Bowtie Pattern Crib Quilt c. 1940

This Bowtie Pattern Crib Quilt was made anonymously; a labor of love perhaps! It’s mostly black and pink, and it forms this amazing pattern, almost like a secret code. I imagine the person who made this, sitting for hours, maybe in the evening, with a lamp on, carefully stitching each piece together. Thinking about color and form – not unlike me in the studio! You can almost feel the texture, the softness of the fabric, the way it folds and drapes. Each bowtie is a little gesture, and when they’re all put together, it’s like a whole conversation happening. It reminds me a bit of some of the geometric abstract paintings that were happening in the early 20th century. I bet the person who made this never thought about it that way. Artists are always talking to each other across time; we pick up ideas and pass them on. Making something with your hands like this feels good—it’s a way of thinking through your body, and that’s something that never goes out of style.