Sharing your creativity and your faith with kindred souls truly inspires awe! I got to do that all weekend long, and I feel like non-stop Hallelujahs are bursting out of me! I’d flown to DC to attend the 8th Biennial Sacred Threads Exhibit, which features over 300 juried in examples of spiritually themed textile art (including 2 of my pieces). Arriving at the Floris United Methodist Church’s amazing facility in Herndon, VA on Friday, I first stepped into the huge sanctuary, adorned with an array of inspiring liturgical banners, and prayed.

The vestibule outside the Sacred Threads exhibit set just the right tone. It was filled with books about creativity being used in medicine and healing and there were beautiful full-color catalogs of the work.  There was even a USB drive for sale with recordings of the artists talking about their quilts, going beyond the published artists’ statements. Handmade prayer flags were on display and more were being made. Committee members had an exhibit of small pieces with their varied interpretations of what “forward” means to them. Small wall quilts were on display — to be selected as thank yous for those donors contributing over $100 to the non-profit organization that puts on the show. The atmosphere welcomed everyone warmly. (There was even a separate table full of gluten free goodies during the reception!) Of course, the exhibit itself was breathtaking. By the way, if you think of quilts only as patchwork for the bed (as beautiful and intricate and glorious as those can be), think again! This is an ART SHOW full of wall art, traditional and contemporary, and some even 3-D!

Over the weekend, many different kinds of creativity were evident, not just textile art! I met two young filmmakers who interviewed me for Quilt Alliance and Sacred Threads documentaries — they were creatively jazzed and so dedicated to their work. Next I met Carmen Taggart — for the first time in person. She is a VA with Spirit, a multi-talented creative woman and creativity champion, a terrific help to me in many ways, and great fun. I also enjoyed meeting her friend, a wonderfully passionate chef! The next morning, I got to talk creativity with my brother, a passionate dog photographer (see www.GreggPatrick.com), and his wife, a sister in faith and graphic designer, originally from Poland.

Back at Sacred Threads for the Opening Reception, I met maybe a hundred incredible, on fire, spiritual fiber artists, many of whom are also painters, collage-makers, poets, writers, and educators. Most are Christians, although the show’s mission is clearly ecumenical. The whole atmosphere was one of unity and diversity, open celebration of spirituality and inspiration, healing and joy, as well as acknowledgement of  life’s challenges including grief, despair, senseless events, and expression of hope for peace and brotherhood. We were all so excited to meet each other. Even those like me who are on the introverted side seemed to be energized after hours of this!

Stained Glass in Floris United Methodist Church’s Chapel and Jan Carter’s “Celebrate the Eucharist”

This beautiful stained glass and my friend Jan Carter’s “Celebrate the Eucharist” quilt next to it touched me, too. After the show closed for the day (it runs through July 26th), we had an artists’ dinner with great table conversations and a wonderful presentation by a talented Christian fiber artist and painter, followed by a fun Q&A.

Praise God for all of this creativity and spirituality gathered together to bless all who came, all who worked on it, and everyone else who will be touched by the fruits of it!