Linda’s Quilts
By Kay Clarke
Carbondale
These photos are of but a few panels of Linda Criswell’s beautiful and thought-provoking quilts.
For years, I have gazed upon, read and ruminated about Linda Criswell’s quilts. I did not know until she was gone that she considered them her legacy. I can see that now.
Made almost entirely of organic hemp (some cotton, some linen) and completely hand-stitched. H-a-n-d s-t-i-t-c-h-e-d! These remarkable, handmade works of art are all the more amazing because of Linda’s captivating energy that radiates from each one.
Her quilts speak to us, open us, awaken us. She sewed words, so many words, conveying a depth of life and living that one would not expect to find in crafted thread. Profound in one panel, introspective in another, spreading joy and wisdom and humor and a down-to-earth appreciation of life.
One of my favorites is themed “Giving.” In Linda’s own words:
“The hands and heart at the top surround words my grandmother said when I asked her for a recipe … It applies to any work of the hands, I think. You just do it, you keep doing it, and then you did something. No one can tell you exactly how. You make your own way.”
Of Linda’s “Sayings” quilt, she wrote, “… My favorite quotation is here: ‘If he is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.’ I wanted to be such a person, leading others to the thresholds of their own minds.”
This is so Linda. She was a genius in helping us to know ourselves, to be our best selves. She deeply valued community and family and made it her life’s journey to bring people together … I never knew how profound her handwork was. Or how much it would affect me, affect all of us.
It was so gratifying to watch people, at Linda’s Celebration of a Life Well-Lived, lingering at each quilt, remarking on what it meant to them. I heard declarations of joy, of pain, of amazement. And quite often, laughter. Lots of laughter. Made it seem like Linda was there with us. Her laughter was the best in the world!
On one panel Linda sewed the words, “Give me work till my life shall end and life till my work is done.”
How I marvel at her beauty and wisdom and joy. I miss her terribly, but know with certainty she is still here with us in her amazing quilts.