Quilt
War Paint
- Description
- Handmade quilt, titled War Paint, created by Betty Nielsen and the Freedom Quilt project. The red, white, and blue patchwork quilt features twenty traditional square quilt patches attributed to different quilters. In the center, one patch features a photo transfer of a bald eagle with its face covered by an American flag. Above the eagle is a patch with "God Bless America" printed in blue. To the right of the eagle, another photo transfer depicts FDNY firefighter Dan Potter on the afternoon of 9/11, holding his head in his hands amid a dust-covered street near Ground Zero. The navy fabric border of the quilt features a pattern of stars and American flags.
- Historical Notes
-
U.S. Air Force veteran Betty Nielsen watched the 9/11 attacks unfold on television in Iowa. Determined to offer comfort, she rallied her community to create five memorial quilts. That effort grew into Freedom Quilts, a volunteer network that made quilts for every victim's family. In 2004, Nielsen expanded the mission to include families of military members killed in the post-9/11 wars. She and her team have delivered more than 6,700 quilts to families around the country.
War Paint was one of the first five quilts created by Nielsen and her team of volunteers.
- Accession Number: C.2007.44.1
- Dimensions: 90 in X 73.5 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 228.6 cm X 186.69 cm
- Source: Betty Nielsen
- Credit Line: Gift of Dennis and Betty Nielsen and Freedom Quilters for all the 9/11 families
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