Pillowcase with a Pleated Flounce c. 1932

M. Stevens made this pillowcase with pleated flounce at an unknown date using textile. Just look at the pleats, all lined up with incredible care! I can imagine M. Stevens, eyes straining ever so slightly, as they fold and sew this fabric. The pillowcase as a whole is like a canvas, isn’t it? And those embroidered details add such a personal touch. The material feels thin but not fragile. I wonder if M. Stevens was thinking about vines when they added the leaf pattern. It feels like a memory of a place or a person they cared about. You know, it's like when Agnes Martin made those delicate, minimal grids, she was also thinking about the space of the canvas, about subtle gestures and how they could hold so much emotion. Artists, whether they know it or not, are always talking to each other across time through the quiet poetry of making. This pillowcase, with its simple beauty, whispers its own part in that long conversation.