“You take and just twist it a bit,” says Laverne Brackens (above) as she describes her improvisational quilting style.
If this celebrated quilter of Fairfield, Texas looks at patterns at all, it is only to spark a few ideas. Most of the time, says Brackens, she just picks up a piece of fabric and sees what it wants to be.
Family members have been known to give her some interesting challenges, such as Crown Royal felt bags (at left) which Brackens used to make an asymmetrical cross pattern, complete with gold tassels.
Although Brackens once told her mother, Gladys Henry, that she would never take up quilting, when an accident forced her into early retirement, she changed her mind.
Once she took it up, Brackens never quit. At ninety-two years young, she still quilts nearly every day.
“It keeps my mind young and helps my arthritis,” shares Brackens.
Daughter and fellow quilter, Shelly Byrd (above), says Brackens always strives to outdo herself, or her latest project.
“Making quilts is like a fun game to my mother,” says Byrd.
Brackens came to be known nation-wide for her craft after being discovered by quilt scholar, the late Eli Leon, who became fascinated by the spontaneous patterns of African-American quilting.
Currently, her pieces may be found in eight museums. The latest piece, Strip (1992), was acquired just last month by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Of course, the highlight of her thirty-year career came in 2011 when she became a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“I didn’t believe them” she says, when they called the first two times. Her family, however, finally convinced Brackens that she did, indeed, win the honor.
Brackens traveled to Washington, D.C. that year, saying she has a great time visiting with fellow craftsmans and artists.
Selling quilts from her home on South Fairway, Brackens says to be sure and “call before your come” at 903-389-7119.
Just look for the sign that reads, “Quilts of Color: Four Generations.”
You might even see one of her latest quilts hanging on the fence.
