Patchwork Quilt 1935 - 1942

This “Patchwork Quilt” was made by Mae A. Clarke, though we don’t know exactly when. Its surface is a field of triangles, a geometry of improvisation, color, and pattern, all held together by these little stitches. Looking at this work, I think about the process of selecting and arranging each piece, how each decision leads to the next, a bit like jazz. You see the physicality of it in the way the different fabrics interact. Some triangles are dark, others light, some patterned, some plain. There's a kind of rhythm that emerges, like a visual melody. The maker's hand is visible in the quilting stitches, each one slightly different. This isn't about perfection, it's about the beauty of the imperfect, the handmade. It reminds me of the work of Rosie Lee Tompkins, another great quilt maker, who also built up these incredible compositions from simple shapes and patterns. Each quilt is a conversation, a story told in fabric and thread.