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By Lois Marilyn Verma

Quiltmakers Remember September 11th Victims

Through September 15, the uptown branch of the American Folk Art Museum will continue its display of the 30 foot-by-8 foot National Tribute Quilt, made to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

The quilt was coordinated by a small group of United States Steel Corp. employees as a tribute to the son of a coworker who lost his life on the first day of his new job in the World Trade Center. The quilt was assembled from 3,446 3-inch squares, each bearing the name of one of the victims, contributed by more than 1,000 individuals from all 50 states and five countries. Individuals and volunteers from local quilt clubs helped to log in and assemble the blocks.

National Tribute Quilt, 30 feet-by-8 feet, was the original idea of the Steel Quilters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The name of every victim of the terrorist attacks of September 11 is included on the quilt.

It took more than 1,000 people and more than 7,000 hours to assemble the six panels of the massive quilt.

The quilt is composed of six panels hung side by side. Each panel was assembled in watercolor style on a grid, and together they recreate the New York skyline as it was before the attacks. A panel on the left lists the names of those lost on the four flights that crashed that day, and one on the right gives the names of those lost at the Pentagon. A book listing the location of each tribute block accompanies the quilt and gives the names of the quilters and the individuals and companies that donated time and materials to complete the project.

One of the quilt's organizers, Kathy Crawford, says the quiltmakers took pains to make sure that all of the names were included. Names were added and deleted as new information came to light.

The quilt was donated to the museum where it has been on display since September 7, 2002. For more information, see www.nationaltributequilt.org, or contact the uptown branch of the museum at Two Lincoln Square, Columbus Ave. between 65th & 66th Sts., New York, NY 10023; 212-595-9533; website www.folkartmuseum.org.