Coverlet 1937

This coverlet was made by Ralph Atkinson, who lived from 1855 to 1995, and it's like a whole visual world woven into fabric. The way the colors pop—reds, blues, and creams—it feels almost like a painting. You can tell there's a real process at play here, a kind of building up of layers and patterns. Looking closer, the texture is what grabs me. It's not just about the colors, but how they sit together. The way the threads intertwine must have been a really physical process. Check out the lower part of the work with the white birds on the blue background. I imagine the artist carefully choosing each thread, each movement building up these gorgeous little details. It’s so hard to pin down one meaning, you know? It reminds me a little bit of the work of contemporary textile artist Diedrick Brackens, who uses weaving as a way to explore identity and storytelling. Both artists see textiles as a space for ambiguity and multiple interpretations.