Appalachian Vibes mini: Stories of the Stitch
‘Stories of the Stitch’ 2022
Appalachian Vibes Radio Show from WNCW
By: Amanda Bocchi
Stories of the Stitch, the 17th annual outdoor quilt show in Galax, VA took place this past weekend.
GPS will lead you the wrong way, best to follow the small wooden signs pointing the way down a winding road, through the hills of Appalachia to Matthews History Living History Farm Museum.
Dozens of quilts hung from clothes lines, brightly woven fabrics blowing against the sky. Any quilter will tell you, quilts are more than a blanket to keep you warm on chilly evenings. They are one of the first forms of art in Appalachia, often commemorating a life event, like the story of a birth, a death, an injury, or a wedding.
Laura Romanowski, director of the Arts and Cultural Council for the Twin Counties tells Amanda Bocchi, “Quilts are part of living history. Aren’t they supposed to be seen on clotheslines flapping in the breeze? It’s like a kaleidoscope. You walk into the field and you are surrounded by pattern and color, and the most amazing functional art there is. Not only does it keep you warm on a winter's night, it warms your soul when you look at them.”
Ashley Jurney is a painter turned quilter and organizer for the Stories of the Stitch quilt show. She started quilting 7 years ago when she saw a quilt she wanted to buy and decided the price was too high, and she could do it herself. Jurney wasn’t immediately a success, but her dedication and artistry paid off in 2020 when she was named the international quilt show winner for that year. She started a business helping other quilt artists sew their quilts, now she has clients from California to Maine. If you attend a major quilt show, you’re bound to find one of Jurney’s quilts or a quilt she helped prepare on display.
Before the quilts are hung along the clothes lines and judged, they are separated into different categories: classic quilts, hand pieced/hand quilted, half and half, quilts that don’t fit into any category, story quilts and machine pieced/machine quilted.
One story quilt was submitted by Barbra Moncrief, the pattern was vivacious and busy with fabric and ribbons twisting and turning across the squares. The title of her story quilt? “Life’s Twists and Turns”
“Life is fickle, constantly changing no matter what we plan. We plan our lives and there are constant twists or turns here and there. Fun, horrific, exciting, acceptable, okay, serendipitous, grand moments etc…much of what we make of these twists and turns is our choosing. We can choose to accept some of these twists and turns, and be happy or sad, it’s our choice. Having had some of all of these various twists and turns, I’ve chosen happiness, and I’m ready for the new day. I turned 80 during the pandemic and I had a glorious adventure planned. But instead I celebrated at home alone. It was and is my choice to celebrate each day in a wild glorious way. Wearing wild colors, and doing whatever strikes my fancy. Therefore this quilt is a reminder that life’s twists and turns are to be celebrated daily.” - Barbra Moncrief
Moncrief’s inspiration for her submission “Life’s Twists and Turns” is derived from a twist of fate many years ago when her husband was suddenly killed by a train while he was taking photos. She lost the love of her life that day with no warning, and yet she makes a point to choose happiness every day.
These aren’t just quilts. The fabric holds the soul of the artist in every stitch, and if you’re ever lucky enough to be gifted one of these incredible pieces of art, never let it
Appalachian Vibes Radio Show from WNCW is listener nominated, you can nominate an artist by emailing Amanda at appalachianvibes@gmail.com.
Appalachian Vibes Radio Show is created and produced by Amanda Bocchi, a neo soul singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist and journalist hailing from the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia.
