The Alzheimers Quilt Initiative

I'm very artsy. I draw, I paint, do calligraphy, craft, bead, and do graphical design...but I don't sew. Not at all. It's just one art form I never took the time to learn.

But, boy do I admire those who do. It's an art form that is beautiful and functional.

Take the quilt: It's functional--you can curl up in one on a cold day. But it's also very beautiful, too. The time, talent, and artistry of most quilts makes them more than just bedding.  They're art.

I just recently learned about a project which is taking quilts and using them to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimers. The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative auctions and sells donated quilts, and sponsors a nationally touring exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's. They have raised more than $411,000 since January 2006.

The quilts sold on their site are beautiful...and many of them have symbolic meanings related to Alzheimers. And, if you happen to live in New England and want to see some of the pieces up close, you can view them now through October 24 at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.

They also have a book called "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece By Piece" which has pictures of these beautiful symbolic quilts and the stories behind them, and a CD with the pictures and audio of the stories which you can listen/look at on your computer. 100% of the profits from the book and cd goes to fund Alzheimer's research.