Gladys Bradley Stitches Flagstaff Black History Quilt

Congratulations to Gladys Bradley! Her "Flagstaff Black History Quilt 2009" is on display at the Murdoch Community Center in Arizona. Can you believe, according to an article by Betsey Bruner, Mrs. Bradley stitched the quilt in two days! Blocks in the quilt feature four African American churches in Flagstaff: Riverside Church of God in Christ, First Missionary Baptist Church, Harbert Chapel AME, and Springhill Missionary Baptist Church. Also featured are local souls such as Ben Coleman, who "would go and pick people up out of the goodness of his heart," Ricky Coleman, who played the local Santa Claus, the first black police officer in Flagstaff, the first black beautician and more! Click here to see the full quilt. Enjoy!

Oprah is leaving - Links to Oprah-themed Quilts

By now, we've all heard the news that Oprah Winfrey will stop production of her daytime TV show after 25 years. I took a quick look on the Internet and located these Oprah-themed art quilts. Check out Gayla McAlary's pieced and appliqued "Oprah" quilt (just a close-up is shown here. Click here and scroll down to bottom of the page.). Another Oprah-inspired quilt, by Gayle McKay, toured in the 2007 exhibit "She Made Her Mark Too" - Click here to see the quilt. And, finally, if you are a regular to the Black Threads blog, you might remember this Oprah quilt stitched in Louisiana in 2006 - click here. Enjoy!

Blessings to Third Baptist Church in Toledo, OH

The Toledo Journal reported the unveiling of an 80 square foot quilt in honor of the 140th anniversary of Third Baptist Church in Toledo, OH. The theme of the anniversary celebration held November 15th was "The Threads That Bind." Represented in the quilt are the church's current Senior Pastor, Rev. Kevin J. Bedford, the pastor of worship and music, Rev. Glenn L. Jones, and all the past ministers of the church. Hundreds of church member signatures are also on the quilt. Lauretta Russell stitched this magnificent quilt!

Displayed in the church were also other quilts in an exhibit titled "Stitches from the Soul-Sistahs." According to the Toledo Journal, those participating in the sewing included: Euneda Liddell, Sandra Page, Beverly Smith, Clementine Bourn, Marilynn Gardner, Safiya Smith, Kentrah Smith, Maleeka Smith, Dee Mabrey, Jeanna Temple, Janet Borton and Margaret Brown.

Personal shout out to Rev. Glenn Jones, who has known me since I was a kid. Congratulations to the Anniversary Chairpersons Carolyn Robinson and Co-Chairpersons Oliver Collins and Lauretta Russell. What a marvelous way to commemorate Third Baptist Church history! Enjoy!

Harriet Powers Bible Quilt at Air & Space Museum & YouTube

The Harriet Powers Bible Quilt is on display for one last week at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. The quilt is part of the Treasures of American History exhibition, which has been at the Air & Space since the American History Museum closed for renovations in 2005. The last day for the exhibit is Sunday, April 13. The Treasures exhibit includes 150 iconic symbols of the United States: Abraham Lincoln's Top Hat worn to the Ford's Theater that fateful night, the Ruby Red Shoes Judy Garland worn as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, the manacles worn by actor LaVar Burton in Roots, the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, a jacket and pair of sun glasses worn by Ray Charles, and so much more! You might not be able to visit the Bible Quilt in person - hope you enjoy seeing the quilt via video - my very first YouTube video! It's less than 3 mins. Enjoy! Update! As of May 5, there are over 500 views of this video - WOW!

Turning a Page of a Story Quilt

What do you think about THIS story quilt?!

The Design Products department at the Royal College of Art (UK) created various pieces to illustrate an enhanced hotel experience. One of the pieces was an innovated twist to hotel bed covers. Design student Tiago da Fonseca created this Bedtime Story bedcover that has several printed sheets. You keep warm in bed by turning the pages for added covers and warmth. You also get to actually read a story!

Thanks to Fuse#8 and CubeMe for sharing the story!

Muhjah Shakir, Bioethics Quilt Project

Last month the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care held a conference around the 35th anniversary of the "Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male" and the 10th anniversary of President Clinton's apology for the study. You many recall that the Tuskegee Study, according the the CDC, involved:

"... 600 black men--399 with syphilis and 201 who did not have the disease. Researchers told the men they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness"

One of the speakers at the conference was Muhjah Shakir (photo from Creighton University). Her topic was "Tools for Transformation: The Bioethics Community Quilt Project." The quilt illustrated the history of the Tuskegee syphilis study. Congratulations to Sistah Shakir, who will graduate with a Ph.d in 2007. Her dissertation is titled "Women's Narrative Towards Transforming the Legacy: The Syphillis Study and the Bioethics Community Quilt Project."

I'd love to read this dissertation and see the quilt - what a great addition to African American quilt history!

