Many of the artists sent reflections and writing along with their peices. Here are some excerpts.

From Kathy Dobash:

I am an artist living in Hazleton, PA.  When I was a young girl I viewed myself as a self-taught embroiderer. .  The activity gave me patience and an appreciation for hand-made work.  I am happy to have these skills for this effort.  It is wonderful to participate in a collaborative piece.  I hope to learn about the opinions of the many individuals who will view the quilt.

From Alicia Lucksted: 
My piece combines motifs and materials reflecting Rubia's designs and my 10 years of solidarity volunteer work with several other women's groups in Afghanistan as well.  The outermost "wave" border and the overall circle/disk shape are motifs from Rubia designs, which I represented in chain stitch embroidery because of the longstanding prominence of embroidery in general and chain stitch specifically in women's past and current handwork all across that part of the world.  The fabric itself is the color of the land, which is so very precious to Afghan sensibilities.  The inner border uses beads from Afghanistan, carnelian and lapis being iconic semi-precious stones associated with the country. The center is filled with a tracing of my own hand (again in chain stitch) to signify my personal involvement in helping women in Afghanistan help themselves, as well as the offering of my hand in friendship and peace.  It also harks to the "hand of Fatima" symbol that is a well known protection amulet in Muslim countries.  Finally, the lapis and metal heart in the middle is from a broken bracelet from the Afghan jewelry that a solidarity group I am part of sells to raise funds for women's projects there.  Therefore it is part of our work together. Its reuse here after being broken is also meant to represent the resourcefulness of Afghan women and men in surviving and rebuilding their lives, community, and country.  And, overall, I hope the piece reminds people that there are many beautiful aspects of Afghanistan and its people despite, and often in active resistance to, the effects of decades of war and women's continued struggles there.

From Jo Grishman: I call my square "Thread by thread, Peace by piece". I am honored to be a part of such a powerful project Rubia. I chose to incorporate and embroider my husband's grandmother Ruth's handkerchief which is almost 100 years old, to bring the energy of a past generation of an Eastern European woman to the quilt.  I chose to use the image of the Endless Knot because it represents unending love, peace, good fortune and the interconnectedness of all beings. It is an ancient symbol found in many cultures worldwide, but the Tibetans were the first to recognize the sacred geomety of the endless knot symbol. The endless knot is an important symbol of our time in the midst of turmail and this powerful symbol opens the heart chakra and is said to allow the healing energy of the heart to guide us to peace.

The image of the butterfly is very important to me because, "What the caterpillar thinks is the end of the world... the butterfly knows is only the beginning!" 

From Jeanne Freeze: I have volunteered with Rubia since 2003 and had the opportunity to travel to Darrai Noor in 2004.  It was a terribly important experience to meet our community and know their ways of life. The geopgraphy of Afghanistan stays vivid in my mind today. I am currently a professional upholsterer and have interprested the textures and colors with vintage fabric and buttons. The second piece, I wanted to find a way to show how rubia works within the accepted parameters of our communities and society to encourage education, which will affect positive change over time.

Afghan Women

By Bonnie MacAllister, Co-President of WCA-Phila 

 
There is a woman in a rural village.
She separates strands of fiber,
Douses the fibers in plant dyes,
Lovely green filaments extracted
Straight from chlorophyll,
Yellows golden like filigree,
Red pricked from poppies,
Sapphire blues like her burqua.

She circles her circuit,
Behind walls in Darrai Noor,
Each of her stitches staid,
Never straying from intended shapes.
She forms an arc, tendrils of seams
Stretch into ancient tribal patterns.

With one hand she bastes,
Binding the tatters set forth for her.
She can round off,
Truncate confines,
Trim knotty spots others might skirt,
Seize Gordian tangles,
Effect brim or hem in her authority.