Telling Our Story
This quilt, the Bible Quilt, was made by Harriet Powers and exhibited at the Athens Cotton Fair in 1886, where it captured the imagination of Jennie Smith, a young internationally-trained local artist. Jennie later wrote: "I have spent my whole life in the South, and am perfectly familiar with thirty patterns of quilts, but I had never seen an original design, and never a living creature portrayed in patchwork."
Harriet Powers was born into slavery outside Athens, Georgia, in October 1837. Her quilts used a combination of hand stitching, machine stitching, and appliqué to form small detailed panels telling a larger story, like a graphic novel. This storytelling style of quilting has roots in West African coastal communities. Her quilts record legends and biblical tales of hope, perseverance, and divine justice. Her masterful Bible Quilt, created in 1886, now hangs in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Powers' work is now considered among the preeminent examples of Southern 19th-century quilting.
We give thanks for our sister Harriet, and her interpretation and retelling of Bible stories, current events, and folk tales through her many quilts. May we be open to the many ways God is always at work, doing a new thing among us and through us. Click on the Bible Quilt picture to find out more.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Alan