Someone said it’s Harriet Tubman month. That’s a good enough reason to share my quilt Hallelujah! Finally Free as a Bird.
This quilt exhibited in the City of South Fulton’s Freedom Quilts exhibit in June. It was created for that purpose, and it is a quilt with a message.
Hallelujah! Finally Free as a Bird! is a vertical row by row fused applique quilt. The first panel says “I followed Harriet”. The second panel declares former slaves “Free as a Bird”. The third panel shows former slaves dancing. The pattern for the dancing people is by Sew Fabulous. Finally, the last panel says “Juneteenth”.
Once the panels were made, I ended the quilt with cotton fields on the bottom of the quilt. Hallelujah! Finally Free as a Bird! was quilted by my friend Maxine Moore on her long arm. After the quilt was quilted, I added rhinestone crystals on the background so that the quilt will catch the light when it is exhibited. It was the background fabric that inspired the quilt. A close look reveals that the word “Hallelujah” is printed on the fabric.
The bird houses are embellished with yo-yo-s and beading attached by hand. The cotton was glued on by hand. Musical notes were added to give a sense of celebration.
The back of the fabric is a gray cotton print. There is a hanging sleeve for easy display and a label that documents the quilt.
I signed it on the front. This quilt is one-of-a-kind.
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