| Description: | At an exhibition of handicrafts made by the peoples of Kazakhstan held in its largest city, Almaty, the curators of the exhibition "The Art of Survival, International and Irish Quilts" March - April 2008, found an old Uigurian quilt with the characteristic "pineapple pattern" that is well-known to all quilt makers. Curious to know if such quilts were still being made, the curators sought out two traditional quilt makers from Druzba, in the district of Almaty.
Haliman sewed the Uiguri Quilt for this exhibition as a child's bed quilt. She has been working for 25 years as a saleswoman in a department store. She sews quilts at home with her niece. She is self-taught and does not seem to be familiar with traditional patterns. Her work often consists of vivid, bright colours. Her first quilt was made at the age of 16. Today, she takes orders. She chose the pineapple pattern for this quilt, though the curators of this exhibition told her nothing of the old quilt they found at the handicraft exhibition. The Uiguran women make quilts with other patterns as well: geometrical figures, flowers, birds, suns, moons, and pumpkins.
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