a new gee's bend...

i thought, well the holidays are coming, i should do something special in the studio....a new piece of some sort...then it struck me a new gee's bend piece would be not only a creative challenge but so special this time of year...so as my fingers went page to page, talking to my mom all the way in florida over the phone saying, 'what do you think of this one, what about this one (for she too has her own book)', i finally decided...

the new piece is named: Qunnie after the quilter Qunnie Pettway who was born in 1943. the piece that inspired me was her 'housetop' quilt, circa 1975.

here's a small glimpse of the area of gee's bend where she lives; taken from 'the quilts of gee's bend'...(2002 Tinwood Books). Qunnie is on the right in this photo.

"The neighborhood has been home to many of the area's most important quiltmakers. On one of its streets, a little dogleg land of no more than 600 feet, in Roosevelt-era 'project' houses, live Leola Pettway, Lucy T. "Lunky" Pettway, Annie Bell Pettway, Arlonzia Pettway, and Lizzie Major. There will be no ongoing legacy here: the youngest quiltmakers in Sodom, and the only two even moderately active ones, are Rita Mae Pettway and Qunnie Pettway, ages sixty and fifty-nine.

tonight as i was reading through the book gathering information and searching the internet for more history on Qunnie, I sadly came to her recent obituary. i was truly saddened for this life that is now gone, but her work and inspirations will live on. my new game board takes on an even more special tone to me, for i hope i did her proud...

Qunnie Pettway:

"The great-granddaughter of Dinah Miller who is said to have arrived in the United States aboard a slave ship from Africa - the Clotilde which docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama prior to the Civil War. Qunnie learned to quilt House Tops under the tutelage of her mother, Candis Pettway. In 1960 after she married, she found her unique artistic voice and began making patterned quilts including Wedding Ring - which she learned from her sister - Chestnut Bud, Bear Paw and Crazy Z. Qunniea’s daughter, Loretta P. Bennett is one of the youngest quilters actively creating extraordinary quilts today."

the painted piece is on the drying racks...it will be a week or so before i can post my 'inspired gee's bend' game board...

to see other game boards, here's my link: dallison.squarespace.com

and after hours and hours of waiting....

(painting by: baret boisson, american artist)

the President of the United States of America, the Commander in Chief, the 44th American President - in other words, the top dog...came through our little town, made a quick stop and headed down the mountain...



i cannot tell you how exciting this happening was for all of us, for nothing like this ever, and i mean ever happens up here. schools were let out early, children were gathered, fed and hauled back out to line the streets.

helicopters, state troopers, sheriff and police cars, hummed by with lights and sirens blaring....(and i pretty much can say, that our local departments had sirens on for just the thrill of it, for they were running up and down the streets an hour before the motorcade arrived). boys will be boys at any age...

so i packed up eli, and my friends 3 boys and headed to an empty building at the beginning of town...knowing if he took any turn at all, we wouldn't miss him....the police stopped by and blocked it off and therefore us in, but said that we could stay there, i guess he probably thought 4 boys, and took mercy...

an hour went by, then more, then more cars with sirens....and finally the bus turned the curve....we jumped (well not me), up and down, waved madly (yep, that was me), and in all of 4 minutes it was over...

a moment of history captured in these young boys hearts....forever

i doubt there will ever be another President to come through, but you never know...we did show him our southern mountain hospitality at the candy barrel though, and eli did hold up the painting that baret boisson did for him that hangs in his room....so maybe he will pass the word on....

if you need some fall or winter color for your home, here's my link: diane allison-stroud

and as i opened the box...

i know exactly how each and every one of you feel when you open your door and find to your glee a box of carefully packed game boards for your home....the excitement of cutting the tapes, pulling out the stuffing until finally you reach the piece that you had envisioned...holding it up before you, looking at every detail....and oh my you must think, color!

i too....excitedly opened my box, with a smile from ear to ear....my heart pounding in glee, for i had no idea, not really, what mylette had painted for me....and as i pulled, tugged and it finally gave in to me, my eyes danced with happiness, as i giggled with my new love....

belle ~ in all her splendor...!

mylette welch

hit the target of our belle....from lying on my favorite pillows on the couch, to the bling heart necklace eli bought her for valentines day....and please note that slight curve of her mouth, for she is smiling; you may beg to differ saying, dogs don't smile, but i have watched her do this a thousand times and she really is using extra muscles to pull her mouth into a smile for me....the colors are simply stated; amazing, the technique of mylette's work is full of depth and our hearts combined, how else could she see it so clearly?....i couldn't have been more surprised nor elated with her vision of our belle...




when eli asked me to tell mylette that belle 'needed' a jeweled crown, mylette explained to me that she has found that it is better not to 'dress' our 'loved ones' for she said she has found that people tire of that overtime....and she didn't want us to tire of belle's portrait....eli understood this - an artist is an artist and they hold on to their beliefs...so he was ok with it...

so you can imagine eli's surprise when he helped unwrap belle's portrait and found to his delight a jeweled crown of hearts....fitting in so many ways...

there is nothing like a boy and his dog....

thank you so very very much mylette - you have captured belle's heart intermingled with ours....

please check out mylette's studio/website, i bet you will begin to smile...

Mylette Welch