"Squares and Bows" Quilt

Currently not on view

"Squares and Bows" Quilt

1970-1980

Arester Earl (American, 1892–1988)

Arester Earl, the daughter of a preacher and farmer who owned over one thousand acres of farmland in Covington, Georgia, learned to quilt from her stepmother and older sisters. Widowed in 1942, she returned to quilting in the late 1970s after raising five children. Her unusual style-individually stuffed and quilted blocks sewn together with oversized stitches-was developed out of necessity. Partially paralyzed along one side and with failing eyesight, Earl was unable to work at a quilting frame, so she would spend a day cutting fabric and would quilt while lying on her back in bed, often working through the night. She took great pleasure in quilting. In her words, "It means life to me."

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

"Squares and Bows" Quilt

Date:

1970-1980

Artist:

Arester Earl (American, 1892–1988)

Medium:

Cotton and polyester; running stitch

Dimensions:

7 feet 2 inches × 6 feet 11 3/4 inches (218.4 × 212.7 cm)

Classification:

Textiles

Credit Line:

The Ella King Torrey Collection of African American Quilts, 2006

Accession Number:

2006-163-2

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view