Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) – Typically known for sharing books, small, community-run library boxes are now also becoming hubs for creativity and connection through the Little Free Fibrary initiative, launched by Rachel Ivy Clarke.
“I pitched this idea to CNY Arts as part of their Grace Grant funding program,” said Clarke. “The goal was to create beginner quilt kits and distribute them through all the Little Free Libraries in Onondaga County.”
Clarke, a local professor and lifelong crafter, designed the initiative to encourage connection through the art of quilting.
Each kit contains fabric, easy-to-follow instructions and all the materials needed to create a single quilt block. Those blocks are then stitched together to form a communal quilt, with each piece representing a story.
Marcia Evans, a manager at Calico Gals, a local quilting shop in Syracuse, recalls when she found one of Clarke’s kits in her own neighborhood library.
“One day I was driving by and I happened to notice these little bags in there, and I thought, what is that? So I turned around and went back and they were to make quilt blocks,” said Evans.
Clarke’s quilts do more than stitch together personal stories. Many of them visualize data collected from the community, such as where each contributor lives or how far they traveled to attend one of her quilting events.
“A lot of my textile work is about information,” Clarke explained. “I make data-inspired quilts that track things like direction and distance—where people come from, how they participate.”
That data-driven approach resonates with Janet Lutz, owner of Calico Gals, who says quilting becomes even more meaningful when it tells a broader story.
“We do it because we love it,” Lutz said. “But we also love it when there’s a reason, so if we’re collecting data and can turn that into a quilt, it becomes very interesting.”
In just six months, Clarke received more than 125 quilt blocks from across the county. To keep the effort sustainable, kits are now distributed seasonally. She’s currently assembling the spring quilt while the latest summer kits roll out in library boxes around Onondaga County.
“It [quilting] builds a sense of community,” Evans said. “People will come into the shop, take a class, and end up making friends. Eventually, they’re meeting outside of the store just to sew and spend time together.”
Clarke plans to exhibit the finished quilts at venues throughout the region, offering contributors a chance to see their individual squares become part of a larger whole.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT; Quilting kits add a creative twist to little free libraries across Onondaga County
Geraldine Paglia (Reporter): Rachel Ivy Clarke, founded the Little Free Fibrary initiative, an interactive art project aiming to connect residents through quilting.
Rachel Ivy Clarke (Founder of Little Free Fibrary Initiative): It really does have this rich sort of community background. If you think about quilting bees from the past, right. A quilt like this, if you were making for a giant bed, would be really hard to make by yourself.
Paglia: Inside these neighborhood boxes, you’ll now find quilting kits. Marcia Evans, manager at a local quilting shop, stumbled upon the kits herself.
Marsha Evans (Manager of Calico Gals): One day I was driving by and I happened to notice these little bags in there, and I thought, what is that? So I turned around and went back and they were to make quilt blocks.
Paglia: The kit includes fabric, instructions, and everything you need to create a simple quilt square, which often tells a personal story.
Clarke: A lot of my textile work is about information and quilting. I make a lot of data inspired quilts that track thinks like how far a participant came to an event and what direction they came from.
Paglia: The final product is a visual narrative of the community itself. Janet Lutz, owner of calico gals, says every quilt holds meaning.
Janet Lutz (Owner of Calico Gals): We do it because we love it, but we also love it when there’s a reason, so if we’re collecting data and can turn that into a quilt, it becomes very interesting.
Paglia: In its first year, the initiative received more than one hundred and twenty five quilt blocks in just six months. Clarke is now piecing together submissions from the spring collection, while summer kits are being distributed throughout the county.