Sorting old photographs, the faces of my teenage friends made me smile, but the words they wrote about themselves broke my heart. I began to stitch their faces and words on vintage doilies to honor these young women. As I stitched, I wanted to add a healing message. That’s when I started listening to the old songs. James Taylor. Elton John. Joe Cocker. Ringo Starr. Why didn’t we listen more closely to those lyrics? I stitched the words to the songs, almost invisibly, at the edges of the nightgown. But I needed something more. A louder message. So I did what any teenage girl would do – “turned up the volume” with big, bold words. A love song to span the decades.
- Materials: Antique nightdress, vintage doilies, hand-dyed cotton floss.
- Techniques: Handstitched with hand-dyed cotton floss.
- Dimensions: 46” h x 31” w
- Exhibitions:
2024 – Columbia Fiber Arts Guild “Text” exhibit, online
2025 – Oregon Quilt Festival, Salem, Oregon
2026 – 2028 – SAQA Washington, “Markings” exhibit, various venues, Washington State
