One Stitch at a Time: Piecing Together Communication/Community in Women's Quilting

Abstract

This thesis is a snapshot of the communicative process that occurs by a group of women who come together on a weekly basis to quilt for charity. Of particular interest are the ways their processes shape community building. It is an ethnographic account conducted through participant observation and interviewing. Framed by Bormann's (1985) Symbolic Convergence Theory, I address the shared reality and consciousness of women working toward a common goal, to show how communication is used to maintain and sustain membership within the context of quilting. I argue that through the use of humor in a comfortable and casual atmosphere, commitment to community, commitment to attendance and charity one group of women quilters demonstrates how Symbolic Convergence Theory can create a unified consciousness.