Rite of Passage

This is a story of how we used quilting to bring generations together and to open the promise of life beyond death that only Jesus gives.

You could use quilting

to do the same.

The Rite of Passage Quilt was a collaboration of artists from four generations, 4 years old to 90—from all walks of life.  They were strangers at the onset but united over a common vision: to share their rite of passage through symbol, color, and reflection.  Each artist said this was difficult to do. 

Why a quilt?  The art of quilting challenges the notion of the lone individual/artist and celebrates the creative process and product of the group, the team, the family.  It symbolizes a death to fragmentation and isolation, and new life as one body with many parts. 

Quilting was the first form of art where female artists were recognized and celebrated.  It flourished regardless of wealth or poverty in living rooms and kitchens giving voice, camaraderie, and encouragement to women well before the suffrage movement or the women in the workplace movement.   

How did it start?

Kate started volunteering at the local Healthy, Active Senior Center in our church’s community. The director was an artist too and a person of peace. We had a very young congregation in an area with 30% elderly. We were already exploring rites of passage through tattoos, this seemed like a pregnant theme to open conversations and creativity in Jesus’ name. Once finished, we held an Arts-night on healing at the Senior Center with all the participants. At it, we featured the quilt project on how rites of passage connected to the Christian rite of passage baptism.  The young adults from our church and the seniors from the Center made paintings on their rites of passage.  We had young people who loved to sew and wanted a turn at quilting; the quilt was the frame for all our art.

As I invited seniors and young folks to contribute, I asked, “What was your rite of passage?”   Everyone has a rite of passage, a “coming of age,” moment.   The seniors were enlivened by thinking about their “rites of passage.”  It opened up many conversations about how they felt God guiding them or experiencing a miracle.  It opened their eyes to see Jesus working in their lives and we could recognize it and say, “That was Jesus.”

Jesus is the one who takes us from death to life.  Baptism is the sign of it.  Many tears were shed.  All ages shared meaningfully together.