Quilts Presidential and Patriotic by Sue Reich, Including My John Quincy Adams Contribution!

Sue Reich's book Quilts Presidential and Patriotic is out! In 2015 Sue asked for people to take on making a 24" x 24" quilt for a president to be part of a traveling exhibit of President quilts. I jumped at the chance to do John Quincy Adams, having just read a biography of his wife Catherine Louisa. I proceeded to read books about JQ in preparation, including The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin;  The Stranger and the Statesman by Nina Burleigh about JQ's championing the Smithsonian legacy being used to institute a national museum; and Mr. Adam's Last Crusade by Joseph Wheelan The last was the most exciting, telling of his post-presidential career in congress and his Supreme Court win for the freedom of the Amistad kidnapped Africans. When I read thank you letters to JQ from the Africans I knew I had discovered the 'hook' to make JQ appealing and relevant.

The quilt exhibit has been traveling the country this year and Sue will present a paper at the American Quilt Study Group in September 2016.

John Quincy Adams by N. Bekofske

Quilts Presidential and Patriotic includes the President quilts, information about each president and quilt, including quilt styles of their administration, an artist's statement, and quilts, textiles, and news articles relating to the president's time in office. There is a whopping 330 photographs and illustrations in the 192 page book! I was thrilled when Sue asked to include my original Redwork quilt of the First Ladies, Remember the Ladies. Laura Bush from my quilt is featured on her husband's pages.

Hilary Clinton and Laura Bush from Remember the Ladies by N. Bekofske

Sue is the author of World War I Quilts, World War II Quilts, Quiltings, Frolics, and Bees, and Quilting News of Yesteryear.