Fabric of a New Nation

Today was free day at the Art Institute of Chicago, so I decided to walk over on my lunch hour. I haven't been there for a while and there was an exhibit that I wanted to see:
I had thought that it was mainly going to be about printed fabrics, but oh my goodness - it was so much more! Samplers, quilts, bedcovers, woven coverlets! If only I could have taken them all home ;)

This sampler blew me away, under a quote from Ecclesiastes 12:1:

"Remember your creator in the days of your youth"

it states that it was created in 14 days in August 1838 at the Mount Tabor Academy!

Here is a peek at some of the detail:
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

Can you imagine stitching that entire sampler in 14 days?!?!

Another favorite of mine:

The water in the pond shimmered so realistically. The detail was stunning:

The water pump in the sampler above just touched me - I think it must hold significance to 12 year old Mary.

In the sampler below, you can barely pick out the two girls in the bottom right part of the oval:

Their faces are hand painted and barely bigger than the size of an eraser on top of a pencil!

The rug below was stitched and a predecessor to hooked rugs. I just loved the swans, sheep and deer.

Unfortunately, my photos of the coverlets, bedcovers and quilts were blurry. I had the micro photography on for the samplers and forgot to turn it off.

This exhibit runs through May 13th, so I am hoping to spend another lunch hour or two at the exhibit. I was so appreciative that they allowed photography in the exhibit! I tried to do some sketches while there, but was inspired by way too much.

I'm sorry if you are reading this post looking for my next giveaway, but I had to share this wonderful lunch hour spent at a lovely exhibit. My April giveaway will definitely be in my next post! Thanks for your patience!

Blessings, Patti