About the Art:

Often regarded as a utilitarian craft made from humble or leftover materials, quiltmaking is in fact a centuries-old form of deliberate artistic expression. This quilt follows a lineage of reinterpretation that begins with William Morris’s Flowerpot, published in 1876 and itself inspired by a seventeenth-century Italian textile. Morris, a central figure in the English Arts and Crafts movement, challenged the distinction between art and craft by championing beautifully made, handmade objects for everyday use. This quilt is based more directly on Rosemary McCann’s 2000 reinterpretation of Flowerpot, which adapts Morris’s vines, leaves, and flowers for hand appliqué and incorporates two birds from his celebrated Strawberry Thief design.

As an art historian and a woman, I have long been fascinated by the ways quilts carry personal and cultural histories, but ultimately what draws me to quiltmaking is more immediate: the physical pleasure of handling beautiful cloth and bringing color and design together. I began this quilt shortly after McCann published her design in 2000 and completed it only nine months ago as an activity that unfolded alongside the many other demands of life, including grading papers. More than twenty years in the making, the quilt became its own kind of journey through time, connecting my interest in art history with the simple pleasure of making something by hand.