Ode to Calvin

Cherokee leaf pounding is a method of making designs on fabric by pounding fresh leaves with a mallet on to a quilt top until the pigment makes a leaf-shaped stain.  After the stain is made permanent by washing the fabric in a vinegar solution, Bettye stitches around the edges of the leaf, its stem and veins, creating a realistic, natural design. When Bettye learned how to do it, her husband Calvin was intrigued.  He brought her four huge leaves from a castor bean bush and told her where they should be placed on the quilt he wanted her to make for him.  He showed her the seeds he would plant next spring to provide more leaves for the design.  Sadly, he died of a heart attack before he could plant them.  Bettye and her son-in-law, Jerry Denton, planted them and grew the leaves that surround the interior four.  This is a huge quilt, 110 inches square, covered with millions of tiny stitches, that amazes all who look at it closely. Three years in the making, it is a beautiful tribute to a beloved husband. (Photos courtesy of Jimmy Martin)

110” W X 110”L (1998)

Castor Bean Leaf detail