El Corazón de Tejas-Central Texas Chapter of REFORMA

This project is a way to celebrate all Austin Families. The quilt, a collaboration between Austin Public Library, El Corazón de Tejas and the Austin Children’s Museum, will be held at the same time that the Children’s Museum hosts their exhibit of the artist/author Carmen Lomas Garza’s work titled “En Mi Familia”.

This family quilt project is open to all and will record an event in the lives of the participating families by having them depict it on fabric. The squares from all participating families will be joined together into several quilts and exhibited in area libraries, the Austin history Center and the Austin’s Children’s museum.

The project will take place at several Austin Public Library locations during the months of September and October in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Austin Children’s Museum staff will be present at some workshops and will talk about Carmen Lomas Garza’s work. They will also document the project by taking pictures of the participants. The pictures and the final quilt will be exhibited at participating branches, and the Austin History Center, as well as at the Austin Children’s Museum.

 The quilt is meant to be as simple or as elaborate as the participants would like it to be. We will be providing workshops where participants will choose a family memory, draw it in the square, and decorate it with fabric paint, sequences, buttons, ribbon, fabric, etc. Participants can attend one event only, or they could come to the whole series and continue working on their squares. The workshops will vary in length of time according to the location.

A special thanks to Mr. Jim Evans of Hancock Fabrics – Highland Village for his generous support for this project.