UAE flag commemorated on quilt by Farida Talaat and quilters team

Dubai-based quilts brand Quild has launched a community-wide campaign to create a one-of-a-kind patchwork quilt depicting the flag of the UAE marking the country’s 54th Eid Al Etihad Day. Led by Farida Talaat, a quilt artist and Founder of Quild, a group of ten quilters and sewing enthusiasts from all over the Emirates, worked together on designing and creating a patchwork quilt made up of 54 squares or quilt blocks in the flag’s colours - red, green, white and black. Each patchwork square represents one year of the Union and is made of a different material, featuring a distinctive characteristic inspired by its designer. Some patches are pure cotton or linen, while others come in various textures including vintage velvet, lace trimmings and new-age fabric finishes, and feature motifs native to the UAE.

The project started in the summer of 2025 and took nearly four months to complete, from concept design, sourcing fabric and stitching to piecing, quilting, applying a border and adding the final touches. Farida Talaat said that “a quilt is rarely only ever the sum of its parts and this quilt represents unity and multiculturalism in patchwork form. Each fabric square is distinct in colour, texture and story, yet stitched together with a shared love for the UAE - it creates something warmer, stronger, and more beautiful than each piece alone.”

Measuring 110 cm by 80 cm, the work of art features a pastiche of the UAE flag on one side and a repetitive pattern of palm trees on the other, on original fabric by Liberty of London, a renowned British fabric design house. The handmade quilt also features traditional quilting methods and intricate stitching techniques such as half square triangles, pinwheel, flying geese, appliqué flowers, and cathedral window. Farida Talaat is a Canadian expat in Dubai and is passionate about gathering people around common goals, connecting with her neighbours and members of the community on positive pursuits and shared interests. The flag quilt involved their mutual love and appreciation for the UAE.

A design coming to life.

Fellow Canadian quilter, Sue Markou, said the project felt like a natural extension of her skills. “Each stitch is full of love for this country. For me, the UAE is all about family and happiness,” she said. Malika Rahman, an Indian expat in Dubai who has quilted for years, said: “Having lived in the UAE for over four decades, this country has become my second home. The quilt square I created for the flag quilt reflects my deep gratitude and love for this nation.” Farida Talaat added that “quilting is more than a craft; it’s a call to unity rooted in community. We have joined our collective experience and skill in sewing and quilting to produce a beautiful work of art that stands for unity and diversity, while championing circularity in textile. This is our way of honouring the UAE and its values on Eid Al Etihad Day.”

Her passion for quilts, she said in an interview, began in Dubai in 2017, when she designed and produced her first quilt by herself. “It was without any prior training or experience,” she recalled. After moving to Canada, her love for quilting took a more serious turn, as learned the basics of the craft by connecting with quilting groups and collaborating with quilting professionals in Canada and the United States. “I immediately loved quilts because they evoke an authentic old-world feel and a sense of nostalgia,” she said.

The textile artwork created now will be showcased at a prominent art gallery in Dubai, on display and open to the public until the end of 2025, and is being later offered to a government body in Dubai, for hanging at a public building throughout 2026. Quild’s celebration of the UAE is nothing new. For the past few years, the brand has been rallying people around national projects celebrating key UAE occasions and milestones including Expo 2020 Dubai, Year of Zayed, Year of Tolerance and more. Quild also produces novel quilt collections inspired by Dubai every season.

Palm tree pattern on the quilt.

Quild is a Dubai homegrown brand specialising in modern, one-of-a-kind quilts and quilted products. Combining traditional quilting techniques with contemporary designs, it offers sustainable, handmade items crafted from high quality materials. Dedicated to slow fashion and environmental responsibility, Quild creates pieces that blend art and functionality. It is a sustainable brand that employs a little- to no-waste policy. “As well as providing warmth in cold weather,” says artuk.org, “quilts are also beautiful,” making them objets d’art. “Some quilts were made to mark significant events,” artuk.adds.

Quilts have long served as a medium for artistic expression and storytelling in history. The creation of patriotic-themed quilts is a widespread practice within the quilting community, often tied to personal expressions of national pride. Patriotic quilts, says an AI Overview, “typically incorporate national colours and symbols. They are often used to celebrate national holidays.” Quilts can also serve as pictorial texts of the history of a people. Born out of necessity, for example, enslaved women in America created quilts to supplement their sparse bedding.

The quilts served not only as bed sheets, but as a creative outlet for the women to assert their agency, identity and legacy, during a time when reading and writing were illegal for them. “To look at a quilt today is to behold history,” says Tracy L. Vaughn-Manley, a specialist in African American Studies.