Applique Quilt c. 1936

This applique quilt, stitched by an anonymous artist, is so full of care and attention. I can almost feel the maker's hands guiding the needle, coaxing these shapes into being. Look at the way the pink petals pop against that pale, greyed-out ground. What a choice! It reminds me of the quiet hum of Agnes Martin's grids, but then BAM! Those playful floral bursts inject so much life. I imagine the maker hunched over their work, lost in concentration, finding solace in the repetitive motion. Like Morandi arranging his bottles, it's a meditation, a way of making sense of the world through color and form. Each stitch holds a little piece of their spirit. Maybe they were thinking of springtime, of gardens bursting into bloom, or maybe just enjoying the tactile pleasure of fabric between their fingers. What I see is that they were dreaming.