GALVESTON — Technically, it might be described as 7,569 square inches of 100 percent cotton fabric with 80 percent cotton, 20 percent polyester batting, but the Hurricane Ike Survivor Quilt represents much more than the sum of these components.
The fabric canvas bears the signatures of area residents, many of whom are members of Galveston’s First Lutheran Church. Behind each of the 225 handwritten names is an individual’s own Ike story. Each reflects a different faith journey through and after the storm.
The quilt was designed and pieced by Holly Marie Howard, who said the 46th Psalm was its inspiration. The piece was quilted by Donna Warnement of Houston. The blue and white original work will be auctioned at the church’s 2009 Oktoberfest, with proceeds going toward the church’s restoration fund.
“Three shades of blue are used in the quilt to represent the changing colors of the Gulf,” Howard said. “The quilting motif was chosen to illustrate ocean waves, and the woven pattern represents the interdependence we all share as a community of faith.”
Lynn Eanes works for the Galveston-Houston Catholic Archdiocese, attends Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church and annually helps at First Lutheran’s Oktoberfest.
“We’re connected to many people in their congregation,” Eanes said. “Anytime you endure a crisis like Ike, you are drawn closer to God to get through those difficult days. God has a light at the end of any path he asks you to walk down.”
She said the quilt represents the community of faith and is a symbol of hope.
On the finished quilt, the signatures of those who survived the hurricane but who have died since then are marked by a small cross.
Diane Humphries packed up her husband and two dogs and evacuated the Friday before Ike’s landfall. Her signature can be seen on the quilt. She had moved to Galveston from Tomball just two years ago.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but my mom taught me that God would never give me more than I could handle,” she said. “There’s always that faith knowing that he is in control of whatever happens.”
Howard said: “These signatures attest that faith can conquer fear. Or, as the ancient author says it in verse 11 of that same Psalm, ‘The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.’”
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A Bible passage inspired Holly Marie Howard’s creation:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
