Turn, Turn, Turn
59”X 42.5”
wool yarns, cotton felt, cotton threads embroidered on
antique crazy quilt, mostly silks
I told my
late sister-in-law, Betsey Scharlack (1945-2015), about the punch lines quilt
as I was working on it, coincidentally, as she and my brother were cleaning out
their house getting ready to move. She sent me this antique crazy quilt in its
currently disintegrating state and another quilt top aching for something to
liven it up. I promptly put them aside in the basement.
When our
group came up with the theme for this Artisan Gallery show, I immediately
thought of the “Turn, turn, turn” lines and looked to see if I had some fabric
in my basement stash that might have some circular motif. That’s when I noticed
that the crazy quilt—with its embedded and meticulously worked circles—was just
perfect for repurposing. Dear members of the group helped me figure out how to
transform my ideas into reality.
The
original crazy quilt must have been quite the beauty in its day—about a century
ago—and I feel fortunate to think that I have rescued and recast it, giving it
a new lease on life. I am dedicating it to Betsey’s memory.
I am an author, historian, and quilter. I began doing
embroidery in earnest only after engaging in one of Leslee’s original Café
Allongé
presentations.I have been working almost exclusively with words, which seems
appropriate, given that words are my primary medium. I just happened to combine
them with old, found quilts for these two projects. Perhaps I will move on to
images, but perhaps not!
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