Pictorials - Weavings and Quilts

"Picture This". a current exhibit at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, has gathered some exceptional examples of pictorial Navaho weavings.

You are probably familiar with the term 'pictorial' in the quilt world. In general, textiles with recognizable images such as a person, animal, plant, place (such as landscape, cityscape etc) or object, fall into this category.



Cows are popular subjects in Navaho textiles:

Cowboys and Horses

Florence Nez Riggs wove this textile in 2012 capturing the many facets of the Indian Fair and Market in great detail. She has included the hoop dancers, various foods and types of art being sold, sculptures and even folding tables and chairs. Her initials are worked into the trunk of a palm tree which is so realistic that it includes dead fronds.

Date woven into corner

The Tower of Babel
By Sadie B. Begay - 1995

In the 1960's Rose Owens, of Cross Canyon, AZ, invented a way to make round rugs using a steel wagon-wheel rim! This textile is not as big as a wagon wheel but she may have used a similar technique to create a circular 'sampler' containing four distinct weaving patterns with a ceremonial theme.

Made by Alice Benally c. 1989. 

This tree of life variation was woven by Shirley Bitsuie in 1996.

I wanted you to see the details close-up

Elk

c. 1970

 by an unknown weaver.

A visit to the Heard Museum is worthwhile at any time of year.

Now for a few Pictorial Quilts 
From folky to fancy in a variety of techniques

The famous Harriet Powers 'Bible Quilt' - collection of the Smithsonian
I was fortunate to see it there

c. 1885

These are just three of the wonderful pictorial quilts I saw at the International Quiltfest in Houston, 2002

Appliqued

Pieced 

by Hollis Chatelain
36" x 46"
Hand dyed painted fabrics - Machine quilted

Now back to reality....this pictorial effort of mine was part of a Postcard Quilt Challenge with the Minnesota quilt study group.

8" x 10"

It was inspired by a real adobe entrance in Arizona as seen in the photo below. 

Have you made a pictorial quilt?