Applique Bedspread c. 1937

Mary Berner made this *Applique Bedspread* sometime in the 20th century. It has these amazing earth tones, deep greens, and burnt oranges. It’s a drawing, a study for a quilt, I think. I just love how each element seems carefully placed, like she’s mapping out a garden with her hands. I can imagine Mary Berner sitting at her table, sketching out these floral designs. It is like she is imagining the soft folds of fabric and the texture of the threads. You know, how painting can be this dance between control and letting go? There is this conversation happening between each patch, between the edge and the center. Each choice creates a new possibility, a new path to explore. You can see her intention, and what’s cool is that she may have gotten something else in the process. It’s as if she were having this ongoing conversation with herself. Quilts, like paintings, invite us into a world of endless possibilities.