Artist Statement
My personal quilting objectives are three-fold: educating the public on the role of individual women in American history; providing female role models for the next generation; and encouraging the use of quilts as an art form through which creative thinking can shape much needed values in today’s world.
The outlines of the faceless ladies dressed in garb from different eras suggest the many women who were Jeannette Rankin followers during more than six decades of her political activity both as a suffragist and as a pacifist.
It is a joy to create a quilt that celebrates an amazing achievement by an optimistic, energetic woman who committed her long life to an extraordinary goal.
Woman’s Groundbreaking Accomplishment
Jeannette Rankin’s awesome achievement: First lady elected to Congress. More awesome: At age 87, organized 5000+ women for a 1968 Washington, DC march to end the Vietnam War.
Techniques
The background is pieced using chartreuse leftovers from a full size quilt I completed in 2016 titled “Lady of the House”. The reverse side of that quilt is the life story of Jeannette Rankin, focusing on her election as First “Lady of the House”.
Materials
100% cotton, fabric markers and a light table were used for some of the lettering and the outlined ladies. Ultrasuede letters were applied by machine with a blanket stitch.