The Pictorial Quilt

 

My progress on The Pictorial Quilt by Harriet Powers.

 

 

The descriptive captions are just as Harriet wrote them so many years ago.

Block 4...

Adam and Eve in the garden. 

 Eve Tempted by the serpent. 

 Adam's rib by which Eve was made.

The sun and the moon. 

 God's all seeing eye and God's merciful hand.

 

 

John baptizing Christ and the spirit of God descending

and rested upon his shoulder like a dove.

 

Jonah casted over board of the ship and swallowed by a whale.

Turtles.

 

Once again this is the pattern book that I'm using to reproduce this historical quilt. 

My Progress...Harriet Power's Pictorial Quilt

 

The original Pictorial Quilt, courtesy of

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts

 

I finished the third block.

This block depicts the serpent lifted up by Moses

 and women bringing their children to look upon it to be healed.

Stitching on the fourth block which has much more applique.

This block depicts Adam and Eve in the garden.

Adam's rib by which Eve was made.

The sun and the moon.

God's all seeing eye and

God's merciful hand.

 



 

The Pattern Book from the Museum of Fine Arts that

I'm using to make the quilt.

 



 

I plan to buy this book. It documents the history of Harriet

and her Bible Quilt along with her Pictorial Quilt. 
I was surprised to learn that Harriet stitched her applique down with
a sewing machine. 

Harriet Power's Pictorial Quilt

 

I'm putting the finishing stiches to the binding on Baskets, Berries and Leaves, so I thought I would pick up the stitching on Harriet Power's Pictorial quilt.  I last worked on it in 2014 and it has been a goal of mine to reproduce such a remarkable quilt from 1898.  This image of the entire quilt is courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

 

I'm using A Pattern Book from the Boston Museum.

 

The design is primitive and the applique is crude in some parts, but reflects Harriet's story of biblical incidents with local folktales.  I have Mary Lyon's book, Stitching Stars which traces the life of Harriet Powers, a African American slave, folk artist and quilt maker from Georgia.  Her book details a wonderful history of Harriet, her life and her only other story quilt, The Bible quilt.

 

A close-up of the third block that I'm working on.

 

The first two blocks that I finished back in 2014.  I'm trying to reproduce the quilt in the same color and manner that it was originally stitched.

The Pictorial Quilt by Harriet Powers

 

I've admired this Pictorial quilt by Harriet Powers for years.  I started reproducing it several years ago, didn't get very far and have now decided to pick it up again.  Harriet Powers was an African - American slave, folk artist and quilt maker from rural Georgia who stitched this quilt between 1895 and 1898.  Her applique blocks tell biblical and celestial stories in a bold folk art style. Photo is courtesy of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

 

A Pattern book from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts that I had purchased with only line drawings to reproduce the blocks.  I scan the print on my computer and enlarge each block to a size that comes close to the original and approximate the design and layout.

 

 

I'm prepping block three. 

 

 

The descriptive caption from Harriet describes block three as 'the serpent lifted up by Moses and women bringing their children to look upon it to be healed'.

 

 

The first two blocks that I have completed.  Block one depicts 'Job praying for his enemies.  Job's crosses.  Job's coffin.  Block two depicts 'The dark day of May 19, 1780.  The seven stars were seen 12.N. in the day.  The cattle all went to bed, chickens to roost and the trumpet was blown.  The sun went off to a small spot and then to darkness'.

Harriet Powers, Pictorial Quilt Block Two

I finished the second block from the Pictorial Quilt and added the sashing between my first two blocks.  The blocks are large, about 21" square.

My inspiration from the original, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The words that Harriet wrote to describe the second block.

The dark day of May 19, 1780.

The seven stars were seen 12 N in the day.

The cattle wall went to bed, chickens to roost and the trumpet was blown.

The sun went off to a small spot and then to darkness.

Pictorial Quilt and Collector Series on Ebay

I was able to prep the second block of the Pictorial Quilt from Harriet Powers.  The background fabric is from an old faded shirt of Jim's that I pieced.

A picture of the original block, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston.

I was listening to music while I prepped the block upstairs with the cats asleep on some old quilts to keep me company.  Of course Bailey was snoring, could barely hear my music, and looks like he's snoring in Sidney's ear.

It looks like there are patterns from the Collector Series for sale on Ebay, doesn't look like the entire series, but you might want to have a look.  The seller's ID is peanutsgang.

Old Quilts

I continue to work on washing quilts and even labeling those that I failed to do so when they were first made.  This one I guess should be called Fused Bird since I actually fused all the applique, one little leg is peeled off, but from the fabrics, Red Wagon fabrics, I remember that it was probably made around 1995.  So that will go on the label, close enough.

Sunflower quilt, have no idea where I found the pattern or if this is actually the name, but it is all needle turn applique, so must have come after the Fused Birds, also has Red Wagon fabrics, so 1995 something.  That is also close enough.

Looks like a mess, I cut out the templates for the second block of the Pictorial Quilt from Harriet Powers.  I had just enough fabric for the black background from an old shirt.  Faded nicely for the look I want.

Sitting here at the computer, looking out the window, watching it snow, big, fat, wet flakes. 

Ode to Harriet Powers

I finished the first block of Harriet Powers' Pictorial Quilt.  I "cheated", I just couldn't make progress on those last four stars and the points, so I fused them.  I'm a traditional applique person, needle turn, always, but after seeing the stars and stitching a tiny whip stitch to the edges, may have to change my views about fusing.

