QUILT INDEX RECORD

52-152-563

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Quilt Alliance

Who documented this quilt?

Quilt Alliance; Inspired By; Women of Color Quilters Network

Quilt Alliance Inventory Number:

85

Quilt Title:

Gazzie's Secret

Width:

16 inches

Length:

16 inches

Time period:

2000-2025

Date:

June 1, 2014

Materials:

I used Gazzie Hill's "secret" alphabet to create stamps which I monoprinted onto cotton - I used her color palette of primarily pink!

Quiltmaker:

Flamer, Michelle

City:

Philadelphia

State:

Pennsylvania

Artist's Statement:

Honorable Mention: Members' Choice Awards

Gazzie Hill's quilt and index record inspired me in an unexpected way. The record mentions a secret to Gazzie's quilt of many blocks: her quilt contains a "crudely pieced scrap alphabet". Crude? I don't believe the comment was intended to be pejorative but it struck a raw nerve. I never heard anyone describe any aspect of a Nancy Crow or Gwen Marsten quilt as crude. Gazzie's quilt sings of a freedom never enjoyed by her enslaved parent. The luminosity of her quilt rivals the finest work of Paul Klee. Gazzie's quilt was "Modern" before a new generation of quilters claimed this as their style. Thank you Miss Gazzie Hill for inspiring me to think a bit deeper.

Inspiration quilt:
 

 

Hill, Gazzie. String Scrap Quilt. ca. 1925. From Texas Quilt Search.