Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist
illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Alfred A. KnopfBooks for Young Readers, 2015
Ensconced between end-pages depicting photographs of the actual quilts sewn by Harriet Powers that now hang in the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is the fascinating story of this Georgia slave who later supported her family with the handicraft she learned on the plantation. Surrounded by women who sewed for slave owners by day and for their families by night, Harriet learned to quilt as a child while she listened to the stories of her people.
Occasional quilting bees provided an opportunity for slaves to socialize and dance and Harriet met Armsted Powers and jumped the broom with him at their wedding. The Civil War ended shortly after Harriet's first child was born, and soon they found themselves a family with five children.
They saved their money to buy a small farm outside of Atlanta, where they fished and grew vegetables and cotton. When the price of cotton fell, however, Harriet had to resort to selling her beloved hand-sewn quilts, which had gained attention first at the Athen's Cotton Fair craft exhibit, and then when another was commissioned as a gift for the vice-president of the board of Atlanta University.
Each quilt told a story, weaving bible verses with tales and legends that Harriet had grown up with, and the stories were recorded with the quilts, which eventually came to be recognized as precious examples of African American folk art.
Barbara Herkert tells this tale with evocative language and attention to detail. Illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton are reminiscent of the folk art style of the quilts themselves, with some images framed by stitches.
Historical details are provided throughout the book on a background of fabric patches, supplementing the story with additional information about the lives of slaves during the American Civil War. An afterward includes biographical information and a black-and-white photograph of Harriet Powers as well as a bibliography and explanation of the panels of each story quilt.
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Barbara Herkert is also the author of Mary Cassatt: Extraordinary Impressionist Painter and has received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. She also studied art and art history at Oregon State University. Visit her online at BarbaraHerkert.com.
Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll-maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration and children's book illustration. Vanessa currently makes her nest in Charlotte, NC, with her husband of 20 years and their daughter. Visit her online at painted-words.com/portfolio/vanessa-brantley-newton.
