Special Events, Studio

“Toward 2050” – Volunteering to Make A Quilt Top

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Back in May I shared in the very long post QuiltCon February 2025, Phoenix Arizona, that while in Phoenix, Arizona for QuiltCon 2025 I visited the Desert Botanical Garden and got to spend time at the Toward 2050 exhibit.

I was so taken by the exhibit that I wanted to be part of it if possible and signed up to volunteer to piece one of the quilt tops together.

But let me back up and first give you some background from that May 2025 post.

BACKGROUND ON TOWARD 2050

Here’s an excerpt from the Toward 2050 website:

“According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, global climate is on track to increase by 1.5° C by 2040, and with that, irreparable damage will likely be done to earth’s ecosystems if our course is not changed decisively and with haste. In the IPCC’s Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report, clear goals and pathways have been defined to reverse our emissions of green house gases – 50% by 2030, and to arrive at net zero emissions by 2050, keeping the global rise in temperature to under 1.5° C in perpetuity. Hence, 2050 marks a very important point in our human history…

Textile work from makers from 45 U.S. states and 9 countries have become important parts of TOWARD 2050, which has culminated in this immersive installation at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona – February 8th through June 1st of 2025. Makers were called to create environmentally themed, textile panels in the style of “prayer flags”. Our goal was to collect enough double sided flags to define the pathways of ​this interactive labyrinth experience. That goal was met thanks to the generousity and commitment of all the makers participating in this project.” 

Here are some images from the TOWARD 2050 textile flags  labyrinth (which took over a half hour to the center and back) I walked during my visit to the Desert Botanical Garden.

I recently found this video on YouTube of the labyrinth I walked back in February 2025:

NEXT STEP: MAKING BLANKETS (QUILTS)

As you can see from the Toward 2025 website screen shot above, after the exhibit (and raising awareness), the next step is to make “blankets” (to me they would be quilts) to donate to communities that will “suffer future climate catastrophe).

From the Toward 2050 website here are the packets that will be sent out to volunteers and what they want the “blankets” to look like:

Images credits: Toward 2050 website

VOLUNTEERING TO MAKE A QUILT/BLANKET TOP

So I signed up and a couple weeks ago (while I was traveling) a package of 30 flags arrived in the mail:

Here are the 30 blocks laid out quickly on my design wall:

And here is a sampling of some of the blocks I was sent to piece together made from participants all over the world:

Volunteers are required to provide the fabric for the lattice and borders for the “blanket top” they are piecing from the Toward 2050 blocks (the “blanket” will then be longarm quilted by other volunteers).

I was planning to search through my fabric stash to find something that would work with all the different colors in the blocks when I received a gifted piece of fabric in the mail from one of my awesome penpals! (You know who you are and you ROCK! Impeccable timing!)

Turns out this fabric would work well with the blocks and I tested it out in the image above.

Talk about a serendipitous surprise!

I will of course share the pieced blanket/quilt top with you all in a future post once I get it put together.

Postscript

If by chance you are interested in participating, they are still looking for volunteers to piece tops using 30 of the textile flags the they will send you.

See the link below if you are interested:

Join us to make blankets from the TOWARD 2050 flags!

Toward 2050 overview taken from a nearby desert mountain. (photo courtesy of Bill Timmerman, Timmerman Photography)

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Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

25 thoughts on ““Toward 2050” – Volunteering to Make A Quilt Top”

  1. The blanket vs quilt stuff reminds me of my Mother being indignant when someone referred to her rolls as “biscuits”. Rolls, of course, take a lot more work than biscuits, so I get it, and of course a quilt takes longer to make than a (commercial) blanket. I just say “whatever”–ha! Good for you for volunteering!

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  2. What a fabulous project and good for you for volunteering. I’m curious, once the pieces are put together to make the larger quilt, is there any indication of who made each original piece or what part of the world it came from?

    Darn, I wish I had known about QuiltCon 2025, I would have made the drive over to Phoenix. It looks like the next two are a bit far away.

    I’m looking forward to seeing your final quilt masterpiece!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting 🙂
      There is a tag on the back of each flag (though one or two fell off it seems as I did not get it) on most of the block and my understanding is somehow that will be on the back of the finished quilt.
      Sorry you didn’t know about QuiltCon in Phoenix, I bet it will be back again there. It is in Raleigh NC in 2026 and it was there a couple years ago 🙂

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  3. I like the bundle of squares that you got (and what a nice thing to come home to after traveling) – also, love the fabric you were gifted – and it looks like it is all coming together nicely at the start – looking forward to seeing the next steps

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  4. I love this idea! That is a whole lot of flags in the labyrinth. What a fun challenge piecing together other peoples work from all over the world! I can’t wait to see what you do with your pieces.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. This is a heartening, awe-inspiring project and you are part of it. Well done Tierney. I applaud you.

    I got goosebumps reading about the project and seeing all those carefully crafted blocks that became prayer flags and will become blankets.

    Walking that labyrinth must have been a truly memorable experience

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  10. Oh my word, everything about this makes my heart sing. I’m thrilled to see you take part in such an important project, and delighted at how quickly you’ve arranged the panels on the wall.

    As for the backing fabric, serendipity indeed.

    I can’t wait to see the finished topper, and the future blankets/quilts. xo

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