Fibre artist Sandy Simmelink shares the story of Honoring the Ladies (the quilt shown above), made to honour an 1800s Kentucky quilter she had researched, and then entered into the National Juried Show 2024 in Edmonton. Sandy’s homage to the important women in her life won first place in the Traditional category.
My quilt, Honoring the Ladies, has undertaken a long journey! What started as a research project with the American Quilt Study Group turned into a quilt that honours the ladies in my own history, along with a Kentucky quilter that I researched, Martha Virginia Crittenden Winchester. As the 2023 AQSG seminar was held in Kentucky, I wanted to see if I could find a quilter from that state. Since I love crazy quilts, I thought these two things were a good starting point. The Quilt Index, an online repository of quilts was my next step. I found my quilter there.
Martha was an astounding Kentucky matriarch, who lived from 1831 through 1913. She was a seamstress and had a sewing business in her house for her entire life. I went back to Martha’s life during the Civil War in Lexington, Kentucky. I learned of a harrowing brush with death from a Confederate soldier, and her feisty response when they asked her to feed 50 of them! The connectivity of sewing traveled through generations starting with her mother, Martha, and her daughter Josephine. The dressmaking business was a theme providing stable income through precarious turbulent times—while providing jobs for 40 orphans (from the Cholera epidemic of 1818)—for the Lexington society women.
Twice yearly trips to New York City for luxurious dress fabrics provided the source and variety for Martha’s crazy quilts; her skill and creative mind provided the motivation. She had the time, the skill, and the means (scraps!) to make them! Martha made at least four fantastic crazy quilts and, luckily for me, three of them were loaded into The Quilt Index as part of The Kentucky Quilt Project. Like a pebble in a slingshot, I was launched on a creative journey, that led to two relatives (great great granddaughters), Carole Petrey Yonts and Lesley McWilliams, previously unknown to each other, and against all odds, my precious study quilt!
I longed to see a picture of her, and am grateful Lesley found several! I preserved Martha’s story, pictures of her and her quilt on the back of my quilt, and the ladies in my own life, on the front. All women endured hardships, came out stronger, and I felt it a rare privilege to honour the ladies all in my response to “Bessie’s Quilt,” including creating a heartfelt poem preserved in cloth for future generations.
At the seminar in Louisville, Kentucky, I met Lesley, Carole, and their sister Katherine. Lesley brought the study quilt and for the first time, the three relatives met each other. Carole and Lesley looked very much alike! It was a highlight of my quilting career to meet and share this experience with them. They have given me permission to use their family pictures, stories, and pictures of the study quilt in future presentations.
I’ve added my research to their family history, and in turn, they’ve added to my knowledge of Martha and her quilts, and now a fourth quilt has been added to The Quilt Index. My study quilt, Honoring the Ladies, was not chosen by AQSG to travel in their four-year exhibit due to the embellishments that were added. Because of this, and because it was exhibited only in an AQSG American show, I decided to enter it into the National Juried Show, as it did not violate the CQA/ACC NJS entry rules. I am very grateful that it was selected to be a part of the National Juried Show 2024, so Canadian quilters were able to see it in person in Edmonton, AB.
Honoring the Ladies by Sandy Simmelink, winner of the first place award in the Traditional category at NJS 2024 in Edmonton, AB.
Who knew that studying a quilt could lead to so much joy, uncovered history, and newfound friends! I would not have had this experience if it were not for joining the American Quilt Study Group and deciding to participate in the quilt study experience. What would Martha, and my own deceased family members honoured in my quilt say about all this? The historical quilts that I make now are beginning to contain pouches on the back, that hold the stories and paperwork, for the next generation, and my labels are gifts of love as well. I will pass this quilt, and all the stories that my ladies taught me, on to future generations to enjoy.
Designing the Quilt
I like crazy quilts and wanted to make a unique “controlled” version of my own design, based on one of Martha’s quilts.
- I took one of her blocks, repeated it in my quilt (blocks with circles)
- I used the same fabulous blue ribbon in my centre block
- I also used Martha’s idea of using burgundy and orange in the same quilt
- I used her embroidered bird as the idea for the centre bird in my garden.
