Rita's Quilt is a project to finish a deceased women's quilt project. Shannon Downey went to an estate sale of a 99-year old woman Rita Smith. Rita had started an enormous quilt project, but unfortunately passed away before it was finished. Shannon saw a bin filled with the unfinished pieces and became "emotional and overwhelmed." She bought the fabric for $6 and a called out on Social Media for people to help finish it.
There are now over 1,000 volunteers to help Shannon with this project. With over 100 embroidered hexagons, they have their work cut out for them! Over 30 of the volunteers are based in Chicago, with others all across the US and Canada. A local quilting studio offered its space for those working on the project.
The quilt will be unveiled at the National Quilt Museum on March 7th at 1pm in the main gallery.
Image from BBC