UK Stitches In Time Quilt

A quilt containing 60 blocks illustrating historical British figures and scenes about the 1807 Abolition Act to abolish slave trade on British ships was unveiled at London City Hall yesterday, April 5, 2007. The In Stitches project, sponsored by The African Families Foundation (TAFF) and a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, brought together African, African-Caribbean, and British quilting women in England - from cities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, and Manchester.

Nana Ama Amamoo, Director of The African Families Foundation is quoted in an article that “The creation of a quilt is a uniquely feminine way of recording events. The project enables us to remember the past and seek for reconciliation through working together in the present.”

The quilt will be displayed:

April 5 - 30: City Hall, London and Greenwich Maritime Museum

May 1 - 30: British Empire and Commonwealth Museum and Feminist Archive, Bristol

June 1 - 30: Central Library, Liverpool

July 1 - 30: Soho House, Birmingham

August 16 - 19: NEC, Birmingham for the international Quilt Festival

September 1 - 30: Central Library, Manchester

October 1 - 30: City Hall, London

Textural Rhythms: Today's Favorite 5 Quilts

I've been mesmerized by Carolyn Mazloomi's newest quilt catalog, Textural Rhythms: Quilting the Jazz Tradition. This 128-page, full-gorgeous colored book is overflowing with quilts that simply sing!

The foreword is by noted quilter Faith Ringgold. Carolyn pens an essay titled Lost, Appropriated, and Recovered: The Threads of African American Quilt History. Columbia University faculty member Farah Jasmine Griffin writes the essay Jazzing American Culture. Sistah Quilter L'Merchie Frazier contributes the poem Jazz Threads. And, finally, Music professor Tammy L. Kernodle contributes the essay, Super Sisters, Mean Mothers, & Big Mamas: A History of Black Women & Jazz.

This book will capture you each time you pick it up! Every day I change UP on my 5 Favorite quilts in the book - TODAY. (And, no, I'm NOT countin' my quilt He Played Me... and Sang in my Ear"!!)

1. Satchmo by Bisa Butler (2006) ... Doesn't he look like he's about to scat?!
2. A Sound of Their Own: Background Singers in Jazz by Marion Coleman (2005). What interesting photo transfers. I love that Marion honors background singers in a quilt.
3. Strange Fruit by Marlene O'Bryant-Seabrook (2003). The subtleties of the two men hanging from the tree is really haunting, especially when matched with the human form font. Look closely, can you see the shadows of Billie Holiday's gardenia?
4. Diane Reeves by Jim S. Smoote (2005). Is it me just me or can you also hear her sing "Better Days"? Gees, her hands look like they are going to reach off the page to you!
5. Resurrecting Nina (1933 - 2003) by Sauda A. Zahra. One of two Nina Simone tribute quilts in the book. Sauda, where did you get the Nina Simone buttons?!

My list has changed EVERYDAY since I received the book. Do you have a favorite quilt in the book?!

Harriet Powers stereoview sold $203.50

eBay! A RARE image of Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt on display at the 1895 Atlanta Cotton Expo recently came up for auction on eBay. Can you image - this is the same Expo that Booker T. Washington spoke at... so he MUST have walked the hallways and seen this quilt. This is also the same Expo where AME Bishop Henry Turner showcased his collection of Liberian artifacts, including a certain quilt handstitched by Martha Ann Ricks.

The stereoview of the Harriet Powers' quilt was taken by the B. W. Kilburn Company - image #10688 Quilt Exhibit, Interior of Negro Building (eBay item #150083578933 - it's the last one in the photo.) The final auction price for the lot... $203.50... worth every penny!

1830s Slave Quilt - $40k - $60k

I LOVE watching Antiques Roadshow. Each season there seems to be old quilts brought in for appraisal. Here's a photo of one slave quilt made in the 1830s. The quilt was from a Mr. Polk's estate. Mr. Polk was a slave owner. The current quilt owner, Danny from Walterboro, South Carolina, had also purchased inventory documentation from Mr. Polk's estate as well to substantiate the quilts provenance. The Nancy Druckman of Sotheby's in New York examined the quilt in a 2004 episode... and estimated the auction value to be from $40,000 - $60,000!

Do you have a piece that you'd like to have the Antiques Roadshow appraise? Tickets for the 2007 have JUST opened for online requests. The show will visit: Baltimore on June 16, Orlando on June 30, San Antonio on July 14, Louisville on July 28, Spokane on Aug 4, and Las Vegas on Aug 18. Gotta go see what's up in the attic.....

World AIDS Day - one quilt

December 1 is World AIDS Day. Forty million people worldwide are living with HIV. Check out the USAToday article and slide show featuring the AIDS Memorial Quilt - remember when it was on display in DC ten years ago? The AIDS Memorial Quilt is now 54 tons heavy - honoring more than 40,000.

