Detail of Krista Bateman's quilting from the back of the Dove panel of the quilt.

The similarity of inspiration is interesting from the standpoint that we are more of one mind than we might realize.  The New York quilters had a purpose -- "Hiddur mitzvah" which means beautifying religious ritual objects and the Jewish home -- which is much the same as our purpose here on the Palouse to bring us closer to the “heart” of Jewish ritual, tradition, heritage, and history.  As our quilt is a work of art and self-expression, we feel our community will greatly appreciate viewing it while participating in prayer and ceremonies.

The ideas developed for our quilt came from the quilt I have mentioned above, also from several commercial patterns and many of the ideas are original from each of our members.  Some of us designed the blocks from images previously seen, some were inspired by photographs or drawings, some were created from a conceptual vision.  Every block in this quilt has an original touch such as color choice, embellishment, fabric choices, and technique.  In the end, this quilt can be viewed as an original artwork with original elements and elements that are adapted.

I want to thank all of the Jewish Community for their financial support and encouragement in making this quilt a reality.  We truly appreciate the professional quilting by Krista Bateman (from Moscow, Idaho) who took on this project adding a special touch to each block and a unique overall look to our quilt.  Finally I truly appreciate and congratulate our Jewish Quilters of the Palouse for all of their hard work, willingness to stretch their creativity and endurance in getting through the whole project.  Thank you so much.  -- Aviva M. Suchow, Coordinator of the Jewish Quilt Project