From these ideas, I began designing on my own. I decided that the four circles should have something special in them—but what? A poem!
The poem conveys the story of this quilt, and is inked into each circle:
First circle—Speaks to the parallels of sewing in the many years of Martha’s life and my own, and the love for our families. She made crazy quilts for her granddaughters; I’ve made quilts for mine.
Spring and summer
Fall and Winter
Take a second to remind
Precious faces that you
Love them
Holding hands in
Stitch through time
Second circle—A nod to my research into Martha’s life, the creativity of her masterful quilts, and my thanks to her as I created my own quilt.
Precious details in the mirror,
Can you see them
Yours and mine
Modern methods draw us closer
Faded faces Lost through time
Third circle—Conveys the love I have for her quilt and all the feelings I felt for my own family as I brought a modern twist to her crazy quilt.
Time moves slowly
Slow it down
As your spool
You do unwind,
Forward thinking, new ideas
Launch us into future time
Fourth circle—A nod to the old/new variety of elements in my quilt. I bundled some of the ribbons I was going to use into a ball, and took a picture on my iPad, in “kaleidoscope” mode, sent the digital file to Spoonflower, and had them print this picture on velvet, which is included in the quilt in the four corner block centres (light) as well as the in the dark sections around the border, surrounded by beads.
Velvet made with
Light and crystal
Buttons, ribbon, lace combined
Messages and
Complex stitches
Bring us into present time
Gallery includes the centre block design ideas, detailed images of the quilt front, and the back of the quilt.
Design of the block elements
Take a look at the symmetry in the quilt, from the darkest section inward. The dark section contains the same striking V shapes and lace with mother of pearl embellishment. The embellishments are all similar in size, but not the same. Notice all the embroidered bugs, birds, hearts, and velvet circles surrounded by beads. If you find an element that you like, look in the same place in opposite blocks… chances are you’ll find a similar element there.
In the light blue band, sweep your eyes around it; you’ll see they all contain the same V shape, and surrounding those, the same crazy quilt dark patches. If you go around it again, you’ll realize I also created this band with symmetry; the crazy elements are all in each of the blocks.
In the lightest section of the quilt, take a look at the symmetry of the elements again, including placement of the many hearts. Look to find the many embroidered birds, the pink appliqued bird, the button bird (white) and the many groupings of buttons and baskets of flowers.
Materials
Civil war reproductions were used throughout the quilt. The outside chevrons are made with men’s silk ties, wool, and cotton, as well as antique lace with ribbon underneath to make the colour pop. There are a few patches of lace that came from Martha’s stash, provided by her great great granddaughter. The poem is inked with Micron pigma markers, and then prick stitched in black, so the stitches would not show. The circles were quilted, then bound tightly so they would be raised, and stuffed for extra texture.
While crazy quilts were not traditionally quilted, I not only added a full range of embroidery, tatting, ribbon work, beads, antique lace and buttons, but I also quilted the entire crazy quilt. I’ve included hearts by stitch, beading, and small 3D additions—With crazy quilts, the crazier the better, and “more” is ok!
Block Names
After I finished the poem design, I launched into the idea of honouring the ladies in my own family—those who have taught me so much, those I love dearly, and one who contributed to my sewing skills journey.
Top left—I honoured my Aunt Jean, with whom I spent summers as a child—she read Little Women to us every night.
Top centre—I honoured my daughter Kate and, and (top left) my cousin Jo (Aunt Jean’s daughter), an artist in her own right.
Centre left—I honoured “family,” both mine and Martha’s.
Centre right—I honoured both my grandmother Nellie (N in the embroidery), and Marie, my mother-in-law, who taught me so much about sewing.
Bottom left honours Catherine, my mother. Centre bottom honours Ava, my granddaughter, and bottom right honours my sister, Susan, and also contains my own name.
Sandy lives in Burlington, ON, and is a teacher and lecturer. Learn more about her work at www.sandysimmelink.com.
