Plague Projects – Headbands and Hope Quilts
by Baronesses Sadira bint Wassouf and Nuzha bint Saleem
Times of Plague make you think more about what you use and what you waste. Looking at all the beautiful scraps from these headbands, we couldn’t just throw them out, no matter how little. And we thought of all the mothers, scared of giving birth during a pandemic, many without their loved one at their side, due to safety measures at the hospitals. And we thought about all the beautiful babies that show us how much hope can be born out of such trying times. And thus, were created, our Hope Quilts.
The Hope Quilts used tiny scraps leftover from masks and headbands made by Sadira, with cloth from her stash and her neighbor’s. Sadira sent the scraps to Nuzha, who took them and laid out 8′ x 8′ applique squares.
The applique stitching is what we have used for banners and garb embellishments for more than 25 years. This stitching was taught many years ago, by Mistress Alison to Baroness Sadira, who then taught it to her daughter, Baroness Nuzha. This stitching is what tacks the pieces to the base square fabric. Embellishments are added to hold the fabric tighter onto the base.
Embroidery is added to help strengthen the quilt square. It is beautiful, but it also serves a purpose. And it is one of the few parts of this project that is truly period. Perhaps not all of these stitches exactly, but embroidery was common in most cultures. Just not on items using scrap material.
When the applique and embroidery have been completed, Nuzha takes all the ironed squares and lays them out and sews them together into the face of the quilt.
The quilt face is laid out on top of two other layers; the backing on the bottom and the batting in the center. Batting is added for warmth and stability. Once laid flat, we cut around the quilt to remove the excess batting and backing material.
Nuzha uses double-fold bias tape as an edge to hold all the layers together. This is added by machine, so the quilt can be laundered as often as necessary.
For each baby, Sadira created a picture book about where the quilt fabric came from and who made it, and wished each of the babies much “Hope” in their futures.