Textile products made of cotton are usually considered the most comfortable to wear, but that's not all you can do with cotton. The Cotton Council International's exhibition, dubbed "Naturally Color Your Life" is in full swing at Beijing's 798 Art Bridge Gallery. This event is the perfect marriage of the traditional fiber with the imagination of patchwork art and modern design.

The beauty of natural cotton is perfectly showcased in a series of creative pieces of exquisite patchwork. The natural cotton fabric gives rich and bright colors to the visitors, while the superior sewing techniques and individual designs of patchwork artists also shed light on the exhibition.

With a history that lasts over 200 years, stitching and designing a quilt has somewhat become a way of keeping record of people's hopes and dreams. It is also a fascinating reflection of cultural and social attitudes.

Judy Schwender, curator, National Quilt Museum of America, said, "In America, quilts have a real status, and when people give them as gifts they're much honored to receive them. When people make quilts, it lets your spirit go free to create a quilt. So many people became quilters because they like that creative feeling."

The inspiration for the event comes from the art of the world-renowned American quilt. The organizers hope to let more consumers experience eco-friendly, comfortable and colorful lifestyles of natural cotton products, as well as showcasing the fashionable clothing of American cotton.

Judy said, "It's everything from pictorial to very stylized designs, where a single block is created and repeated over and over again. So really it runs the whole range of design possibilities. And there're classic blocks people can make... When you do a classic quilt it's like you're connecting with people from the past, and that gives you a good feeling."

And there's even a cotton-themed fashion show, which interprets the fashion element of cotton as a natural fiber with a selection of the new season's clothing designs. The Cotton and Patchwork Exhibition will be open to public for free till weekend.

(CNTV.cn June 8, 2012)