11/08/2022
Harriet Powers, the folk artist known as the "mother of African-American quilting," was born on this day in 1839. Powers was born into slavery near Athens, Georgia, and spent her early life on a plantation where she first learned how to sew. Her quilts are considered among the finest examples of 19th century Southern quilting, although only two of her quilts, both of which were made after the Civil War, survive today. Her quilts are a unique blend of both European quilting traditions and African textile arts, and were made using both appliqué and piecework. The two surviving quilts, the Bible Quilt from 1886 and the Pictorial Quilt from 1898, contain numerous pictorial squares that depict either biblical scenes or celestial events. Powers also created a key for both quilts, explaining the meaning behind each panel. Today, her quilts are displayed in the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.
For an inspiring picture book about Harriet Powers, we highly recommend "Sewing Stories" for ages 5 to 8 at https://www.amightygirl.com/sewing-stories-harriet-powers
For a fascinating book for book for adults about her work, we recommend "This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces" at http://amzn.to/2zNl0QQ
For more books about the significance of quilts to enslaved African Americans, we recommend "Show Way" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/show-way) and "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" for ages 6 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/sweet-clara-and-the-freedom-quilt)
For a fun no-sew quilting set for kids ages 5 and up, visit https://www.amightygirl.com/created-by-me-quilt-set -- or discover more fabric arts options for children in our "Fabric Crafts" section at http://amgrl.co/2loxL1T
