Repost, AIDS quilts, 2000~2006

By popular demand...the AIDS quilts! There is a picture of each one, followed by an explanation.
Quilt 2000 Spring tree

This quilt was made in memory of those who died, as represented by the leaves quilted on the sky, rainbow and ground. The new leaves bursting out of their buds show us that there is always hope for the future, for a cure. We quilters got a little bored near the end just quilting leaves, so we started quilting flowers and birds, then moved on to a pumpkin and a snowman!

Quilt 2001 Anonymous

This quilt is titled “anonymous”. People infected with HIV/AIDS do not dare to disclose their names because society rejects them. We hope one day they can be accepted as people with an illness and not pariahs of society.

Quilt 2002-1 Taiwan


This panel followed the “Anonymous” quilt. We wanted to show that AIDS is not something that happens to “other people”, but it affects us all over Taiwan, and the world. You may not realise it, but perhaps your neighbour or co-worker or the person who served you when you last went shopping is HIV positive. AIDS is here and it’s all around us. By accepting this fact and pulling together as a country, we can spread the message of keeping ourselves safe and find a cure.



Quilt 2002-2 I Remember You

This quilt is in memory of a friend from Lourdes Home. He was a very kind Buddhist. One of his great joys was to go to temples and copy down the sayings on the temple walls. When making any major decisions he asked for Buddha’s help. He often dressed in Chinese-style clothes.

Quilt 2003 '99 Sheep' (written October, 2003)

It’s almost the end of October and, as most years, the pace of our quilting has suddenly picked up as there are only six weeks, five weeks, four weeks left until it must be finished. Our quilt this year is not only pretty and quirky, it also has several layers of meaning which can be uncovered.

Firstly, I like bright colours and nature. As this year is the year of the sheep or goat, we thought it would be nice to design a quilt based around sheep in a natural setting.

But there are deeper meanings to our design. If you count carefully, you will see there are ninety-nine sheep on the mountains and in the sky. Those on the mountains represent our friends here on Earth now. Those in the sky represent our friends who have passed on but are not forgotten.


The number ninety-nine refers to a parable found in the New Testament. To paraphrase, if you have one hundred sheep and one gets lost, of course you will go look for it, leaving the other ninety-nine behind. When you find it, you will take it home feeling so joyful that you found the lost little one. (‘And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ KJV Luke 15:7) I like to think of Lourdes as being a little like this good shepherd: If one of our friends is lost and scared they are always welcome at the Friendship Centre. This is a place where everyone can really relax and be themselves, no pretending or masquerading is needed or desired.

Some members of the group are creative and dexterous with their hands as well as willing to make a certain time commitment. Others, while interested are limited by time constraints or else unsure about their abilities. Thus making sheep and sewing them onto the mountains was a good project that appealed to all abilities. To design and make each sheep took from 30 minutes to 3~4 hours. In a short space of time a person could make a solid contribution to the quilt. Others made several sheep of varied designs and textures. Some sewed on the works of others while yet others gave moral support, providing coffee, music and charming conversation.

I was happily surprised with the enthusiasm with which this year’s quilt engendered. There was a free flow of people every Friday afternoon, some ‘regulars’ who came often, others who stopped by only once. It was truly a community effort, one of those rare events in life where the journey is the destination.




Quilt 2004 Love


This quilt is titled “love”, because love is really what holds us all together. It is the love of friends, families, higher powers and lovers that makes life worth living. It is love of life, of work, of nature, of ideas, of our hobbies and sports that contribute to make life the wonderful thing that it is. You can see we have quilted some of the things that we love onto this panel.

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Paul Frances Webster

Love is a many-splendored thing

It's the April rose that only grows in the early spring

Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living

The golden crown that makes a man a king

Once on a high and windy hill

In the morning mist two lovers kissed and the world stood still

Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing

Yes, true love's a many-splendored thing

Quilt 2004 "Michael's Quilt"

This year’s quilt was designed in memory of a dear friend, Michael. Michael touched many people’s lives through his work at Lourdes Home and his volunteer work at Tai Da Hospital. We brainstormed to come up with ‘the essential Michael’ which we then worked into the design of the quilt.
Michael was a Catholic his entire life, so the crucifix is to represent his belief.
Coffee and a cigarette, preferably several times a day.
A portrait of Michael.
Michael loved playing cards, especially ‘Big Two.’
‘Kiss Me Goodbye’, the song Michael wanted to have played at his memorial service.
Self-explanatory!
A copy of the vest volunteers at Tai Da used to wear. Being a volunteer was a big part of his life.
Ma-jiang pieces. Michael loved to gamble.
Michael dearly loved his mother and two sisters. He looked forward to meeting his sister in heaven…
This translates to ‘I love to gossip.’ Michael always knew the news!
The signatures of a few of Michael’s friends and co-workers.
The name of the organization where Michael worked (and where we made the quilt), Lourdes Home.
A ‘scratchy’—Michael often bought lottery tickets in the hopes of becoming a millionaire.
We miss you Michael.

Quilt 2006-1 Joy (Scott)

Last year we didn't have anyone in mind when we designed the quilt. Instead, we based it on a Christmas decoration that G and I made with streamers for our Christmas party last year. In early November, one of our friends, Scott, died. There wasn't time to make a quilt for him before December 1 (World Aids Day). Scott LOVED anything that was designer and insanely expensive. I asked around people I knew to give me some designer labels to make an angel Scott. I also wrote to about ten designers. The designers all gave the same resounding "No! (And are you on crack, Amanda?)" Unfortunately, most of the people I know are not into designer clothing; those who did have some were loath to cut off the labels. So, with these rather minor brands I sewed together a designer Scott, ascending to heaven.

Quilt 2006-2 Baby Quilt


There are, I think, 17 AIDS babies in Taiwan. Pinkiedaliah wrote a very interesting letter about her experience helping to care for an AIDS baby, listing all of the gloves, masks, disposable gowns etc that she was advised to use when interacting with this baby. These babies lives are tough. If, however, a pregnant woman is caught in time, she can take drugs which will STOP the transmission of AIDS from the mother to the baby. In order to limit mother to baby transmission I understand that EVERY pregnant woman in Taiwan is now routinely examined for HIV. Awesome, eh? (Oh, and AIDS medicine is covered by National Health Care.)
So anyway, this 'baby quilt' (it's one-fourth of a regular quilt, (45 x 90 cm as opposed to 90 x 180 cm.)) was designed to help people remember that although a baby may have AIDS, it is still: joyful, playful, naughty, happy, a person! And we used dogs because 2006 was Year of the Dog. (Year of the Pig begins February 19th, just after midnight.)