A group of Brooklyn quilters are redefining the way we think of the folksy blankets with their latest show, “Stitch by Stitch: Works in Fabric.” The cutting edge exhibition — on display now through Aug. 22 in Midwood — confronts issues ranging from cancer to consumer culture.
So if you’re thinking in terms of the quilts that your great-grandmother made, think again.
Pieced together by Park Slope’s Quilters’ Guild of Brooklyn and Brooklyn College, “Stitch by Stitch” showcases 25 vibrant quilts created by 22 members. Founded in 1993, the guild’s 200 members represent all ages and levels of quilting experience, yet their latest show, conveys personal and socio-political messages with skill and heart.
“Fancy Footwork” by Guild Co-president Madeleine Appell is a colorful confection inspired by the fashion world — and will be appreciated by all who harbor a shoe fetish. With a typical nine-stitch quilting pattern, Appell features atypical subject matter — each square is a window to display the latest chic and trendy shoes!
This Midwood resident told GO Brooklyn the inspiration for “Footwork” came to her after attending a Christian Louboutin exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Appell said that she wanted to create a quilt about “the power of shoes” and that she is “hoping to do more in the series.”
A quilt like “Brooklyn Neighbors,” by Lyn Hill of Carroll Gardens, is a feel-good piece, made of rich green and brown fabric, that celebrates racial and ethnic diversity in Kings County. The center of the quilt reflects the borough’s shape, while the faces of children representing many nationalities comprise the quilt’s borders.
“Stitch by Stitch” also features works that deal with harsher realities of life. “Laughing in the Face of Adversity” by Lenni Abel, a former co-president of the Quilters’ Guild who died in February, highlights a series of tragic events that plagued her family.
In her artist’s statement — poignantly titled “I’m a Survivor” — Abel wrote, “When crisis after crisis began to inundate my family, my creative life became my outlet. A way to maintain my sanity as well as a source of healing.”
In the quilt, “Laughing,” Abel incorporated smiling photographs of herself without hair — lost to cancer treatments.
Ranging in mood from festive to melancholy, this quilt exhibit doesn’t feature your common bedspreads. “Stitch by Stitch” breaks away from traditional quilting patterns, using life’s journey as its source material.
“Stitch by Stitch: Works in Fabric” is on display now through Aug. 22 at the Brooklyn College library (2900 Bedford Ave. at Avenue H in Midwood). The show is open Mondays and Thursdays, from 9 am to 6 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9 am to 9 pm, and Fridays, from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Visitors must provide identification to enter.
For more information, call (718) 951-5336. For more information about the Quilters’ Guild of Brooklyn, visit www.quiltbrooklyn.org or call (718) 623-9326.