The Atlanta Constitution has an article about the quilt with this photo of 46-year-old cosmetologist Kimberly Jackson's panel made for her friend and client, Dr. Wandra Jones-Phillips, who passed away in 2001.

Freedom Quilt - Vote Today!

It's Election Day - and what better quilt demonstrates our right to vote then Jessie B. Telfair's "Freedom Quilt" (photo from the American Folk Art Museum, NY). Telfair (1913 - 1986) of Parrott, Georgia stitched this and other 42 block freedom quilts in the mid-1970s through 1980s. She did so to capture in cloth her feelings about losing her job after she tried to register to vote.

Sarah Mary Taylor quilts

This week I received a postcard notification of the upcoming November 4 Slotin Auction in Buford, GA. Their folkart auctions usually include a selection of African American-made quilts. Sure, enough, there's more than a dozen available, including this hand-stitched Frog Quilt by the late Mississippi quilter and dollmaker Sarah Mary Taylor (est. $500 - $800). You can see more of the distinctive Taylor style at the Gordon Gallery.

300 Million & Baby Quilts

Well - today the US will hit 300 million people, according to the Census Bureau!

Think of all those baby quilters! Visit BrownToes.com for infant quilts - for about $60.

Maya Angelou Quilts

Maya Angelou received a 2006 Quill Award last night for her poem, Amazing Peace. Being curious about quilts, I looked around cyberspace to see if there's any connections between Dr. Angelou and quilting. I LOVE the Phenomenal Woman paper doll quilt by Rebekka Seigel (2004)! Do check out Seigel's site, QuiltArtz.com. She teaches, lectures, and holds workshops. She also teaches quilting to kids and includes lesson plans on her site.

Another Phenomenal Woman quilt is by quilter Stacy West, who specializes in portrait quilts.

Then, finally, the portrait quilt titled The Quilt of Life, was a 65th birthday gift to Dr. Angelou from Oprah Winfrey... and made by Faith Ringgold (who just celebrated her 76th birthday Oct 8!)

Hustle and Flow Quilt?

Name this quilt pattern! UC Davis professor Dr. Patricia Turner recently emailed me...

"African-American quilts sometimes show up in unlikely places. In the 2005 film Hustle and Flow, a dingy worn quilt is used to buffer noise in the make-shift recording studio used to record "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp." I'm not enough of an authority on motifs to determine if the quilt is in a recognizable pattern or if it could be described as an improvisational strip quilt. Does anyone recognize the motif? Thanks, and if you know of any other references to quilts in hip-hop culture, please respond to the blog or to paturner@ucdavis.edu" Do leave a comment if you recognize the quilt pattern! Thanks!

Pine Burr Quilt Pattern

Did you know the Official State Quilt of Alabama is the Pine Burr? The quilt involves cutting fabric squares, folding the squares into triangles, and sewing the triangles to the quilt foundation fabric. One quilt could include thousands of triangles or burrs. The result is spectacular! You can make a Pine Burr Quilt using Quilter Loretta Pettway Bennett's pattern:

- Page 1 - 6 steps
- Page 2 - how to place on foundation
- Burr template

Arkansas quilter Mary Allen Smith Williams stitched this Pine Cone Quilt (photo) ca. 1950.

Star Trek Quilt

Have you heard that Christies will auction memorabilia from various Star Trek shows? I have a UFO wallhanging featuring Black Women in Space - and the USS Enterprise is one of the ships on the quilted wallhanging. I wonder if Lt. Uhura or Dr. Mae Jeminson ever quilted? Do drop a line if you have stitched a Star Trek quilt!

Nelson Mandela quilt

Beverly Ann White of Pontiac, Michigan donated her "Mr. Mandela" quilt to Michigan State University Museum - African American quilt collection - in 2003. She said the quilt reflects her "strong emotions of elation and relief I experienced when he was released from his years of captivity in South Africa. The quilt is 43 1/2 inches x 44 1/4 inches.

Check out Beverly Ann and her other quilt donation by clicking here.

Learn more. Read African American Quiltmaking in Michigan edited by Marsha MacDowell. Enjoy!

Oprah Quilt - Gorgeous!

.......................... Dateline - Shreveport, Louisiana! The Quilting Queens, Hurricane Katrina volunteers all, stitched a GORGEOUS quilt from unused donated clothes. The center of the quilt features a painted and embroidered image of Oprah Winfrey, designed by artist Larry Milner. The quilting ladies, including (from left) Dorothy Myers, Helon Cooper, Mary Howell, and Charlotte Martin, hope that Oprah accepts the quilt - shipped to Chicago last Monday.

Glad to hear folklorist Dr. Susan Roach has documented these quilters creation! What do you think about this quilt?

Check out Vickie Welborn's article in the SheveportTimes!