Postcard Swap, Great Grandmother Willie (born before the end of Slavery) & Great Aunt Eunice her daughter walking on Market Street in Philadelphia. This photo was taken before 1945. The building was Tuskegee Institute, now University where three of the youngest, of my great-grandmother's nine children attended school. Eunice or E. Finch Morris, as she like to be called was one who attended.
This was drawn as one of a series, done immediately following a GYN appointment.
My Dear Professor Haymaker. He encouraged me to enlarge my work from 8 1/2" x 11" to 8x10 feet. The weaving behind us is one of three I made during our time together. I often start small but end up five to ten times larger.
Bad hair day, not anymore. I created the square behind the face, of paper, thread, crystals, glue and fabric. Later this mask required a backing and the cream fabric square felt just right. As I completed the appliquéd of face, hair, then necklace I realized it needed to be larger so I added the boarders. The quilting is the first overall machine quilting I completed after I got over the fear of machine quilting. Oh yes, I was nervous about it for years, finally taking the plunge after a session with Juanita Yeager. So it doesn't matter if you can draw, sew, paint, or fussy cut. There are things that have us stumped...until we gird up our loins and punch through or pop the bubble.
My dear friend and Show & Tell partner. I use this piece to demonstrate the way some quilters show their work. After the demonstration we all laugh at ourselves and having gotten the point do a much better job at introducing ourselves and sharing one of our art works with our audiences.
Three Pregnant Ladies a Chair and a Antelope
During the most pressing times of my life I paint, sketch, put colors together in a manner that relieves stress and pressure. Fabric has always been important in that process. Quilting has come and gone and come again into my life. What is special about this piece is it encompasses all of the above. A time when my daughters were pregnant, my daddy passed on and I was pregnant with that pain, and when I was in physical pain from an injury. I found my fabric, paints, with years passing before this became a finished piece. What happens for me is a start, pack it away, a finding, work on the parts, a finding of the last piece or technique needed, then a finish. Just so with this piece. I also found a way to handle all the emotional turmoil happening at the same time.
Did I mention I went to live for a period of time with my mother after my father's death? Well that is a whole nuther quilt...I haven't finished collecting the thoughts, pieces, paints, story on that one yet. I will post it when it is a bit more along in the process. The story behind each of these quilts has been written and one day will be published with the quilts. What a lofty goal. LOL
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