This is, for now, my Magnum Opus if you will. It is the culmination of five years work and research. I absolutely love the idea of a quilting bee. The opportunity to combine women, work, children, friendship, family, community and some good gossip in one gathering is just fabulous. This is a subject I want to paint about twenty more times. So, I guess this is the first of a series! The setting is Kirtland in the mid-1830’s and the clothing and surroundings reflect the desirable aspects of the period. The figures represent two sets of sisters and two very good friends. Namely, from left to right: Sephoronia and Katherine Smith (sisters to the Prophet Joseph), Elizabeth Ann Whitney and Emma Smith (Standing behind her) and Mary and Mercy Fielding. These sisters were active in organizing “weaving clubs” to sew the curtains and veil for the Kirtland Temple. The baby playing on the floor represents Solomon Smith (Sephronia’s second child) and five-year-old Julia Murdock Smith is under the quilt. I constantly read of happy memories of children playing under the quilt frame at quilting bees. What a great fort it must have made! The quilt is an appliqué version of the Rose of Sharon pattern. Appliqué quilting was quite a movement in Ohio in the Mid-1830’s, particularly around Baltimore. Mercy Fielding (soon to be Thompson) is my favorite figure I’ve painted so far. Her neck shawl is a fine example of the block printed paisley shawls that were so popular in the 1830’s. It is a faithful reproduction from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I purchased it at Saver’s for 2$. What a find! ~Lynde Mott
