This photo represents only a portion of the entire quilt. 

Today is World AIDS Day and a good time for quilters to refelct on one of the most significant quilts ever made. The Names Project, also called The AIDS Memorial Quilt, is the largest community art project in the history of the world. Have you seen the quilt? Have you particiapted in making a panel? If so, you know the power of this incredible quilt. You can visit the names project website here. It was included in the Best 100 Quilts of the Twentieth Century. Here are some facts about it:

The names on The Quilt represent approximately 17.5% of all U.S. AIDS deaths.

Materials Used in The Quilt:
100 year-old quilt, afghans, Barbie dolls, bubble-wrap, burlap, buttons, car keys, carpet, champagne glasses, condoms, cookies, corduroy, corsets, cowboy boots, cremation ashes, credit cards, curtains, dresses, feather boas, first-place ribbons, fishnet hose, flags, flip-flops, fur, gloves, hats, human hair, jeans, jewelry, jockstraps, lace, lame, leather, Legos, love letters, Mardi Gras masks, merit badges, mink, motorcycle jackets, needlepoint, paintings, pearls, photographs, pins, plastic, police uniforms, quartz crystals, racing silks, records, rhinestones, sequins, shirts, silk flowers, studs, stuffed animals, suede, t-shirts, taffeta, tennis shoes, vinyl, wedding rings.

Funds Raised by The Quilt for Direct Services for People with AIDS: over $4,000,000 (U.S.)
Number of Visitors to The Quilt: 15,200,000
Number of 12'x12' Sections of The Quilt: 5,748
Number of Panels in The Quilt: over 46,000
Number of Names on The Quilt: More than 91,000

Size : 1,293,300 square feet (the equivalent of 275 NCAA basketball courts with walkway, 185 courts without walkway)

Miles of Fabric: 52.25 miles long (if all 3'x6' panels were laid end to end)
Total Weight: More than 54 tons