Miss Celie

It was such a glorious Spring day, that Miss Celie wanted to sit outside beneath the century old azalea bushes.  She is my latest creation, and  represents a young girl  from the  antebellum South with quite a story to tell.  She and her family were some of the lucky slaves who were able to escape to  the north via the Underground Railroad.  Many sympathetic Southerners and Northerners  risked all to help slaves on their perilous journey .  Celie has with her a quilt square in a pattern called "Jacob's Ladder".

There is quite a controversy surrounding  certain quilt designs and their role in the Underground Railroad.  Some believe that certain designs were actually secret "codes" that the slaves could  follow on their road to freedom.  Quilts would be hung out on fences or in the windows of those  houses that were considered "safe houses", and supposedly the design would tell the slaves that it was safe to stop there, or other valuable information.  Many researchers do not believe that this actually occurred, but I find it very compelling.  Regardless,  Celie  loves her little quilt, especially since it matches her outfit.  She is about 26" tall and is made of cloth.  Her facial features have been sculpted of paper clay, and she has been oil-painted.  Her dress and pinafore are of Civil War era reproduction fabrics, and her boots are antique baby shoes.  Celie was a delight to create, and I hope you enjoy   her!

                Gone to a new home!!