)
PeaceQuilts products are available again at Macys.com!
They sold out last time, so get a jump start on your holiday shopping, and help the quilters to earn their living at the same time.
Sr. Angela Belizaire, master quilter, and members of one of the newest cooperatives in Damassin stop to take a photo during a week of intensive training. Senior quilters now train and mentor newer members, part of the model of self-sustainability.
PeaceQuilts provides materials and supplies, as well as a flexible organizational template which allows each cooperative to adapt it to their specific needs and preferences.
Members of the Solidatity Cooperative in Lilavois show off quilt blocks for a quilt challenge being organized by The New England Quilt Museum. Click here for more information.
PeaceQuilts Touring Exhibition Patience to Raise the Sun: Art Quilts from Haiti and their Power to Change Women's Lives recently on view at The New England Quilt Museum
18 Shattuck St., Lowell, MA.
Emceed: Susan Wornick, anchor and news correspondent for WCVB-TV channel 5 Boston!
To read more Click Here.
Previously the exhibition was shown at The African American Museum in Philadelphia.
Exhibition Catalogue now available to purchase online.
One of the highlights of the opening reception at the Bennington Museum was the launch of the exhibition catalog which accompanies the show. This lavish publication features a superb curatorial essay by Curator of Collections Jamie Franklin, a fascinating account of the story of PeaceQuilts and profiles of the quilters by author Nora Nevin, all beautifully illustrated by the photographs of prize-winning photographer Harvey John Beth. The book and exhibition feature a remarkable collection of original quilts, offering a rare glimpse into the fascinating and rich culture of Haiti, a country plagued by poverty, social and political morass, and the ongoing effects f
rom last year’s devastating hurricanes. Included in the exhibition are mounted photo enlargements of the quilters and their environs, a short video containing on-site interviews, and examples of objects utilized by the quilters such as a charcoal iron and brassier, used in the absence of electricity, and embroidery samplers, adding to the public’s experience.
Also, click here to see other ways you can get involved and make a difference in someone's life.
One of the highlights of the opening reception at the Bennington Museum was the launch of the exhibition catalog which accompanies the show. This lavish publication features a superb curatorial essay by Curator of Collections Jamie Franklin, a fascinating account of the story of PeaceQuilts and profiles of the quilters by author Nora Nevin, all beautifully illustrated by the photographs of prize-winning photographer Harvey John Beth. The book and exhibition feature a remarkable collection of original quilts, offering a rare glimpse into the fascinating and rich culture of Haiti, a country plagued by poverty, social and political morass, and the ongoing effects f
rom last year’s devastating hurricanes. Included in the exhibition are mounted photo enlargements of the quilters and their environs, a short video containing on-site interviews, and examples of objects utilized by the quilters such as a charcoal iron and brassier, used in the absence of electricity, and embroidery samplers, adding to the public’s experience.Click here purchase your copy of the exhibition catalog Patience to Raise the Sun!
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Also, click here to see other ways you can get involved and make a difference in someone's life.
PeaceQuilts' Founder and Executive Director Interviewed on WCVB-TV Boston
Watch the interview of PeaceQuilts' Executive Director, Jeanne Staples, broadcast on WCVB-TV Boston. Reporter Susan Wornick visits her on Martha's Vineyard and Jeanne shares the PeaceQuilts story.
PeaceQuilts is also featured in the August edition of The Quilt Lifemagazine, now available in quilt shops, JoAnn Fabrics and online! Read the blog update posted by the magazine's editor Jan Magee.
View the PeaceQuilts video. (5 min.)
The New WIN-WIN Raffle Program!
Groups who want to help relieve poverty in Haiti, the poorest country in our hemisphere, can now do so WHILE raising funds for their own projects! Peacequilts has developed the WIN-WIN RAFFLE PROGRAM. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
Simply click on the online shop link and select a quilt in any price range from $150 up. At checkout, write "raffle kit" in the section marked "Special Instructions." We will send you the quilt along with a free raffle kit containing information on the Peacequilts Project and everything you need to easily recoup the price of the quilt, while educating your members and community on the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters. In fact, we have found that you can EASILY double or triple your investment!
The WIN-WIN KIT contains:
250 Pre-printed raffle tickets (sold for $5 each/6 for $20 -
potentially $1250 in sales)
A CD with press release and publicity templates
Photos of Haiti, its people and the Peacequilts Project
A DVD video of Haiti and our efforts to help the poor
(coming soon)
Complete instructions
Click here to select a beautiful handmade quilt at our secure online shop! Your purchase will help Haitian women earn a living with dignity.
Simply click on the online shop link and select a quilt in any price range from $150 up. At checkout, write "raffle kit" in the section marked "Special Instructions." We will send you the quilt along with a free raffle kit containing information on the Peacequilts Project and everything you need to easily recoup the price of the quilt, while educating your members and community on the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters. In fact, we have found that you can EASILY double or triple your investment!
The WIN-WIN KIT contains:
250 Pre-printed raffle tickets (sold for $5 each/6 for $20 -
potentially $1250 in sales)
A CD with press release and publicity templates
Photos of Haiti, its people and the Peacequilts Project
A DVD video of Haiti and our efforts to help the poor
(coming soon)
Complete instructions
Click here to select a beautiful handmade quilt at our secure online shop! Your purchase will help Haitian women earn a living with dignity.
Find out more about PeaceQuilts and how it started by watching this short video by filmmaker Taylor Toole.
