OBSERVATIONS IN QUILTING
IMAGE: Grandma Strips, 2009, a quilt by Mary Lee Bendolph (American, b. 1935). Cotton, 75 x 77 inches. Collection of Mary Lee Bendolph, courtesy of Rubin Bendolph Jr. Image via https://news.uga.edu/mary-lee-bendolph-quilts-exhibition/
GEE’S BEND
The women of Gee’s Bend—a small, remote, Black community in Alabama—have created hundreds of quilt masterpieces dating from the early twentieth century to the present. Resembling an inland island, Gee’s Bend is surrounded on three sides by the Alabama River. The some seven hundred or so inhabitants of this small, rural community are mostly descendants of slaves, and for generations, they worked the fields belonging to the local Pettway plantation. Enlivened by a visual imagination that extends the expressive boundaries of the quilt genre, these astounding creations constitute a crucial chapter in the history of American art.
https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers
HAWAIIAN QUILTING
While the art of quilting has only existed in the islands since the 1820’s, ancient Hawaiians have employed the use of Kapa and Kapa moe for centuries before that. With the arrival of the missionaries in the islands, the tradition of making Kapa was slowly replaced by quilting. However, the unique combination of linear elements that cross and converge to form squares, triangles, chevrons, and diagonal forms on the fabric was retained. This form of imagery found its way into the quilting patterns, and has since transformed into a distinct style of quilt making today. I’d like to use this transition from kapa moe to quilt making as an allegory for Hawaii’s unique ability to remain authentic and resilient in a changing, modern world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_quilt
Hawaiian Quilting: Meet the Women Keeping This Centuries-Old Craft Alive
Inspired by the islands' lush tropical flora, these appliquéd motifs are decidedly modern, which belie the textiles' history spanning more than 200 years.
Full article by Samantha Hunter here:
https://www.marthastewart.com/7843151/hawaiian-quilts