The War Widows‘ Quilt

In this video, researchers, artists, and war widows share the stories behind a new piece of art: the War Widows’ Quilt. The War Widows’ Quilt was made by over 90 war widows. This deeply emotional artwork represents shares loss and the untold history of the widows that war leaves behind. Each square in the quilt and each poem tells stories of grief, survival, love, hope, and new beginnings. Making the quilt gave opportunities for the women involved to tell their stories on their own terms and in their own words.

The quilt is constructed from re-cycled armed forces shirts. It contains three different visual elements: signatures, pockets, and flowers. The signature embroideries gave women the opportunity to stitch their name, their late husband’s name, and significant dates. At times additional words were incorporated; emotive, important words, such as PTSD, or the name of a conflict.

The pockets contain hidden lives. Inside are writings, photos, newspaper cuttings, memories. Some are sewn shut, others can be opened. Each is an act of communication with a person no longer here. But they also honour the experience of the one who is left, a widow.

The history of war remains incomplete until it includes the stories of war widows. War Widows' Stories and the War Widows’ Quilt aims to break the deafening silence that has surrounded the experience of war widows for too long. But loss is universal. Made by and for war widows, this is a quilt that will bring comfort to anyone who has experienced grief. It is ultimately about all of us.

The quilt, made in collaboration with arts company arthur+martha, is part of the War Widows’ Stories project, led by Dr Nadine Muller (Senior Lecturer in English Literature & Cultural History, Liverpool John Moores University) and the War Widows’ Association of Great Britain (WWA). War Widows’ Stories researches and raises awareness of the lives of war widows past and present. The project is funded by Arts Council England, the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the British Academy, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and Liverpool John Moores University.

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