A group of Chicago sewists organized a Quilt-a-Thon on June 3 to raise money for the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund, which provides bond-payment assistance to people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Claire Kramer said quilting has long been political, citing examples such as fundraising during the Civil Rights Movement and suffragist Susan B. Anthony’s first speech at a quilting bee. “Quilting bees have been a way for people, historically women, to get together and share ideas and talk about issues that are impacting their community,” Kramer said. “With such heavy ICE activity in Chicago, we thought this would be a good way to help.”
Kramer and Audrey Majors launched the Quilt-a-Thon in April by distributing 30 block-making kits across the city. Each participant completed a quilt block using an adapted schoolhouse pattern designed to resemble houses so that the finished quilt would look like a neighborhood.
The queen-sized quilt is being assembled over two quilting bees: one held Saturday at Lot’sa community art space in Irving Park and another scheduled for Sunday in Majors’ Portage Park backyard. A drawing for the completed quilt will be held at the end of June, with all entrants encouraged to donate to the Midwest Bond Fund through GoFundMe.
Daliah Silver, who was Chicago Public Library’s maker-in-residence in fall 2023, attended Saturday’s event. “All of the care and sense of community that the quilters pour into their work will go into the fabric,” Silver said, “There’s nothing more magical than that.”
Majors said inspiration came from an article about a 1989 California quilting bee that raised funds for a homeless shelter. She began planning this year’s event with Kramer in February after reading about it.
