Bedspread c. 1936

This bedspread was imagined by Mary Berner, and it calls to mind the many women who produced textiles as a part of their domestic labor. It appears to be a watercolor painting depicting a quilt design. The pattern is geometric, with alternating blue and white squares set in a grid. Each square is further decorated, showing a design based on intersecting circles. Consider the labor involved in making an actual quilt of this size. Countless hours would have been required to cut the fabric, sew the pieces together, and quilt the layers for warmth. The image, in its way, memorializes this labor and the techniques involved in quilt making: simple tools, a steady hand, and traditional knowledge passed down through generations. It also highlights the way that women's work often blurs the lines between art and craft, labor and love, necessity and creativity.