A quilt made by Kathryn Taylor. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Taylor.
To be forced to quickly collect essential items and move her family to safety is a situation one East Dallas neighbor can’t imagine.
Kathryn Taylor, the founder and owner of Silly Kat Quilts, saw what’s happening in Ukraine and wanted to do something about it.
“It is so heartbreaking,” Taylor wrote in an email to The Advocate. “I know they need help now and I know they will need help for a long time to come.”
Taylor, who spent part of her life away from Dallas but has been living in our neighborhood for the past 24 years, decided to team up with designer Jacquelynne Steves to create a quilt and auction it on Ebay. Steves will also be selling the pattern on her website.
The both of them will donate all of the proceeds to Convoy of Hope, an organization that is sending vehicles with supplies including food, water, hygiene items, bedding, clothes and other necessities to Ukrainians.
The quilt is 60 inches by 72 inches and is made from pre-washed, quilt-shop quality fabrics and cotton batting. Here’s a description from Taylor regarding the blanket’s design:
“This is an original design that I came up with using the colors of the Ukraine flag. As I was designing, an unintentional basketweave pattern appeared and I was struck by the symbolism of it — how people around the world are ‘woven in unity’ in wanting to help. How the people of Ukraine are ‘woven in unity’ to stand for what is right.”
The auction will remain open until 7 p.m. April 4. Taylor has promised to cover the shipping cost to the winning bidder.
“I wanted to do something bigger than myself, and that’s where my idea to auction off a quilt came in,” Taylor wrote. “I have plenty of fabric and plenty of time, so I utilized both in hopes of raising more funds for the Ukraine refugees than my pocketbook would allow.”
