Features & Essays

A Patchwork of Peace

Buddhist monks walk across the US draped in robes rich in history and community.

By Caroline Kipp
February 12, 2026

Digital Only

Fiber & Textiles

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Photo courtesy of the International Quilt Museum

A hand-pieced cotton patchwork jacket from early 20th century China.

Over the past year, communities, neighborhoods, and families across the United States have faced attacks, repression, and kidnappings by the federal government. There has been a groundswell of grassroots and community-based organized resistance, with people coming together to stand up for vulnerable neighbors, friends, and families. Acts of resistance, whether big or small, individual or collective, are what piece together the fabric of our community and collective action.

While these tragedies have unfolded in cities across the country, a group of 19 Theravada Buddhist monks quietly walked for peace across the Southeastern United States. Starting in October at the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and ending in Washington, DC, on February 10, they traveled 2,300 miles on foot through tough weather, including a major snowstorm in late January. During the Walk for Peace, the monks met with citizens, police, and politicians, sharing a simple message of compassion and peace inspired by the teachings of Gautama Buddha. Thousands of supporters watched them, offering encouragement, supplies, and escorts along the route.

Photo by Penelope Pigott Dann

Buddhist monks clad in patchwork robes walking in Washington, DC, 2026.

Several of the monks—including their leader, the Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra—wear patchwork robes made from saffron, ochre, and maroon cloth. These traditional garments, called paṁsukūla cīvara, are made from discarded fabric to symbolize simplicity and a rejection of materialism. Traditionally, these robes were made from cloth found in cemeteries, landfills, or on the streets. The pieces were washed, dyed, and sewn together into a patchwork pattern as described in Buddhist texts on asceticism.

Cloth was once one of the most expensive items a person could own. It made economic sense to use every scrap to its utmost usefulness. And cloth’s intimate connection to the body as a second skin, from birth to death, has imbued it with multiple layers of conceptual meaning and significance across cultures. The patchwork robes remind both the monks and others that everything is temporary, borrowed, and connected.

Paṁsukūla cīvara robes link the monks to an ancient spiritual tradition. They’re also part of a greater history of textile patchwork and the many threads of resourcefulness, community, and resistance that run through it. In patchwork, pieces of cloth from different sources are joined to make something new. Differences are not erased but add beauty and depth. Wear and tear are transformed through acts of caring repair.

Photo courtesy of the International Quilt Museum

A late 19th century hand-pieced cotton patchwork robe from Japan.

During the 1980s, patchwork banners and quilts were used as political tools by activists such as the anti-nuclear Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp in England and the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which covered the mall in Washington, DC. It should come as no surprise, then, that as people look for ways to build solidarity and connection in a divided and isolated time, patchwork and collage are experiencing a renaissance.

The International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, is currently showing two exhibitions about global patchwork traditions. Patchwork: Quilts and Garments Across Cultures (December 19, 2025–June 13, 2026) captures the recently revived fashion trend of repurposing quilts into stylish jackets and other garments while placing it within a larger context. BORO: The Hidden and the Visible in Japanese Mended Textiles (February 6–June 20, 2026) dives deeply into the enchanting, indigo-saturated history of Japanese mended cloth. Both exhibitions highlight the current interest in the aesthetics, history, and meaning of patchwork, featuring garments and objects from many cultures that employ diverse quilting techniques and patterns. The exhibitions also shine a spotlight on patchwork as a living history made visible, revealing the interconnectedness with the world around us and reminding us of the resourcefulness we all possess, especially when we come together for peace.

Photo courtesy of the International Quilt Museum

An installation shot of Patchwork: Quilts and Garments Across Culture at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Caroline Kipp is the former curator of contemporary art at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, DC. She is currently pursuing a PhD in art history at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Learn more about the Walk for Peace online.

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