Cuesta Benberry - The Anyone Can Fly Foundation, Inc.

CUESTA: My mother-in-law… That shoe quilt on the front of the book is from myhusband’s family. A lot of people call that the boot quilt but the family always called itthe shoe quilt. I think it had to do … because it was the late 1890’s or something likethat, and the women wore high top shoes. Now what’s so unusual about that is, youlook at that and you think that’s an appliqué but it’s not. They pieced that. And people,and they cut that by eye. Because all of those shoes are not the same size. And thedetails are not the same. So that was one of my husband’s …FAITH: May I give you this book? Give me that one so that you can make reference to,… because you’ve got a whole article in here.CUESTA: Well, yes. Most of these were quilts that were in the exhibition when we hadthe show. But this is my husband’s family.BARBARA: So it’s like a collage, is that right?FAITH: It’s not.CUESTA: It’s pieced. It’s just pieced in there. You’d be surprised.FAITH: It’s amazing.CUESTA: It is! Because it looks like it’s appliqué. They cut pieces to fit … What theydid was cut out the shoe… That’s was Fannie, her name was Fannie Cork, and she cutthat shoe and then … And part of it is pieced, too. Then she pieced the background.So …FAITH: Hold it up so we can get a picture of it.Figure 11: Lady’s Shoe Quilt, ca. 1890. By Fanny Cork. Cotton, pieced.67 x 93 inches. Thirty blocks. Collection of Cuesta Benberry.http://www.centerforthequilt.org/treasures/cb/gallery1.php?directory=photos&currentPic=14GRACE: And they made each square separately without a template.CUESTA: Evidently without a template. She must have done it by eye. Just by eye.BARBARA: I wanted to say also that when you were speaking about the quilt mastersrequests in terms of what quilts were made and how they looked, I immediately thoughtof the blacksmith, or any craftsman or artisan of the time doing their craft. The quiltmakers appear to have that same artisanship, talent, craft, lore where the quilt maker orthe master needle worker was creating art. Then the household would use it.FAITH: The only difference is, we’re talking about women. That’s the only difference.The men had status. They made those railings, those iron railings in Louisiana.page 14