Alice Beasley The Basket Maker
The dream of a new Rwanda is woven in the fingers of its women who now make up three quarters of its population. This quilt is based on a photograph, used with permission, from Women for Women International, an organization that teaches job skills to women in war torn countries.As with all of my work, this quilt achieves its effects without the use of paint or dyes. The elements of light, shadow and perspective come only from the ordinary quilter’s tools of commercial fabric and thread. Rather than relying upon templates or photo projections, I prefer to work directly, gradually building a composition from individual pieces cut free-hand from fabric and assembled and machine appliquéd.