Planting the Mustard Seed © Susanne Jones

Planting the Mustard Seed

Marna Williams

Susanne M Jones

Potomac Falls, Virginia, USA

Artist Statement

I made this quilt to honor my mother-in-law and friend, Marna Williams. I covered the state of Alabama with pictures of Denise, Carole, Cynthia and Addie Mae printed on organza to give the photos a haunting feeling. In the center is a thread sketched Marna talking to a small boy.

Vignettes from the Mustard Seed project show: the softball team organized for the boys, a child being read to, and food being delivered. In the lower right hand corner is a fabric recreation of a water color, originally painted by Marna, of children of all races playing peacefully together. That was the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. It is Marna’s dream too.

Woman’s Groundbreaking Accomplishment

Marna worked in Southtown, Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights movement, teaching and assisting African Americans so that they could have rights previously denied them.

Techniques

photos of little girls printed on organza, machine appliquéd, raw-edge appliquéd, machine quilted

Materials

cotton, printer ready organza, 1/4″ fusible bias tape, pleated satin, brown seed beads

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