Iowan’s quilts on display in Washington, D.C.

Quilts created by a northeast Iowa woman as a form of “art therapy” to help overcome breast cancer are on display this week in the nation’s capitol. Karen Schulz of Waverly says the quilts helped her visualize the cancer leaving her body and enabled her to cope with the disease and other problems in her life. The 17 works are now being seen by thousands of people a day in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D-C.Shultz is in Washington to see the exhibit and to meet with Senator Tom Harkin, who lost two sisters to breast cancer. Schulz says the quilts contain messages ranging from beating breast cancer to domestic violence to celebrations of happy events. Schulz hopes people who see the quilts can understand they too have the power to overcome whatever troubles they face.