Quilt
Photo credit: Michael Hnatov
Accession Number: C.2023.66.1
Dimensions: 84.5 in X 85.25 in
Dimensions (Metric): 214.63 cm X 216.535 cm
Dimensions (Metric): 214.63 cm X 216.535 cm
Source: Betty Nielsen
Credit Line: Gift of Betty Nielsen
Iowa Has Not Forgotten
Description
Handmade quilt created by Betty Nielsen and the Freedom Quilt project titled Iowa Has Not Forgotten. The quilt is composed of three separate panels made of fabric, batting, and thread. The center panel has a blue border, a cream-colored center, and an American flag-themed fabric backing. Cut-out letters are stitched to the quilt that read: "IOWA HAS NOT | FORGOTTEN," accompanied by a large center quilt square with an image of four planes and commemorative images of each of the crash sites. "America will always remember the Twins | September 11, 2001" is also printed in the center. The Iowa state flag, bird, flower, an an image of an ear of corn appear in the corners of the center patch. Four smaller patches surround the center, each with a patriotic image such as an American flag and eagle. The fabric is covered in handwritten signatures and messages.
Handmade quilt created by Betty Nielsen and the Freedom Quilt project titled Iowa Has Not Forgotten. The quilt is composed of three separate panels made of fabric, batting, and thread. The center panel has a blue border, a cream-colored center, and an American flag-themed fabric backing. Cut-out letters are stitched to the quilt that read: "IOWA HAS NOT | FORGOTTEN," accompanied by a large center quilt square with an image of four planes and commemorative images of each of the crash sites. "America will always remember the Twins | September 11, 2001" is also printed in the center. The Iowa state flag, bird, flower, an an image of an ear of corn appear in the corners of the center patch. Four smaller patches surround the center, each with a patriotic image such as an American flag and eagle. The fabric is covered in handwritten signatures and messages.
Historical Notes
A resident of Fonda, Iowa, Betty Nielsen conceived and founded the Freedom Quilt project in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The project committed to sending a comforting handmade quilt to every family that had lost a loved one as a result of the terrorist acts. In the years that followed, Nielsen and her circle of friends and quilters remained steadfast in their determination to satisfy that goal and expanded their commitment to accommodate the diversity and number of families who would receive quilts: their quilt-making criteria further expanded to include the families of members of the American military who were killed in the line of duty after 9/11.
Neilsen began working on this quilt around the 10th anniversary of the attacks and presented it on the 15th anniversary. When asked why she had made the quilt, Nielsen wrote, “The answer starts at the heart—we made this quilt so the 9/11 families would always know that we will not forget them or their loved ones.”
A resident of Fonda, Iowa, Betty Nielsen conceived and founded the Freedom Quilt project in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The project committed to sending a comforting handmade quilt to every family that had lost a loved one as a result of the terrorist acts. In the years that followed, Nielsen and her circle of friends and quilters remained steadfast in their determination to satisfy that goal and expanded their commitment to accommodate the diversity and number of families who would receive quilts: their quilt-making criteria further expanded to include the families of members of the American military who were killed in the line of duty after 9/11.
Neilsen began working on this quilt around the 10th anniversary of the attacks and presented it on the 15th anniversary. When asked why she had made the quilt, Nielsen wrote, “The answer starts at the heart—we made this quilt so the 9/11 families would always know that we will not forget them or their loved ones.”
