What I want to remember

Old 35 mm film strips intrigued me for several reasons: film is an obsolete technology; memories are lost if the film is not preserved in another form; it provides an opportunity for repurposing; and the holes on the edge are evenly spaced for quilting. I printed images from the film and other sources onto overhead projector sheets (another obsolete technology), cut out carefully designed shapes, and sewed them together in the traditional Pineapple pattern. The design was determined by the size of the film strips and had to be precise: plastic left no flexibility in piecing. Interestingly, the finished quilt is pliable, with a pleasing hand.

As I worked on the project, my beloved mother-in-law was in the last stages of dementia. She and I repeated two lists that were most important to her: the names of family members, and the places she had lived. I realized that I had created my own list. The photographs are of the people I love and the places I have been. Verda Pauline Myers Remick has a place of honor in the upper left block.