Quilters, knitters, crocheters, embroiderers and other fiber artists have contributed dozens of pieces to the Morse Institute for the library’s November fiber arts exhibit. We stopped in during the display’s installation phase to watch as all available space on the main floor practically on up to the rafters was transformed into a colorful collage of handmade works. Here are some pics:
The Morse Institute Library (MIL) Stitchers, a diverse group of knitters and crocheters whose main focus is service to others, contributed the crocheted installation in the lobby of Morse Institute. Since 2013 the group has stitched hundreds of items for charity for local and international organizations. MIL Stitchers is open to all, welcoming beginners and pros. Meetings are held the first Saturday morning of the month and the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings. Contact the library for more information and follow them on Facebook @MILStitchers.
In the foreground is Rebecca McGee Tuck’s piece, “Pull Together.” For Natick High School’s 2020 graduation ceremony, Tuck wrote the names of every graduating senior on strips of material to be displayed on the “Clootie Wishing Tree.” Loved ones of the graduates were invited to wishes and words of encouragement to be written on the cloth and tied on the tree. After the graduation ceremony, Tuck took the colorful handwritten material from the tree and used the strips to create the above mandala quilt to represent the students’ future paths. The piece in the background, titled “More Color, Please,” was created by The Boston Modern Quilt Guild. Members of the guild, which range from novice to experienced, embrace many styles of quilting. They hold monthly meetings at which members present and discuss their work and also sponsor lectures and workshops for members, creative challenges, and an annual treat at a monastery in Maine. Members have exhibited their quilts at regional, national, and international quilt shows.
Quilts hang from Morse Institute’s second-floor overlook at the Morse Institute.
Rebeca McGee Tuck’s large installation, “Once Upon a Time: Pandemic House,” was created in her home during the COVID. Earlier this year she got the news that her studio space would close due to the pandemic. She and the other artists in the building were give one day to go in and collect what they needed from their individual studios, not knowing when they would be allowed to return. Overnight, the dining room table in Tuck’s home became her new studio, a tight fit given that her family was also navigating online school and work. In an artist’s statement she says, “The Pandemic House became a way for me to visually journal what was happening in the world around us while we were all closed within the four walls of our own homes.”
Morse Institute Library, Natick, fiber arts exhibit
Quilts by Allyn Callahan of Sherborn. These quilts are examples of a combination of needle-turned applique, machine piecing, and paper piecing.
Quilts by Allyn Callahan.Picture this
Don’t miss the Gatehouse Camera Club’s exhibit downstairs in the Lebowitz meeting hall, featuring the work of local photographers including artists who have been recognized by numerous organizations for their excellence in the field of photography. The show includes nature and landscape photography of subjects both local and from far away as well as some creative submissions. Check out Gateway’s website at www.gatewaycameraclub.org to learn more about the club and how to become a member.
