“Back in 2000 an idea was born which would both unite all of our Medical Center’s nursing units and provide a visual history of our nursing family.” The project, a large quilt with numerous panels each representing a nursing unit was put into motion by the Medical Center’s Magnet Committee.
Quilting, an ancient art form that came into popularity in America during colonial times, was not only a way to keep warm, but became a creative way to record family history, make personal statements and tell stories. The nursing quilt incorporates panels that tell each nursing unit’s story and have been fitted together by hand. The beautiful finished product symbolizes the concept that truly “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
“The quilt as a whole represents the integration and interrelation of all nursing professionals and the strength of the Medical Center as a whole.”
The “Nurses—Keep the Care in Caring” quilt is proudly displayed in the Learning Center Gallery. Each panel reflects its department by incorporating drawings, letters from patients, photos and various mementos. Outlined designs of children in colorful fabrics are stitched onto other panels within the quilt. “The children may be in different fabric colors, but they all have the same red heart. It was a way to signify equality.” The quilt is outlined with a border of embroidered hearts and flowers.
Like the quilts of yesteryear, it now will tell the story of our own nursing family.
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