2001 Quilt: Coming of Age

Wisconsin Women Library Workers

Winner: Kirsten Houtman

Designer and Assembler: Christie Brokish
Quilt Coordinator: Kathy Rohde
Quilt Winner: Kirsten Houtman

Quilt Square Descriptions *

Quartet in Autumn by Nancy McClements

This square depicts Barbara Pym's novel about four aging office colleagues in England, Quartet in Autumn. Simultaneously depressing and humorous, the novel is a character study of two women and two men facing retirement. They're afraid to get close to each other, but their famous "British reserve" begins to recede (ever so slightly) when one of them becomes ill. Barbara Pym (1913-1980) is sometimes referred to as a post-war Jane Austen. Although she had some success in the early 1950's, her work languished until 1977, when she appeared in a Times Literary Supplement poll as one of the most underrated writers of the century. That same year, Quartet in Autumn was published, and was a finalist for the Booker Prize. While in her sixties she published several new novels, and saw many of her earlier works reprinted before her death from cancer. I used the "Des Moines" pieced quilt pattern for its four stylized leaves.

Hot Flash by Kathy Rohde

Menopause is a natural biologic event, not a disease. Menopause represents the permanent cessation of menses resulting from loss of ovarian follicular function. Seen as a joke to many, the "Coming of Age" symptom of hot flashes is not a funny matter. For some women, it is a natural part of the aging process, endured to varying degrees. For others, like cancer survivors, it is often a premature and ubiquitous reminder of missing or damaged body parts. Whether premature or natural, menopause affects every woman, everywhere.

Grandma Moses by Maureen Welch

Born Anna Mary Robertson in 1860, Grandma Moses witnessed the Civil War, two World Wars, and the advent of the automobile, airplane, and countless innovations during her 101 years. At the age of seventy-six, without ever having had an art lesson, Grandma Moses began painting realistic scenes of rural life which were critically acclaimed and made her famous. In her words, she painted "old-timey things" - recollections of a happy life as a child, then wife, on a farm. Grandma Moses' art owes much to her early work in textiles. Her painting technique reflects her background in needlework, with brushstrokes resembling stitches and compositions reminiscent of quilts. When Moses died she had completed more than 1600 works of art. She painted 25 pictures after her100th birthday. She had also become a marketing phenomenon, with greeting cards by the millions, best-selling books, radio and television interviews, and a licensing program that included everything from fabric to collector plates that brought her into more American homes than almost any other artist.

Fanette Thomas by Kathleen Weibel

I thought about lots of approaches to the theme Coming of Age and selected leaves. Why? Because the recurring theme line from the sermon at Fanette Thomas' memorial service was something like: "Like a leaf we all must turn and fall." Fanette was a friend from my UW days, active in the early WWLW, who died a couple of years ago. My square celebrates Fanette and friendship and the fact that coming of age is a privilege not bestowed on all of us. I also like the idea of many leaves being so dazzling towards the end of their time. I think this happens to many of us too.

Louisa May Alcott by Julie Chase

Louisa May Alcott is treasured as one of America's greatest children's book authors. Born in 1832, she grew up in a family where money was scarce, but intellectual and family life was exceptionally rich. While she accepted responsibility for the financial well-being of her family from the age of 12, she lived a varied and satisfying life. In addition to her prolific writing efforts (including "blood and thunder" stories of passion and revenge under the pseudonym of A. M. Barnard), she was a teacher, and later, during the Civil War, a nurse. Still seeking new experiences, she later traveled to Europe. She supported her parents her entire life, her writing success providing both fame and financial security in her lifetime. She served as legal guardian of her sister May's daughter, and later also adopted her sister Anna's son. Alcott herself was never married, once remarking that writing seemed to be her intended companion for life. I chose this quote from her writings because it captures the choice women in the 19th Century had to make if they, indeed, wished to "paddle their own canoe." Luckily for us who make this choice in this century, there are more routes to economic independence.

Ann Wouters by Marge Loch-Wouters

This square is a tribute to my mom, Ann Wouters, a woman who has been coming of age throughout her life. Born just as women won the right to vote, raised during the depression - the third oldest in a family of twelve children -, married during WWII, Mom raised seven baby-booming kids throughout the '50's and '60's before she was widowed during the height of the feminist movement of the seventies. She was (and is!) a strong worker, a good friend and active in progressive issues throughout her life. She has shared with family and friends her joie de vivre and a positive outlook on life as she has come of age each day as a strong woman and positive role model. The three pictures I chose show Mom during the depression, shortly before her marriage in the '40's and in the '90's.

Coming of Age Title Square

Grandmother's Angel by Shannon S. Lang

Some of us are lucky and the significance of losing a loved one is delayed until we are "adults." When I was in elementary school, I lost my great grandmother, Emma Jones Breland. She was one of those really, really old people (well, not so old as I think about it now). I had enjoyed playing on her porch, shelling peas, sharing watermelon and sitting in her cool peaceful rooms. She called me Shannie and told me she was going to die (which she did that night). One of many moments in my coming of age.

* Descriptions begin with the top left square and read across.

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