Anonymous

Anonymous. 49" x 47". Crayon grave rubbing on 1930s child's slip collaged with scraps of vintage household linens on old drawn-work tablecloth. Hand and free-motion machine embroidery. To read more about this art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE.

At Rest in Arkansas

At Rest in Arkansas. 16" x 17". Crayon rubbing on silk collaged with vintage household linens. Hand and free motion machine embroidery. To read more about this art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE.

Forever

Forever. 22" x 26". Crayon on silk grave rubbing, recycled wedding gown, free motion machine and hand embroidery, beading. To read more about this art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Gone But Not Forgotten. 14" x 22 3/4". Crayon on silk grave rubbing, leftover material, recycled acrylic felt (batting), vintage linens (reverse) and antique/vintage buttons. Free motion machine and hand stitching. To read more about this art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE. There are three art quilts in this post.

The Weeping Willow

The Weeping Willow. 26 1/4" x 34 1/2". Crayon on silk grave rubbing, fabric donated by a friend, recycled acrylic felt (batting), and vintage household linens (reverse). Free motion machine and hand stitching. To read more about this art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE and scroll down. There are three art quilts in this blog post.

The Cemetery

The Cemetery. 68" x 55". Whole cloth quilt of crayon grave rubbings, free motion machine embroidered; recycled acrylic white felt (batting); vintage household linens (reverse). Grave Rubbings made in Nottingham, England. To read more about this art quilt with many images (all of which can be enlarged), please click HERE and scroll down. There are three art quilts in this blog post.

Charles Otis, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Charles Otis, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 46" x 38". Crayon grave rubbing, hand and free motion machine embroidery, vintage crochet, vintage damask and doily for reverse, assorted buttons.)

Before Valentine's Day, I got permission from the Unitarian Church in Charleston to make a grave rubbing of Otis Charles' tombstone. This was a really big deal because almost all the downtown cemeteries have posted rules prohibiting rubbings. (I blogged about it here.)

This is the first time I've ever made a rubbing from an entire grave. It is also the first time that I've included a full name with dates too. Thus, it seemed fitting to title the art quilt with the deceased's name ... Charles Otis.

To read more about this Grave Rubbing Art Quilt with plenty of detail photos ... all of which can be enlarged, please CLICK HERE.

Memory, Postcard for Skirt Magazine Scholarship Fund

(Above: Memory, a postcard. 4" x 6". Crayon on silk grave rubbings. Hand and free motion machine embroidery.)

Skirt Magazine in Charleston, SC hosted an exhibit and one-night sale of postcards to benefit their scholarship fund for the College of Charleston. I made the postcard above, submitted it for consideration, and it was accepted. The coolest thing about the show is that each postcard cost $75 but the artist's name only appeared on the reverse side ... which will not be seen during the event.

To read more about this postcard Grave Rubbing art quilt with an image that can be enlarged, click HERE.

Memory, A SAQA auction art quilt

(Above: Memory, a miniature Grave Rubbing Art Quilt. 11 3/4" x 11 1/2". Crayon on silk grave rubbings collaged on a vintage handkerchief with bits of crochet. Hand and free motion machine embroidery.)

This miniature art quilt is going to the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) annual benefit auction. I've never participated in this event...but have only heard wonderful things about it. To read more about it on a blog post with images that can be enlarged, click HERE.

Endless Life, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Endless Life, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt. 38" x 33". Crayon on silk rubbings on repurposed painter's drop cloth. Hand and free motion machine embroidery.)

I made three of the rubbings (the folk art angels/skull) for Endless Life while in Lydford, England. The markers were from the late 18th century. Two of the other angels date from the same time period but were in Maine. The epitaph, however, comes from Rock Creek Park Cemetery in Washington, DC.


(Above: Endless Life, detail.)

The background of this piece is sort of special too. I friend here in Columbia, Libby Gamble, moved to California to pursue an MFA in photography. She gave me her stash of vintage clothing, material, and other assorted fabrics....including an old painter's drop cloth. I don't think I could have intentionally created a more perfect ground for these rubbings. Occasionally, I'd hit a patch of more solid, acrylic paint through which it was harder to stitch....but it was worth it!


(Above: Endless Life, reverse. Vintage embroidered cloth on vintage damask.)

To read more about this Grave Rubbing Art Quilt with additional images that can be enlarged, please CLICK HERE!

Deep in Dust, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Deep in Dust, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 36 1/2" x 23 1/2". Crayon on silk grave rubbing, vintage linens and lace, hand and free motion machine embroidery.)

The rubbing for Deep in Dust was made in the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC. The actual tombstone was quite wide and the epitaph appeared in only four lines. Of course, I split each line into two when creating the rubbing. While stitching, I thought I'd somehow made a mistake.


"Withering" isn't spelled "withring".

I checked my photos though...and in 1802 someone chiseled it in without the "e". Since then, an apostrophe was drawn in its place...but not carved into the stone. Thus, there is no indentation. I left my quilt the way it originally appeared!


(Above: Deep in Dust, detail.)

To read more about this Grave Rubbing Art Quilt with additional images that can be enlarged, please CLICK HERE.

Annamaria, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Annamaria, A Grave Rubbing Art Quilt. Crayon on silk rubbing, vintage linens, buttons, hand and free-motion machine embroidery.)

This the first time I've ever included the name and dates. It is also the first time the rubbing came from a relative's grave....well, not a "blood relative". Annamaria was my Aunt Margaret's sister. Aunt Margaret married my Dad's older brother, my Uncle Mathias....for whom my elder son is named. (They had no children.)

The grave is in the little town of Udvari, Hungary....a place I visited with my Mom, Dad, and sister Wanda this past summer (2010).


(Above: Annamaria, reverse.)

Some of these vintage linen pieces on the reverse were given to me by Connie Akers in Texas. To read more about this Grave Rubbing Art Quilt with additional images that can be enlarged, please click HERE.

In Loving Memory Of, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt

(Above: Loving Memory Of, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt. Crayon on silk with vintage household linens. Hand and machine embroidery. 24" x 27".)

Loving Memory Of was made using several different tombstones while visiting Nottingham, England. (I blogged about the trip....with photos of the amazing cemetery....one of the most beautiful I've ever visited, HERE!) I am totally in debt to cyber friend Julie for suggesting we meet in this location. I dream of returning to the intricately carved slate with even larger pieces of silk. To read more about this Grave Rubbing Art quilt with images that can be enlarged, please click HERE.