Casey House celebrates restoration of 1991 memorial quilt
February 26, 2026
Casey House celebrates restoration of 1991 memorial quilt
Casey House’s 1991 memorial quilt, which commemorates clients who died that year, has been restored thanks to volunteer quilting committee members Arthur Wong and Glenn Bell.
Memorial quilts hold deep significance in the HIV/AIDS movement and queer history. The tradition started with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt first displayed in 1987 in Washington D.C. as a form of activism and a way for friends and loved ones to memorialize those they had lost. Casey House’s first quilt, which honours 1988 clients, was an original panel in the NAMES Project Quilt and is included in the digital archive of the Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt.
At Casey House, quilts are designed and sewn by a volunteer committee. Quilting volunteers contribute countless hours and an incredible amount of craftsmanship to each handmade quilt. For many years, friends and family members were invited to contribute to the quilts honouring their loved one. As a result, a variety of different mediums were employed to accommodate different levels of skill and creativity, including embroidery, gel paints, digitally printed fabric, beading, fabric glue, fabric markers, and more.
The 1991 quilt marked a significant year for Casey House, Princess Diana of Wales visited the hospital and was famously photographed shaking hands with clients living with HIV. A fictional retelling of this visit was adapted into a stageplay called Casey & Diana, which premiered at Stratford Theatre in 2023. In a rare occurrence, the 1991 quilt was loaned and displayed outside the walls of Casey House to Stratford Festival, then Soulpepper Theatre (Toronto) and Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton) to accompany their productions of the play. After a chance encounter with museum curators, the quilt was then included in the Quilts: Made in Canada exhibition at Royal Ontario Museum.
After its tour, it was sent back to volunteer quilting committee members Arthur and Glenn for repairs because while on display they’d noticed that several of the names were faded or had completely disappeared. This is from regular wear inside, but also because early quilts were taken outdoors on occasion to community events or parades and UV exposure in addition to natural aging after multiple decades, compounded the wear and tear of some quilts.
The faded names were corroborated through old photos and our archived records. In some cases where the blocks were completely blank, Arthur used UV lights to detect traces of faded pigment and make out the names. With a better understanding of the repairs needed, the duo began cutting and hand stitching fabric letters that would be more durable than the previous pigments. Structural repairs to the quilt were also made to the display rod sleeve on the back.
We are in awe of the craftsmanship and dedication of our quilting committee members, who generously contribute their time and skills to remember the legacies of those who died at Casey House. Casey House deeply thanks Arthur Wong and Glenn Bell for completing the tremendous undertaking of this reparation, and we look forward to proudly displaying it onsite once again in our seasonal rotation.
Learn more about the quilts and Arthur from Casey House’s 2023-24 impact report here.
February 26, 2026
Casey House celebrates restoration of 1991 memorial quilt
Casey House’s 1991 memorial quilt, which commemorates clients who died that year, has been restored thanks to volunteer quilting committee members Arthur Wong and Glenn Bell.
Memorial quilts hold deep significance in the HIV/AIDS movement and queer history. The tradition started with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt first displayed in 1987 in Washington D.C. as a form of activism and a way for friends and loved ones to memorialize those they had lost. Casey House’s first quilt, which honours 1988 clients, was an original panel in the NAMES Project Quilt and is included in the digital archive of the Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt.
At Casey House, quilts are designed and sewn by a volunteer committee. Quilting volunteers contribute countless hours and an incredible amount of craftsmanship to each handmade quilt. For many years, friends and family members were invited to contribute to the quilts honouring their loved one. As a result, a variety of different mediums were employed to accommodate different levels of skill and creativity, including embroidery, gel paints, digitally printed fabric, beading, fabric glue, fabric markers, and more.
The 1991 quilt marked a significant year for Casey House, Princess Diana of Wales visited the hospital and was famously photographed shaking hands with clients living with HIV. A fictional retelling of this visit was adapted into a stageplay called Casey & Diana, which premiered at Stratford Theatre in 2023. In a rare occurrence, the 1991 quilt was loaned and displayed outside the walls of Casey House to Stratford Festival, then Soulpepper Theatre (Toronto) and Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton) to accompany their productions of the play. After a chance encounter with museum curators, the quilt was then included in the Quilts: Made in Canada exhibition at Royal Ontario Museum.
After its tour, it was sent back to volunteer quilting committee members Arthur and Glenn for repairs because while on display they’d noticed that several of the names were faded or had completely disappeared. This is from regular wear inside, but also because early quilts were taken outdoors on occasion to community events or parades and UV exposure in addition to natural aging after multiple decades, compounded the wear and tear of some quilts.
The faded names were corroborated through old photos and our archived records. In some cases where the blocks were completely blank, Arthur used UV lights to detect traces of faded pigment and make out the names. With a better understanding of the repairs needed, the duo began cutting and hand stitching fabric letters that would be more durable than the previous pigments. Structural repairs to the quilt were also made to the display rod sleeve on the back.
We are in awe of the craftsmanship and dedication of our quilting committee members, who generously contribute their time and skills to remember the legacies of those who died at Casey House. Casey House deeply thanks Arthur Wong and Glenn Bell for completing the tremendous undertaking of this reparation, and we look forward to proudly displaying it onsite once again in our seasonal rotation.
Learn more about the quilts and Arthur from Casey House’s 2023-24 impact report here.
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