A Bud On Earth

On Earth a Bud. Crayon on fabric; vintage lace, linens, and buttons. hand and free motion machine embroidery; beads and artificial flowers from a local cemetery arrangement.)


The rubbings on this piece came from Birmingham, UK; Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA; Colma, California; and Wiscasset, Maine. While working, I think about the various decades and locations from which these gravestones come. It is amazing; we are all connected....all over the world and throughout time...in our common passage from life.


To read the original September 7, 2009 blog post about this art quilt and view the images that can be clicked on for enlargement, please click HERE!


(Above: Detail of A Bud on Earth, including the tiny artificial flowers collected recently from the cemetery dumpster. Below: Reverse of A Bud on Earth.)

Skull and Crossbones

(Above: Skull and Crossbones, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 13" x 13 1/2". Crayon on silk collaged with doily and severely light-damaged, recycled fabric; buttons, hand and free-motion machine embroidery.

(Above: Skull and Crossbones, reverse.)

To read the original October 8, 2009 blog post about this art quilt and view the images that can be enlarged, please click HERE!

Greatfully Dead

(Above: Greatfully Dead. Grave Rubbing Art Quilt. 11 1/4" x 17". Crayon on silk collaged with vintage doily and recycled materials. Hand and free motion embroidery.)

(Reverse of Greatfully Dead.)

To read the original October 8, 2009 blog post about this art quilt and view the images that can be enlarged, please click HERE!

Cats Leave Pawprints on Our Hearts

(Above: Cats Leave Pawprints on our Hearts. Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. 12 3/4" x 15 1/2". Crayon on fabric rubbing from Pet's Rest, a pet cemetery in Colma, CA on the back of a Decision Portrait Series piece that didn't work out....recycled! Vintage buttons and doily. Hand stitching. This is the only one in the series with any "color"; it seemed appropriate.)



To read the original October 4, 2009 blog post about this art quilt and view the images that can be clicked on for enlargement, please click HERE!


(Above: Cats Leave Pawprints on Our Hearts. Reverse.)

Here Rests the Body

(Above: Here Rests the Body, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 17" x 13". Crayon on fabric grave rubbing done in Birmingham, UK. Vintage doily. Hand stitching.)



To read the original October 4, 2009 blog post about this art quilt and view the images that can be enlarged, please click HERE!


(Above: Here Rests the Body, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. Reverse.)

Young, Strong, Beautiful

(Above: Young, Strong, Beautiful, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series. 14" x 12 1/4". Crayon on fabric grave rubbing done in Birmingham, UK collaged with vintage handkerchief and Victorian era black lace. Buttons purchased while in Austria. Hand stitched.)




To read the original October 4, 2009 blog post with images that enlarge, please visit HERE!

(Above: Young, Strong, Beautiful, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series, reverse.)

Here Lyeth the Body: Grave Rubbing Quilt Series

(Above: Here Lyeth the Body, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. 23 1/4" x 26". Crayon on fabric, vintage tablecloth, hand and free motion machine embroidery. Batting: Recycled black felt. Reverse: Vintage quilt top and linen.)



To read the original August 24th post with images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement, please go HERE.


I stitched most of this Grave Rubbing Quilt while riding in the car to and from Washington, DC. The free motion machine embroidery, edges, and back were completed upon my return. The "black" crayon rubbings came from Eccles, UK....just outside Manchester. The "brown" crayon rubbings came from Birmingham. The heavy kantha styled running stitch, however, had almost obliterated the embroidery that decorated the tablecloth. I used a black crayon to bring out the highlights and am really pleased how the "grayer" shade really helped tie the elements together.

Sacred

(Sacred, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. 18" x 31". Crayon on fabric grave rubbing on severely light damaged, old office curtain with an overlay of 19th c. black lace; recycled black felt; vintage buttons. Hand and free motion machine embroidery. Click on image to enlarge.)


To read the original, August 5th blog entry with images that can be "clicked on" for enlarge, please go HERE!



I made this grave rubbing in the cemetery outside Chester Cathedral in England. The stone was flat on the ground, weathered, and used as part of the public walking area around the building. It dated from the early 19th century (circa 1820) and had the largest and most ornately carved word, "Sacred". Amazingly (and probably because it was flat on the ground!), I got this excellent impression.


The words on the gravestone were generally selected by a family member or mourner. They represent a then "present day" statement about a loved one who just became part of "the past". Yet, these words address those who come in "the future"....like me...like all those who will come once I, too, am part of the past. I love this notion of shifting time....past, present, and future all captured in the words left in a cemetery.

