UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 4, Page 2
September 22, 1994
Special quilt commemorates program anniversary

   Quilt (n): a whole created of many diverse parts in a
   variety of colors, textures, shapes and sizes; a
   traditional craft that transcends cultural barriers; and
   the perfect commemorative for a women's interdisciplinary
   program celebrating its first 20th anniversary.

     The Women's Studies Interdisciplinary Program at Delaware
commissioned local quilter and quilt teacher Madge Ziegler to design
and create a commemorative quilt.
     "The quilt is an appropriate metaphor for women's studies,"
Ziegler said, as "there is great diversity in patchwork. It is an art
of things coming together to form a whole."
     Her work is a stunning rendition of the logo created by Crystal
K. Cox, composer in the Graphic Communications Center, for the
program's conference, "Interdisciplinarity and Identity," held last
spring. The quilt is a raspberry and turquoise wall hanging with
sparkling metallic threads and quilt blocks bearing the names of 27
faculty and staff members important to the development of the program.
Unveiled at a reception Sept. 20 the quilt will hang permanently in
the women's studies offices, travelling for display on special
occasions.
     "When the Women's Studies Program asked me to make a quilt in
five weeks for their conference, I told them I couldn't make a bad
quilt in five weeks let alone a good one," Ziegler recalls.
     Still, she was interested in the commission and drew up a design
incorporating the logo. She also hit upon the idea of incorporating
the back of the quilt into the design by using fabric markers and
having everyone who attended the conference sign their name on one of
the large squares.
     The back also bears this quote from Kate Conway-Turner, director
of the Women's Studies Interdisciplinary Program and coordinator of
the conference:
     "This commemorative quilt has been made as both an historical
documentation and a celebration of all the work and energy that has
been channeled into our Women's Studies Program over the last 20-
something years. A quilt is a fitting representation of the
development of women's studies at the University of Delaware. Quilting
is a cross-cultural art and craft that has been and continues to be
important in the lives of many diverse women throughout the world. The
joining together of these varied colors, shapes and textures of
material, symbolizes the diversity of our group. Together we, like
this quilt, create a wondrous mosaic and we are stronger in our
unity."
     The center of the quilt shows the body of a woman, as used in the
conference logo, and the patchwork radiating out from the center form
echoes the curve of the body until it becomes straight at the borders.
     The lettering is computer-generated, transferred onto material
backed by fusible webbing and satin stitched onto the quilt. The
colors are very contemporary, as they should be in a memory quilt
marking a special year, Ziegler said.
     The finished work, of 100 percent cotton, is approximately 4 feet
square.
     "The quilting is very important to the choice of quilt and the
design," Ziegler said. "That's what makes the work a quilt and not
just a banner or wall hanging.
     Up close the fabrics used in the quilt reveal unique and
interesting patterns.
     "That's what I think makes a quilt interesting," Ziegler said.
"When you stand very far away you notice something, when you walk
closer you notice something else and, when you get real close, you'll
discover even more."
     Ziegler, a teacher, lecturer and award-winning quiltmaker, is a
member of several local quilting groups, including the Ladybug chapter
of the National Quilters Association. She is a member and past officer
of regional and national quilt associations, including the Tri-State
Quiltmaking Teachers. Her work has been cited in the book, Quilt
Challenges, and in several quilting periodicals. She lectures on
quiltmaking, conducts workshops and does private restoration and
commissions throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
     "From the first time I used one of my father's hankies to make a
diaper for my Tiny Tears, I probably knew that creativity with fabric
would be my lifelong passion," she said.
     "Clothing construction came in handy in creating children's
clothing to fit over full-body braces, a challenge presented to me
when my first son, Bill, was born with spina bifida in 1969.
     "But," she continued, "I owe my beginnings in quiltmaking to my
son Andy, born in 1976. If it were not for him, I would probably not
have felt so strong a need to get out of my house one night a week!
     "For me," Ziegler said, "quiltmaking offeres endless artistic
possibilities with the added attraction of touch. Quilts can wrap the
body and wrap the soul. Sharing the techniques with my students is the
easy part. Sharing the passion is my mission."
     University faculty and staff listed in blocks on the front of the
quilt as the program founders include: Kenneth Ackerman, Margaret
Andersen, Sally Bould, Anne Boylan, Mae Carter, Suzanne Cherrin, Jan
de Armond, Barbara Gates, Lindy Geis, Sandra Harding, Carol Harker,
Carol Hoffecker, Akasha (Gloria) Hull, Barbara Kelly, Karen Rosenberg,
Jessica Schiffman, Bonnie Kime Scott, Barbara H. Settles, Kathleen
Doherty Turkel, Nancy Wingate, Beth Haslett, James Jones, Janet
Louise, Marian Palley, E. Arthur Trabant, Joyce Jennings Walstedt and
Kate Conway-Turner.
                                                          -Beth Thomas