Stories from
the Storm
Storm Madness by Vicki Ball
Quilting is a practical skill and a dynamic form of storytelling that has been used by women, especially, across time and space. In Appalachia, we have a long tradition of quilting from which we draw inspiration. Across the world, people have used community quilting projects to raise awareness about issues that matter to them, like the iconic AIDS quilt, for example.
We honor the quilters who came before us and draw upon the power of this artform as a collective endeavor.
Collective Processing
connecting the stories
"Candlelight" by Sophia Van Bumble
Working with quilters, fabric artists, and community members across multiple neighborhoods and counties, PAGE organized quilting workshops in 2025 where we preserved stories about our experiences with Hurricane Helene. In these workshops, participants (of all ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds) brainstormed their ideas and then learned simple techniques to create a single fabric quilt square that told a story about something they learned, lost, remembered or gained through the storm.
Over eight months and a dozen workshops, people created nearly 100 unique quilt squares. Our youngest participant was seven years old and our oldest storyteller was 83. Once all the squares were finished by their makers, a handful of PAGE staff, students, and volunteers stitched each square in place, by hand or machine, so all the pieces would stay in place in their individual forms. The next step was to organize the squares by group and find quilters who would assemble the pieces into quilts. As of July 2026, we have eight large quilts that are near completion!
By September 2026, all the quilts will be finished and we will begin our final step: organizing a traveling exhibition so these incredible works of art can be shared within our community and beyond Appalachia as well. Stay tuned for details about our traveling exhibition, tentatively planned for 2027.