Using recycled and vintage household linens is part of my part to express this notion of time. The aprons, tea towels, pillowcases, buttons, lace, doilies, and recycled material all had a completely different "life" in the "past". I am using them in my "present" and hoping that they will be seen now and also in "the future". (I hope this makes sense!)

Death the Divider

(Above: Death the Divider, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. Crayon on fabric. Hand and free-motion machine embroidery. Vintage pillowcase with crochet and severely light damaged materil. Vintage buttons. 38 1/2" x 19 1/2". Detail below.)

From the original, July 27th blog post with images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement:

This piece was mostly stitched in Minnesota. I returned to finish the free-motion work, add the buttons, and create the unique back from vintage linens. I'm particularly happy about the new "sleeve". Until the workshop at the University of Minnesota, I didn't realize that the sleeve needed to incorporate "space" for the hanging rod. (This seems pretty obvious now....but I just didn't "get it"....probably because I don't actually hang all this on my own walls.)

Obviously, I remain under the kantha stitch spell. This piece is really "thick". I use recycled black felt from a kayak shop for the center. Most stitches were done a "poke at a time"....but, even so it was very mediative. Also, this was the first grave rubbing quilt that I didn't free motion around the individual letters. The words came from Birmingham, UK (I think?) and the floral pattern came from Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.

He Who Is

(Above: He Who Is, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. 32 1/2" x 22". Crayon on fabric rubbing with free motion and hand embroidery. Vintage buttons.)

I made this grave rubbing in the Serbian Cemetery in Colma, California. It is the largest single rubbing I've ever attempted and it turned out fabulously. Thus, it became a whole quilt. As I've recently learned, a whole quilt is created using a single piece of fabric for the top layer. It is generally white; has no patchwork or applique; and relies on the stitching for its ornamentation. Well, the fabric isn't exactly white and the stitching is simply the kantha running stitches and there is a design.....but, by and large, this is a whole quilt! I did the hand stitching during last week's trip to England. Once home, I finished it with vintage buttons, buttonhole stitches, and a unique reverse made of old household linens.

(Above: Detail of front. Below: Reverse, vintage linens and apron.)

The title is a rough translation of the letters found in the halo. The other letters, beside the halo spell "Jesus Christ". The original, July 11, 2009 blog post with images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement, is HERE!

Reverence

(Reverence. Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. Crayon on taffeta. Hand and free motion machine embroidery. 25" x 20 1/4". Vintage buttons.

From the original, June 23rd blog post:

Just put me in a car for a seven-and-a-half to eight hour one-way drive and then back again! I love riding....looking out the window....and especially STITCHING! This newest piece in the Grave Rubbing Quilt series was merely basted before our trip to Washington, DC. My idea of basting is a few lines of free motion stitching...which remain. Since returning home, I added the buttons, cut a vintage tablecloth for the reverse, and buttonhole stitched the edges. Otherwise, the piece was done in the car. That's lots and lots of kantha stitching....running stitches that unite layers of fabric. It's very meditative.

(Above: Detail of front. Below: Reverse)
This art quilt was named after an Internet request by Ruth in Montana.

Take Ye Heed

(Above: Take Ye Heed, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. Crayon on fabric rubbing collaged with vintage and assorted lace and linens. Hand and free motion machine embroidery. Words: Take Ye Heed. Watch and Pray for ye know not when the time is. Mark XIII.)


From the original blog post with images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement:

On June 17th I finished the newest piece in the Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a shot of the reverse which once was a card table/bridge tablecloth. The rubbing was made in the old Warstone Lane cemetery in Birmingham, England. Most of the linens and lace were from my "stash" (which is starting to dwindle! Yikes!) The two hand dyed pieces of lace were a gift from Linda Lynch. I hope she likes how I've put them to use!

Never Accurate But Never Dull

(Above: Never Accurate But Never Dull, Grave Rubbing Quilt Series. 24" x 18". Crayon on silk grave rubbing collaged with vintage lace on severely light damaged curtains. Hand and free-motion machine embroidery.

This quilt was accepted by juror Paul Kaufman into the regional exhibition at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth, GA from September 24 – October 26, 2009. The show, Fiber Artistry - Journey of the Imagination is sponsored by The Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild.


From the original, May 25th blog post about this art quilt:

Looking back, cemeteries have always been a fascination. Chiseled gravestones, flags and flowers, and a place for remembrances have always been important to me. Now, however, I'm deeply involved in an art series using grave rubbings, epitaphs, and photos from these sacred places. It just happened to be Memorial Day weekend when this creative adventure took us to our nation's capital and Arlington National Cemetery.

