A Masque for every season,

Where we would kiss and play

In gardens once called Eden

The reaper maketh hay.  

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Once upon a time in New York at the Museum of Modern Art amongst all the imposing art of the New and old World. I stumbled upon a faded but beautiful wall hanging by the indentured slaves of Gee’s Bend Alabama, working on a small cotton plantation. The women made quilts in their downtime and sang gospel songs around a frame creating stunning art (craft) objects from the 1850s until the present. Using old American flags and worn out dungarees patchworked together, this was early upscaling. I was emboldened to invest in a nice electric Brother sewing machine and start sewing.

At Art school I used to use my Granny’s old foot pedal Singer to alter clothes.  Jump forward to now and I have created several quite large hangings. So this little lockdown-related square comes from that wellspring and I’m still making wall hangings. The women of Gee’s Bend are still making beautiful quilts as the tradition goes on - some individually famous in their own right and selling for high prices. In that spirit I’m proud be part of this collective of lockdown artists and see all their ideas joined as one.