Coverlet c. 1941

This coverlet was made by Regina Henderer, who lived from 1855 to 1995, using needle and thread. It's like a sampler, a testing ground where the maker tries out different stitches and designs. The colors are muted, faded blues and reds, which gives it a sense of age and history. You can almost smell the attic where it was stored, right? I am really drawn to the cross stitched name, ANN TINKER, that runs vertically, next to the edge of the coverlet. The stitchwork is so even and controlled that it feels like the artist is making a statement about her own identity, like she's carefully writing her name in the world. I think of someone like Rosie Lee Tompkins, who took quilting to another level. Quilts, like paintings, are never really finished but exist as places of continuous possibility.