Friendship Quilt c. 1937

Florence Truelson made this quilt, probably in the middle of the 20th century, with fabric and thread and a whole lotta love. It's a field of muted colors – pale reds, greens, blues – each square a little world. The texture’s what gets me, though. Look at those stitches, how they catch the light, making each patch subtly different. You can almost feel the hours she spent, the rhythm of the needle, the stories sewn in. I mean, check out the square with the American flag—it's like a tiny, tender tribute. The thread is thin, almost transparent in places, thick and knotted in others. It's like she’s not trying to hide the process but embrace it, let it be part of the story. This work reminds me of Gee’s Bend quilts, those incredible textiles made by a community of women in Alabama. Like those quilts, this one isn’t just about keeping warm; it’s about community, memory, and making something beautiful out of scraps. Art is about sharing ideas, right?