Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Friendship: SIT DOWN



SIT DOWN is a tribute to Carlon (a close friend for over 30 years) and an uneducated African American folk artist named L.V. Hull.  Carlon and I worked together and spent many hours drinking lattes and tea at Starbucks.  On one of her trips, Carlon visited L.V. Hull at her home in Kosiusko, Mississippi.  Hull was famous for creating art out of discarded "junk" - shoes, TVs, hubcaps, wood, bottles, tires, toys, etc.  Hull considered herself an artist and a person who gives good advice.  So, she combined her talents by decorating her creations with brightly colored dots and “sayings” – some familiar and others original. “Face powder may get a man, baking powder will keep him. The three R of life- at 25 romance, at 45 rent, at 65 rheumatism.  Take a smile from someone else and pass it on.”  Her words were crudely written and usually misspelled.  She was proud to say that no two pieces were alike.  While at Hull's home, Carlon purchased a wooden plaque for me with this piece of L.V. advice -“Friend are hard to find; sit down.” It proudly hangs in my sewing studio and is one of my most prized possessions.

For this quilt, I looked at old, humorous cards that I had received, and then tried my hand at creating a caricature of Carlon and me sitting in a Starbucks window. My drawing was traced onto a cream fabric and tinted with colored pencils.  The plaque sits at the bottom of the window.  In true L.V. Hull tradition, I used a variety of dots and unusual colors.  The fabric is Kaffe Fassett cottons and a few leftover hand dyed fabrics.  It is quilted using a walking foot and free motion.  On the back is an enlarged version of my plaque along with the back featuring Hull’s signature, date and expression of faith.  I made two versions of the quilt - one for Carlon; one for me.  L.V. Hull died in 2008 at age 66.  






13 comments:

  1. Oh, Carolyn! There are so many things to LOVE about your quilt, where to start? The story is charming, combining your friendship with Carlon with the account of the wonderful artist L.V. Hull! I love both versions of your quilt, as well as the back. I could rave on and on but will stop here, only adding that I had a friend named Carlon, too, whom I met in the 7th grade. Sadly, she died recently, but I remain Facebook friends with her wonderful daughter, who keeps her mother's spirit alive by many posts about her special mom.

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    1. I have to add a bit more! Your caricature of you and Carlon is beautifully rendered, and you inspire me to try my hand at this skill. Too, your use of color and the fabric choices = wonderful!

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  2. Carolyn, So joyous! You can just feel your connections, and I loved reading about L V Hull as well. What a lovely tribute. It always shows when you make a piece from the heart!!!!

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  3. How fun this is!!! Great caricature and the colors are so bright and perfect for it. I love your story too !! Carlon will love it.

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  4. I really like the caricatures of you two. The sentiments from L V Hull fit like a glove.

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  5. What a fun, happy tribute to both Carlon and L.V Hull. From the caricature interpretations to the colors, sayings and dots, this truly depicts the what friendship is all about!

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  6. What a wonderful depiction of you and your friend!

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  7. What a special little quilt this is! The colors are especially nice. The sentiment expressed and the meaning of true friendship are inspiring. Your work is awesome!

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  8. Carolyn, these are both very special quilts. I love how they radiate sentiment while being so cheerful and happy. You have made a great tribute to both your friendship with Carlon and to Hull

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    1. Are the flowers across the bottom dimensional? They add a wonderful punch of color and balance and really add to the overall whimsy. I am really impressed with how beautifully tied in the quilt backs are too. Love your caricatures

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    2. No Sara, they aren't 3 dimensional. They are cut out from fabric - but I did stitch around all of them.

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  9. I loved your story and the many ways you captured the essence of your friendship with Carlon and Ms. Hull. You mentioned that Ms. Hull passed away at the age of 66 - truly she must have been one of those special folk we refer to as an "Old soul in a young body." Thanks so much for sharing your story of Friendship(s) !

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  10. Carolyn, This is a very meaningful little quilt. It beautifully details all that is so very special about treasured friendships. And it is just so very pretty!

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