My quilt Potion to Cure Racism will exhibit at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. It will be part of an exhibit entitled Say Your Piece- Black Women: Mothers, Martyrs and Misunderstood. It is curated by Stacey Watson. The exhibit opens October 21, 2022 and runs through February 21, 2023.
When I was growing up in Southern Arkansas there was a “root lady” in every town. She knew how to go into the woods and come back with potions that could cure you of your ailments or drive your cheating husband crazy. 😂 For some time, I had wanted to make a Halloween quilt. When I ran across the pattern by Karla Kiefner of Creative Bee Studios, I knew I had found just the quilt.
As I began to make the cauldron, I wondered what would a good witch stir into such a pot. I thought it would be good if she could make racism go away. So I added special grass with powerful words so that my witch or “root lady” could find just the right ingredients to make a potion to cure racism.
Potion to Cure Racism measures 45 x 53 inches. It is pieced and appliquéd on my Janome sewing machine. I lovingly quilted it by hand and embellished it with buttons and crystals.
The back of the quilt is a Halloween fabric. There is a hanging sleeve on the back for easy display and a label that documents the quilt. I signed it on the front.
Potion to Cure Racism debuted at the 2021 Atlanta Quilt Festival. If you are in the Paducah area, I hope you will check it out.