Coverlet c. 1936

This coverlet was made by Ralph Atkinson, who lived from 1855 to 1995, and it’s kind of like a painting, only made with thread. The repeating pattern feels really orderly, but each flower and star is also totally unique. The colors are so vivid, like a kid’s drawing: bright red, blue, green, and white, all laid out in these horizontal stripes. You can almost feel the texture, right? Like you wanna reach out and touch the little bumps and ridges of the woven threads. I like how the colors vibrate against each other, making everything pop. Look at how each tiny stitch builds up to make these larger shapes, kind of like how a painter layers brushstrokes to make an image. This coverlet reminds me of the work of Rosie Lee Tompkins. Both artists use repetition and simple shapes to create these mesmerizing patterns that seem to go on forever. And, like, what does it all mean? Does it even need to mean anything? I don’t think so. I think it’s just about the joy of making something beautiful and useful with your own two hands.