Quilts have inspired my artistic practice for many years;  I wondered, why not literally use them as the starting point for art? I know many old quilts end up tucked away in closets and drawers. By incorporating them into my artwork, I can give them new life. I also love the idea of engaging in an artistic collaboration across time, with an unknown maker. 

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Quilts are a unique art form because they are fundamentally functional. They have both a maker and a user; someone who literally slept under it, snuggled up with it, and may have even dragged it across the floor. Imagine if paintings were treated the same way! I love seeing evidence of use because it is such a special part of the quilting tradition. Quilters usually want their quilts to be loved and used for warmth and comfort.

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There is also an artistic tradition of making quilts to celebrate the arrival of a baby. The fact that an old quilt was made for a child holds special significance for me. I look for one that speaks to me on secondhand sites like eBay and wait eagerly for it to arrive. Once it does, I begin to imagine the composition. 

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These quilts were originally made for an unknown child who was loved and celebrated. I rework them to celebrate my own daughter's arrival and childhood: her wide grin on the first day of preschool; her walking along a path wearing fairy wings. These are the small moments I want to savor and celebrate.

I know I am far from the first woman to put skill and time into a quilt as an expression of love for a child. By using an old quilt that has been loved by both the maker and user, it acknowledges the many women and children who came before us, that we are a part of something much larger that will continue long into the future.