December exhibit quilt 1

A number of months ago, Sisters in Cloth decided on two new themes for exhibits. In this post I will write about a challenge from Vivika Hansen Denegre, who we are proud to say is Quilting Arts Magazine editor, to make a quilt based upon our choice from the collection of postage stamps left to her.  We all pored over the selection that filled several cigar boxes and picked some we thought we could work with for our quilts. 

My choices: Dag Hammarskjöld stamps because the former head of the United Nations died in a plane crash the same day my grandfather died too young of a heart attack (September 18, 1961)--both Scandinavians. I think am the only person I know who knows the date Hammarskjöld died--or even remembers who he was. He was very well liked in my family in spite of the rivalry between Norwegians (us) and Swedes. 

Being a former R.N., I also picked a few stamps with nursing themes.

However, I had trouble getting truly inspired. The grandfather/Hammarskjöld theme didn't work as planned--I had pictured something that combined depictions of the two men. The nursing theme muse was also avoiding me. 

Then Hurricane Sandy happened.

And the American Red Cross was there, as it has been in so many other devastating events. When I was a child, one of my favorite biographies was that of Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross. Clara Barton stamps had to be the background. The appliques are old photos that I copied and printed on fabric. The two little girls are me (right) and my friend Joan, with whom I remain friends to this day in spite of geographical distances over the years of varying degrees. My mother made the nurse uniforms for us, and embroidered the red crosses. The other photo is me, many moons ago, my graduation photo from nursing school.

This small quilt was exhibited  at the Guilford Free Library in December.

Other postage stamp quilts made by Sisters in cloth members Debra Bento and Gail Kotowski, Carol Ludington, Yvette Howard and Robin Wolek,  Barb Adams, and Diane Wright are below. 

As usual, the variety of styles of our members made for a very interesting exhibit.