What extraordinary effort went in to hand-drawing the many characters and scenes for each square. The inspiration is printed 1950s tablecloths showing stereotype vignettes -- a sad but real commentary on the race relations of the time before the civil rights movement changed society. The joining squares at the intersections of the red sashing are pieces cut from those tablecloths. The reverse side of this quilt is a complete tablecloth framed with red and printed cotton blocks in the pieced Fans pattern! This unique quilt is a window into both the handicraft and the history of the mid-20th century.