Anyway, while on Pinterest, my visual quilt book, found a link
to a quilter that I had never heard of, Peggie Hartwell.  She has stitched a wonderful quilt called Ode to Harriet Powers.  Here's the link, 

http://www.peggiehartwell.com/gallery.html

And another link, a blog, sad to say it no longer exists since the posts are from 2010.  A post regarding Harriet Powers and "Identity".  As in, "when you express yourself or create art, do you think the end result says something about your identity?"  So do you make quilts to express your identity?

http://www.bcayouthstudio.blogspot.com/

Raining this morning, a view from the window, snow on the mountain top across the hill and clouds below.

Progress on the Pictorial Quilt and Wildlife of Course

Almost finished appliqueing the first block from Harriet Power's Pictorial Quilt, not easy, those tiny points, using the needle turn method.  Have the four at the top to finish, won't look so orange when they are covered by a white floral circle. 

Once again, the original, courtesy of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  Looking ahead to the next block, need to find some black muslin or a solid homespun that doesn't scream, needs to be slightly faded.

Bailey, of course he has to be in the room with his second Mum,

Sidney being his first, set up on not one quilt, but two and a heating pad and he's snoring so loud that Sidney and I both left the room when he was having a cat dream.

My view from my window as I sit at the computer.  The sheep surprised me by climbing the rock ledge below the house and looking like they weren't pleased.  Something had scared them from the lower meadow.

So they stayed close to the house, I could have smelled them if I had opened a window, not that they smell bad,  a little one looking at me thru the window, see the tiny horns, both females and males have them at this stage.  As they get older the horns on the males get huge.

They are at ease now, all worries gone as they graze.

Projects and Snow

I started back on my Imperial Blooms BOM 2011from Sue Spargo.  This is the July installment.  Making a few small changes as I stitch.  

Progress on the Pictorial quilt from Harriet Powers, my fingers were cramping from stitching those tiny points.

And finally, snowing, all day. This is looking out to the upper meadow and the cliffs to the side of the house.  Jim use to take me on a round about hike to get to the top, a tough climb no matter how you look at it.  One of the cats decided to scale it one day, it was hours before we were able to get her down.  I think she was grounded for a few days.

Block One from the Pictorial Quilt from Harriet Powers

This is a closeup of block one from the Pictorial Quilt, courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 

As described by Harriet Powers, the first block,

Job praying for his enemies.  Jobs crosses.  Jobs coffin.

Using my Pattern Book to scan the images and enlarge them and then I use the computer monitor like a light box to trace the applique pieces onto freezer paper.

I'm using my stash to make the quilt, spent the last two days searching for fabric in two boxes of scraps, big boxes.  So funny, or not, that I recognized fabric from 20 years ago.  Trying to stay close to the color range from the original, but more intent in using the fabrics that I have.

My Pattern Book Arrived

 The Pattern Book for Harriet Powers's Pictorial quilt arrived yesterday.  I'm lingering over each page, the quotations for each panel, and the wonderful drawings from Harriet.

One of my favorite panels so far, a dove, since the doves had sent Jim on his final journey.  The caption reads, "John baptising Christ and the spirit of God descending and rested upon his shoulder like a dove."

Harriet Powers, A Pattern Book

I was amazed, stunned to see this pattern book on Ebay for Harriet Powers' Pictorial Quilt.  I didn't even know a pattern book of either of her Bible quilts existed. I did a search and found one more on Amazon.  I almost fell out of my chair at the price on Amazon, and then a few days later saw that it was sold.  Back to Ebay, watched it, watched it some more.  I  felt that feeling one gets when you know you have to make a certain quilt.  Not as expensive, but.  So I watched it some more.  I would be upset with myself if I didn't buy it.  Only a few copies are out there,  and one is in the Smithsonian Library.  The pattern book was drafted by an employee of the Boston Museum back in 1973.  All the appliques are drafted and includes all the captions written by Harriet Powers back in 1898 when she completed the quilt.  I hit that bid button on Ebay and knew it was going to be mine. 

I'm waiting for this treasure of a book to arrive and to start the search for the fabrics to reproduce it.  I'm pleased that I have purchased history and am looking forward to making it a priority of reproducing it in all it's aged beauty.

Bible and Story Quilts by Harriet Powers

 Thanks to Kathie from Inspired by Antique Quilts, I bought this little book last year because I was overwhelmed after seeing the two quilts that Harriet Powers made back in the late 1880's depicting scenes from the bible and her own life stories. Lots of information in this little book about Harriet Powers and the stories behind her images. So after receiving lots of lots of photos from Kathie that she had taken at a museum of the Pictorial quilt a few weeks ago, which is the one on the cover, I have put it on my mission of quilts to produce.  The second picture is the Bible quilt.

I went to the big city yesterday for a doc appointment, went very well, and while there, was able to buy the background fabric for which ever quilt I decide to make, it's Roclon muslin, a fabric Cherie told me about, good quality muslin and a great price.  Drying it now and it feels aged, that's a good thing, will use it also to back Jim's Cross quilt so I can finish it.  I have three more cross quilts to make for his family.  I can tell when I talk to them that they would like to have something made from one of his shirts.