A Quilt Reenactment

Several months ago, I sent a little masterpiece/rescue crib quilt to Siobhan Furgurson in Georgia, because she wanted to do what I call a quilt reenactment. It's just like what Hortense Horton Beck once did, and if that name doesn't sound familiar, you probably didn't attend the AQSG Seminar in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the IQSC Museum there was a Hortense Beck replica of the famous Reconciliation quilt on display during certain times this past week. There was also a wonderful research presentation on Beck. She did the most incredible replicas of historic quilts, and a large body of her work is now part of the IQSC Museum Education Collection.

Crib quilt, c. 1840, Tennessee

After the lunch roundtable discussions on Saturday, Siobhan came over to my table and pulled out the top. I'd seen pictures, but it was even more amazing in person. Like Beck, Siobhan took a few liberties. The Russian Sunflower block in the center has an uneven number of petals in the original, and a much more sane even number in Siobhan's version. The colors are very close, not an exact match, but both versions have an exuberant, whimsical approach to color. That's what a quilt reenactment is all about - getting into the brain of the quiltmaker and experiencing a part of what they did. An amazing project!

I know Siobhan follows my blog, so I have to ask, "Siobhan, how does it feel to be mentioned in the same breath as Hortense Horton Beck?" Although Beck did much more applique than piecework, I think she might have been tempted to try a quilt reenactment with this little gem.