Over 30 Ukrainian refugees have stitched their personal stories into a quilt hanging in Swiss Cottage Library.
The Ukrainian Commemorative Quilt Exhibit, launched by the charity Families4Peace on 20 February, highlights themes of heritage, gratitude, and community.
The opening date coincided with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Families4Peace community ambassador Oksana Chaiun, 36, said: “Each February for the last two years is a very hard period in our lives, reflecting on the start of this terrible war.
“The quilt is a uniting reminder that the war still continues, and to show that the Ukrainian community can contribute to the diverse London community.”
Chaiun’s square features two people embracing and the words ‘love and light.’
It represents her gratitude for the assistance she received after fleeing the western part of the country and coming to Camden with her family in mid-2022.
She said: “I just never experienced this amount and this kind of support before.”
The completed quilt, which was started in September 2023, includes thoughtful nods to Ukrainian and British culture.
Between the squares are yellow, red, white, and blue strips to reflect the flags of both countries.
Before arriving at Swiss Cottage Library, the quilt was one of over 700 international craftworks presented at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.
Former Ukrainian lawyer and artist, Anna Borodaiy, 50, from Zaporizhzhia, chose to include her dog on her patch.
Borodaiy described how making the quilt brought together the community and was a therapeutic experience for the participants.
She said: “If people do something creative together, the stress is gone. People feel that they are not alone.
“This is our emotion, and this is our creativity, and it is why this is a very good opportunity to tell about our emotion, mind, what we’re thinking about, and what we feel.”
After hearing the individual journeys of the refugees, Families4Peace realised they wanted to help the Ukrainians record and acknowledge their stories.
Jenny Noé-Nordberg, a trustee with the charity, explained how quilting felt like an effective medium for storytelling, especially given that craft stitch is a very popular in Ukraine.
Charity leaders contacted the London Quilters charity, who held crafting workshops and were integral in bringing the stories from idea to fabric.
Another square was created by former Cambridge graduate student Anastasiia, 26, from Lviv, and shows the neighbourhood she lived in when she first came to the UK in 2022.
For her, the quilt is a way to bring awareness to the on-going situation.
She said: “I hope it continues to draw attention to Russia’s full-scale invasion and remind people of the ongoing need for support and solidarity with Ukraine.”
Ukraine is currently making headlines as global political powers discuss the future of the country and their support.
Chaiun and other community members are planning a second quilt and future installations to showcase Ukrainian culture and similar themes.
The commemorative quilt will hang in the library until the end of June.
Picture Credit: Dianna Bautista
Join the discussion