Peace is the word for the Women of Wisdom.

“You can’t go wrong with the word ‘peace,'” Margaret Schwender, one of the Women of Wisdom, said.

In honor of the International Day of Peace Sept. 21, 10 women from communities extending from Anacortes to Renton worked together to make a quilt from patches featuring the word in 17 different languages or symbols. Schwender coordinated being able to display the quilt on the Cow and Coyote statue in downtown Kirkland for a week, ending today, Sept. 16.

“Peace is at the heart of all people,” Mary Duffy, another member of the group, said. “Our country is a mix of many cultures. Our diversity had drawn me to participate and share.”

After all of the Women of Wisdom made their peace squares, Sue Burrus sewed the quilt together, using a recycled sheet that used to belong to Schwender’s mother for the trim.

“It’s just like peace – if each person does their part, it can all be sewn together,” Burrus said.

The Eastside Friends Meeting also made a contribution to the Cow and Coyote display by adding two placards that read “Peace Begins with Me and Thee.”

The display is something Schwender hopes to make into an annual celebration of International Peace Day, so look for the quilt to return next year. For more information about the Women of Wisdom, email Schwender at margschwender@gmail.com.