Applique Quilt 1935 - 1942

Alois E. Ulrich’s “Applique Quilt” is full of soft, repeated lozenge shapes, stitched into a grid of flowers, a bit like an orderly garden. Imagine the work that went into it. Layer upon layer of fabric, each carefully chosen and placed, built up through patient stitching, perhaps over months or even years. The texture itself invites you to imagine running your hands across the surface, feeling the give and take of the fabric. The palette is muted but warm – soft reds, yellows, and oranges, all edged with a mossy green, like the subtle shift of the seasons. The stitches create an impression of gentle order. The colors and shapes speak to a world of shared patterns and individual expression. The practice of quilt-making connects artists across time and place, each stitch a word in a collective, ongoing conversation. It shows us the way that a single piece of work can be part of a much larger story.