A seed bank is a location where seeds are stored, to preserve and protect genetic diversity. The rise of GMOs and of copyrighted/patented seeds is making it increasingly difficult for small farmers. Commercially grown food is often unsustainable, and has been rapidly degrading the nutritional value of foods. In response, many young people are turning to gardening to reclaim ownership of food production, and turning to craft work to lay their hands on something physically meaningful in an increasingly disconnected/virtual world. Seed Quilt is a response to these conditions, a personal seed bank, which can be passed along as an heirloom and a literal security blanket. Should the need arise it can be planted on the ground and grow a garden, with the seeds germinating in the cotton wool (quilt batting, which is also a material often used for seed germination in other contexts).
Like seed preservation, the craft of quilting has evolved as a tradition in many diverse cultures around the world. The quilt is a symbol of self-sufficiency, of security, comfort, and warmth. This quilt contains within it a story of salvation in a bleak future.