One of the quilts was made by a woman who was in a mental institution in Nashville for over sixty years, since she was a teen. She made numerous quilts, he writes, mainly from bedsheets. She would unravel towels, wash cloths, rags and whatever she could get to find colored thread for her designs. The staff would sell them for a few dollars on her behalf. Here is the quilt that Dr. Nat Winston bought:
This is so poignant and it struck me so much I just had to share. I am reading the book A People and Their Quilts by John Rice Irwin and it is so interesting, particularly as it is mainly located in TN and the Smokies. The quilts are old style, of course, as many were made over a hundred years ago, but the stories of the people who made them are fascinating. John Rice Irwin went about for years, buying old quilts and just talking quilts with everyone he met. In this book he records their stories. One of the quilts was made by a woman who was in a mental institution in Nashville for over sixty years, since she was a teen. She made numerous quilts, he writes, mainly from bedsheets. She would unravel towels, wash cloths, rags and whatever she could get to find colored thread for her designs. The staff would sell them for a few dollars on her behalf. Here is the quilt that Dr. Nat Winston bought: Each of the nine squares is different, but each includes a flag, chickens and people. The doctor recalls that the people represent doctors and nurses who cared for her, and the institution included a farm, which may explain the chickens. The relative size of the people indicates the quilter's regard for them. Here's a closer view: My heart goes out to this unknown quilter and so I wanted to post this in tribute to her and also in tribute to John Rice Irwin and his wonderful book on our quilters of TN and the Appalachians.
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Sharon BuckI have always been an artist and with art quilts I have found a way to combine my two loves of painting and textiles. Archives
August 2022
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