Meet the Purcellville winery owner who created the Covid HOPE Quilt
By Michael Neibauer – Managing Editor, Washington Business Journal Mar 28, 2021, 8:19pm EDT
Diane Canney is the owner of Loudoun’s Sunset Hills Winery and co-founder of the Covid HOPE Quilt, which has grown exponentially from its three-square start. The panel kits can be purchased for $15 from www.hopequilt.org/shop.
What inspired the HOPE Quilt? In August, my 95-year-old mother asked me to help people during the pandemic instead of buying her a gift. We created the Covid HOPE Quilt loosely based on the AIDS quilt. Its mission: to honor front-line workers and those significantly impacted or lost. Quilts are part of the fabric of America providing warmth and comfort. Children and adults ages 5 to 95 from all walks of life across America participated.
What was the design for the very first panel? Things came together quickly with three squares arriving at the same time. One is by a teenager, another is by a quilter and my mother, Phyllis Liedtke, collaborating across two states with her friend Marilyn McAllister in Georgia.
How did one HOPE Quilt become many? The Quilt project “Letters of HOPE” launched at the Loudoun Arts Film Festival. The 9-foot-tall and 28-foot-long letters display the individual panels for Covid safe viewing. From the 500 panels sent from across America and even London, we grouped 16 squares for each quilt. They grew exponentially.
What gives you hope? People are opening up to share stories with us nominating people for complimentary honor portraits. It is humbling to have families share their emotional stories. I started a 501(c)3, the Art of the Matter with the HOPE Quilt and a public exhibit project, Together We Will Heal. My hope is to receive grants and sponsors to create a traveling public exhibit to capture this unprecedented event for history. Read more online...
