American Gothic Revisited

American Gothic Revisited by Pam Holland follows the original design painted by Grant Wood in 1930.

Why would an Australian make a quilt featuring an American icon?
This is a memory quilt, made in honor of Pam's dear friend Della Moon, who passed away unexpectedly from a brain tumor.

Pam has a very interesting story to tell, pulling from childhood experiences, to life lessons learned from Della. See Pam's blog post 3/7/2009 to read a more detailed account.

Because of the sentimental value, Pam debated on placing American Gothic Revisited in a juried show. At the encouragement from others, the quilt was submitted and won Best of Show at AQS.

Can't you see why?

It was a treat to be able to get up close to AGR and take detailed pictures of Pam's intricate stitching.

As a side note, Pam relayed to us that she has recieved special permission to be able to duplicate American Gothic into a quilt.

As Pam spoke of her quilts, she mentioned that she likes to have the backs look as good as the fronts.

I meant to ask her why the bandaids covered the faces. She might have done some trapunto work?

Pam left this quote in the comment section:
Hey Nedra... the bandaids are because I had to trapunto the faces... and I just didn't want them to have open wounds... so I covered them up with (fabric) bandaids....!!!!
I still think it adds humor to the piece, which is so much a part of Pam's personality. She loves to laugh and tell a good story.

Another part of the back that greatly interested me, was Pam's creation of a label that spanned in 3 sections along the top.

A history of the original American Gothic, with tribute in Pam's handwriting.
For me, this quilt is a tribute representing two artists who have blended their talents to create beautiful art for our enjoyment.