COVID MEMORIAL QUILT: Honoring Those Lost to COVID-19

CURRENTLY ON EXHIBIT: ALL PANELS - THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, COLLEGE OF MEDICINE - PHOENIX.

NEXT EXHIBIT: ALL PANELS - ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, TEMPE, AZ.

SEE "PANELS ON DISPLAY" FOR ALL EXHIBIT INFORMATION, PANEL AND NAME INDEX.

SEE "THE MEMORIAL SQUARES" PAGES FOR INDIVIDUAL NAMES AND STORIES OF THOSE WE'VE LOST.

HONORING AND REMEMBERING ALL THOSE LOST TO COVID-19

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MISSION STATEMENT

"They're not numbers. They're people who died and they deserve to be remembered." - Madeleine Fugate, 13, student.

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COVID MEMORIAL QUILT

The Covid Memorial Quilt is a living memorial to all those who have died from COVID-19. The Covid Memorial Quilt began as a 7th grade community action project, "Young Change-Makers in a COVID-19 World." Inspired by stories about the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which her mother worked on, student Madeleine Fugate chose to make a Covid Memorial Quilt as a way to publicly grieve, honor and recognize all those who have died.

Word spread and the Covid Memorial Quilt soon outgrew a school project. Individual Memorial Squares are sent in from all over the world by friends and families to honor a loved one. The Covid Memorial Quilt has now become a global project of hope and healing. 

Photo caption and credit:

Credit: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
 
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COVID MEMORIAL QUILT

The Covid Memorial Quilt is a living memorial to all those who have died of Covid-19 and will be displayed in museums, churches, universities and wherever healing is needed. Memorial Squares are sent in from all over the world by friends, families and loved ones. The Covid Memorial Quilt began as a 7th grade school requirement to give back to the community at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California. The theme of 2020's Community Action Project was “Young Changemakers in a COVID-19 World.” Inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, student Madeleine Fugate, 13, chose to make a Covid Memorial Quilt as a way to publicly honor and grieve those who have died. 

Helping People Grieve and Heal

Memorial Squares are turned into panels of the Covid Memorial Quilt, a large memorial art project. Each panel holds 25 Memorial Squares. Panels of the Covid Memorial Quilt are always on exhibit or display in museums, churches, universities, art galleries and wherever public mourning and healing are needed.

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A teenager in a gray shirt, stitching a quilt

HOW TO SEND MEMORIAL SQUARES

To honor a loved one who has died from Covid-19, please send 8” x 8” Memorial Squares or materials so we can make a Memorial Square for you to:

COVID MEMORIAL QUILT
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd #443
Studio City, CA 91604

NOTE: Please consider sharing a few words about the person you have lost to help us honor them. They are not a number or a statistic. 

PLEASE INCLUDE: Email address or mailing address so we can contact you with updates or questions. 

PHOTOS: If you want us to scan and iron on transfer a photo onto a Memorial Square (like you would an image onto a t-shirt), please send photos to the above mailing address. To email photos or email digitally made Memorial Squares, please email them to us: [email protected]. CONTACT US on this website will not accept attachments. Thank you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Panels of the Covid Memorial Quilt will be displayed in city halls, museums, hospitals, churches, schools, and traveling exhibitions.

Memorial Squares can be any piece of fabric cut into an 8” x 8” square that will then be assembled into a larger 48” square panel of the Covid Memorial Quilt.

Yes. We are always receiving new Memorial Squares. There is no end date. As long as we are receiving new Memorial Squares, we will continue making new quilt panels. We understand this may take years to complete. Our country is grieving. It can feel overwhelming. This is our way to help us heal.

The Covid Memorial Quilt was designed and created by Madeleine Fugate, a 13-year-old student. She is supervised by Ms. Wendy Wells, a Textiles and Costume Design teacher at The Buckley School. Ms. Wells is the Director of Quilt Operations of the Covid Memorial Quilt.

The Covid Memorial Quilt is assembled entirely by volunteers.

The number 8 is the symbol of infinity. 8 is a flow of energy—a sign of life. The Covid Memorial Quilt is a living memorial to remember all who have died. May they never be forgotten.

The majority of Memorial Squares that we receive measure 8” x 8”. We trim down those that are larger. We then sew them into a panel using a ¼" seam allowance all around. The finished Memorial Square as seen in the quilt panel will be 7 ½" x 7 ½." Therefore, any design should take this into account, so important information is not too close to the edges.

Each completed panel comprises 25 individual Memorial Squares making 1 single large 48" square Covid Memorial Quilt panel. The individual Memorial Squares will have a 1" cotton broadcloth border surrounding them so that no Memorial Square touches another. The completed 48" panel will have a cotton canvas backing to protect the Memorial Squares and a 2" cotton canvas border. Grommets will be fitted into the canvas border for display purposes. 

You do not need to know how to sew. We have a crew of students who will create a Memorial Square from whatever items you send. Here is a list of sample materials:

  • A favorite shirt, jacket, or other pieces of clothing
  • Felt letters of a name
  • Patches
  • Logos from favorite sports teams, military, or university
  • Favorite band/movie emblems or merchandise
  • Buttons, jewelry, or belt buckles
  • Handkerchiefs, bandanas, or scarves
  • Transfer images or photographs of the person you lost
  • Masks, clothes, buttons, or baseball caps
  • Images of favorite places, national parks, cities, theme parks, or tourist spots
  • Poems, song lyrics, or book titles
  • A signature in Sharpie

Virtually anything that speaks to the person you lost that can be incorporated onto an 8” x 8” square. The Covid Memorial Quilt is an art display so you can be creative. It will not be used on a bed.

You do not need to know the person who died to make a Memorial Square. All Memorial Squares will be used, even if a name is duplicated. Some ideas for Memorial Squares are:

  • Someone you have lost personally.
  • Someone you have never met who has inspired you.
  • Groups who deserved to be honored, such as nurses, teachers, essential workers, and frontliners in hospitals, communities, assisted living homes, schools, states, countries, and more.
  • Anyone affected by Covid-19.

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If you have any questions or need more information.

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