The Quilting Storyteller
By Regina Abernathy
Regina Abernathy is an artist and storyteller who has self published a very personal book.
In her book, she draws from her life experiences to show how she has captured and preserved African American history through her art quilts I was impressed by the very intimate way that she shares personal experiences as well as tells the story from elders and community members that she interviewed for this book. Her goal, as she states in the subtitle of the book is to preserve African American culture and most importantly the history of African Americans through making quilts and sharing those quilts in books exhibits and other venues.
Mrs. Abernathy hopes that her book will inspire others to want to learn more about the rich history and contributions that African Americans have made to The United states.
I would also add that this book might inspire you to begin collecting stories from your family history and documenting those stories in your own quilts.
This book is available from BookShop.org and other bookstores.
Sharing Family Stories and African American History in My Quilts
As some of you may know, I have documented African American history and culture as well as family history in some of my art quilts.
This quilt is from my War, Honor and Freedom series. It celebrates the contributions of African American women who served in World War 2. I collected photographs and other memorabilia from eBay and included them in this particular piece. It is one of an ongoing series on this theme.
This next quilt is a Celebration Quilt that honors the courtship and marriage of my parents, Calvyn Lyles and Mildred Wilkins Lyles.
I transferred letters from my father to my mother while she was at college. I also transferred wedding photos as well as his military service photo to create this art quilt. Some of the textiles that I used were acquired during a visit to a Baltimore MD art materials recycling store.
What Family Stories Can You Collect and
Document In Your Own Quilts?