American Series Border, Part II

When I posted the video and description on the J2WH Quilt border and mentioned how it was a part of Dr. Gaither's American Series, I started to think that it might be helpful to show some images of the other quilts in the series and their borders. While each of the quilt borders follow the same templates, they all have their own distinct look and feel which best suits their individual quilt. The two quilts I am featuring in this blog are "The Community Quilt" which documents communities in Northern Anne Arundel County and "The Airport Quilt" documenting the communities surrounding and once existing on the land the airport now occupies.




The Lives of African Americans from 1850-Present at Friendship BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport
aka "The Airport Quilt"

Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: The History and Culture of African Americans in Northern Anne Arundel County, 1850-Present

aka "The Community Quilt"

The images above show both of the quilts "in process." As you can see with the image of The Community Quilt, there were many hands working on the quilt to help complete it, thereby truly making it a community quilt. Each of the quilts have the same characteristics of the J2WH border including the African fabric, safety pins, blue fabric for the Middle Passage, red fabric for the blood shed, rolled up American flag fabric, and the railroad fabric.

Both of these quilts are on display at the Wiley Bates Legacy Center in Annapolis as part of the exhibition Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: The History and Culture of African Americans in Northern Anne Arundel County from 1850-Present. The remaining quilts in the American Series are not currently on display, but I will work with Dr. Gaither to get information on those quilts on the blog soon. Efforts are beginning now to bring all of the American Series quilts together for an exhibition in the coming year. We will keep you posted on the progress of this project.