While at Arlington, I wandered off by myself....barefoot. It just seemed right. This is often how I walk through cemeteries. I've had some comments/emails about "respect" with regards to grave rubbings. Please note, I don't use any of the names; I pick up litter as I go; I pray; I step quietly and barefoot...though, yes, upon the grave site. This artistic work is being made and collected with my utmost respect.

Then, I stitched the entire way home....on another Grave Rubbing Quilt....Never Accurate But Never Dull. While this isn't the sort of thing I might want left said of my life, the words spoke volumes to me. These appeared to be words left by a husband for his cherished wife. The vintage lace and crocheted glove just seemed perfect for it.

(Above: Detail of front. Below: Reverse.)

Dove of Peace

(Above: Dove of Peace, Grave Rubbing Series. 14" x 18". Black crayon on taffeta, recycled felt, vintage linen backing; antique lace; beads; hand and free motion machine embroidery.)

The original blog post with an image that can be "clicked on" for enlargement is HERE and includes this paragraph:

This grave rubbing was done from three different stones in the Presidio Military Cemetery in San Francisco. It is only the second piece in the series that isn't a collage; it's a "whole quilt"....I think(?) I've really only been quilting since last fall and am not sure about all the proper vocabulary. Whatever it is....there's only one piece of material making up the top layer. I didn't actually "plan" the design; I just liked how these rubbings looked without snipping them apart first. When I put the antique lace in place, I knew my design was complete. For some reason, I didn't do a lot of handwork on this small art quilt. I don't think it needed it.

Colma....City of the Dead

The Grave Rubbing Quilt Series took me to Colma, California....City of the Dead....with its seventeen cemeteries and an entire weekend devoted to discovering more epitaphs, creating more grave rubbings, and especially immersing myself into the theme for the future exhibit and artwork. The blog post about this important trip is HERE!

Be Ye Also Ready

(Above: Grave Rubbing Quilt Series: Be Ye Also Ready. Crayon grave rubbing on fabric collaged onto vintage black lace over severely sun damaged curtains. Recycled felt center, vintage buttons, hand and machine embroidery. 24" x 18".)

From the May 13th blog post about this art quilt:
My love affair with kantha stitching...those wonderful running stitches that unite recycled fabrics....is as strong as ever. The taupe colored material once hung as drapery in an office. The black felt quilt center (batting) once protected a kayak or canoe being shipped to River Runner, a local outdoor sporting store. The lace...well...it's vintage. These materials have all had other uses but were stitched together as a quilt....lots of stitches. Only the outlines of the letters and some of the grave rubbing details were stitched in free motion machine embroidery. The rest....all handwork!
To access the original post and its images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement, please go HERE!

Touring a Funeral Home

By April 2009 the Grave Rubbing Series had expanded into a plan for a solo exhibition at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. This setting is also the location of my studio. The grave rubbing quilts and a related, hanging installation of free-motion embroidered epitaphs on sheer chiffon will become part of "Last Words and the Blues", a two-part exhibit. The main gallery will showcase Blues Chapel. The atrium will become "the cemetery". To further my knowledge and stimulate my creativity, I visited Shive's Funeral Home in March 2009. That blog post can be accessed HERE! The test for the hanging installation can be accessed HERE!

Killed Instantly

(Grave Rubbing Quilt Series, Killed Instantly. 24 1/2" x 24". Running stitch in wool. Vintage doily with embroidered poppies and vintage lace and linens on severely light damaged material salvaged from an old office window. Grave rubbings made with crayon on silk with words: Born 1817. Killed instantly in front of Petersburg, Va. June 22, 1864. Brave Christian Solider Fare Thee Well.)

The original blog post about this work can be found HERE with images that can be "clicked on" for enlargement.

The text included:This Grave Rubbing Series piece was finished March 17, 2009. I'm totally in love with the repetitive and soothing motion of the kantha stitch....running stitches that meld layers into one. This piece has triggered many thoughts about the words selected for graves. Obviously, these words speak of the raw emotions of a distraught family. I can't, however, think the man would have really wanted to be remembered quite for this one event! There must have been more to him than his death! As a result, I've been collecting epitaphs...scribbled in my notebook...stewing in my brain for future work. I've also started a very, very large grave rubbing quilt. I'll have to post images while it progresses as I can't possibly finish it anytime soon! The poppies are a perfect touch. As a Girl Scout, I remember selling artificial poppies on Veteran's Day to benefit the VA hospital. To learn more about the Poppy Story, click here.

(Above and below: Additional details.)