In recent years, some social media practices and user engagement have brought attention to its negative impact rather than its original intention. But the creation of a new program and group meant to build bridges with quilting certainly bucks that trend.

It’s not hard to understand why quilters gravitate to the image-heavy Instagram platform. It allows them to look at, share, and like works by fellow stitchers they will never meet in real life. But about a year ago in the wake of the George Floyd murder, Michelle Collins—a Caucasian quilter—reached out to Instagram friend Porfiria Gomez—an African-American—just to see how she was doing.

​Porfiria Gomez (pink), Michelle Collins (yellow), and Keyana Richardson (blue), Photo by Thu Photography

It was as they say, to quote Casablanca, the start of a beautiful friendship.

“It’s so amazing that she checked in on me, a fellow quilter, when she didn’t know anything about me or my walk of life,” Gomez says today on a Zoom call. “I expressed some dreams and quilting goals to her, and she told me I could do it, even write a pattern!”

Gomez started quilting at a young age, following in the footsteps of her mother who often told stories about her own grandmother who quilted. “I’ve always had a passion for quilting. But it didn’t come full circle until I had children of my own and went back to understand the world of quilting better,” she says. “And I loved Modern quilting. It felt fresh, that I could make it a lot more personal to me. And I liked the bright colors and geometrics, and florals that were way different from my parents.”

Likewise, Collins began to find an intense interest in quilting after becoming a mother for the first time. “I was stuck with all this free time and needed a creative outlet. I have to be busy all the time, and the baby slept all day!” she says. “And I fell in love with Modern quilting.”

As the two brainstormed about doing something together, they brought in a third quilter and (unbeknownst to them initially) mutual Instagram friend, Keyana Richardson. The trio formed the nonprofit Color of Connection Quilt group.

In a nutshell, they collaborated on creating an original pattern (whose design was inspired by Atlanta-based jewelry designer Erica Young), which they sold to support their mission. The trio then coordinated a Quilt Along online. And earlier this year, held an in-person workshop.

​The COC ladies teach teens to quilt during their recent Atlanta workshop.

“Our mission is to include everyone and just sit together over something where everyone has a common goal. We’re creating an environment where you take everything else out of the equation,” Gomez says. A mission that was even more important after she says she attended other groups, but didn’t find them either welcoming or comfortable.

“We’re focused on creating that environment that's accepting to a beginner quilter or an African-American quilter or a Latin quilter or Asian quilter. No matter who you are,” she continues. “If you’re a man or young person or more mature person, we can come together and enjoy ourselves over a common thing.”

Collins adds “We want to teach people who don’t usually have access to quilts how to quilt and sew for the first time. And have access to a quality sewing machine and fabrics and thread. We were fired up about it!”

For that Atlanta workshop, the trio taught a group of six girls ages 16-17 years old who were in a group foster home. Not surprisingly, they did not look excited trudging into a 9 am Saturday class to learn how to quilt.

But Collins, Gomez, and Richardson were quickly surprised at the change of hearts and minds once the girls actually started cutting and sewing fabric.

“We had no idea how it was going to go or if it would work for them to make a quilt top in a day and enjoy it. They came in all grumpy and complaining and did not want to be there. But we went with it,” Collins remembers. “But from the first stitch, their faces lit up and they said ‘This is so fun!’ Our hearts were full. And those girls left being proud of themselves and that they could accomplish anything.”

Some of the girls have even expressed an interest in learning more about how to quilt, which excites Gomez. “I really connected with these young ladies. The smiles…they were so involved with the quilting!” she offers.

“And you could see how it affected them to have this tradition and this art, apart from the stigma that quilting is ‘boring.’ This showed me how exciting it could be to young people if they really knew what it was. I stressed to one young lady who I hope to see again ‘this quilt is your story.’”

The Color of Connection Quilt Group will hold its next workshop in Columbus, Ohio (Gomez’s hometown) at the end of July. The three have gathered donations from businesses, distributors, and manufacturers for the workshops, and hope to build a format that other groups can do on their own.

Their plan for 2022 is to introduce a new pattern in January, start the online Quilt Along in February, and then hold more workshops later in the year (maybe in Gomez’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York to complete the trifecta?).

“Now we’re so excited we’ll see each other and three weeks. It’s a whole sisterhood that we developed!” Gomez says.

“We talk all the time now,” Collins sums up. “There’s been a lot of strife and a lot of tension [in the world], and we just want to love people well. We want differences to be celebrated and to love our community.”

For more information, visit www.colorofconnectionquilt.com