GRAVE RUBBINGS.......

AND CRAZY QUILTS................

Who else could come up with that besides the amazing Susan Lenz?????

As usual I find Susans' art  completely captivating......especially her grave rubbings on silk.
When I saw these two pieces where she combined her rubbings with crazy quilts I knew they were my favorites . (so far :)

 

"The Urn"

 

 

 

 

" Circular Churchyard Angel III"

 

 

You can read more about these pieces and see more of Susans'

rubbings at her blog,

"Grave Rubbing Quilt Series."

You'll find it located on my sidebar.

 

                                                                 

MOURNING QUILT........

GRAVEYARD:

 

After finding this quilt online I decided it definitely

fit into the catagory of mourning art.

It's "title" is Graveyard, it's maker unknown.

 Made sometime between the years of 1950 to 1975, 

 it could be classified as an eight pointed star pattern.

Done in shades of brown, beige, and black,

 it is surrounded by a border that is done to look like a picket fence,

with coffins along the inside. 

 

 

 

The large center piece is a cemetery with coffins.

There is a path thru the pattern that leads into the cemetery.

I can't tell what the first item is at the head of the path, I am guessing it is

possibly an urn?

I counted over 20 coffins , at least some of them have names on them.

Again, these photos make it hard to tell for sure.

It also looks like it was made in such a way

that more coffins could be added at a later date. 

 

 

this quilt is in a private collection

in the USA.

 

 

 

Edited to add another much clearer photo I just came across

of this wonderful quilt:

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       

                                         

Mourning Hat

                                                                                

A mans mourning hat from the 1800s'.

 

Crowning Glory...............

I know nothing about this other than the fact that

it is made entirely from

the deceased persons hair.

This might be one of the most intricate and complicated

pieces of mourning hair art

I have seen.

                                                                                         

   Found on Pinterest.........................

A large collection of mourning photo pins.

                                                                                        

A Modern Version of Mourning Hair Art

Inspired by a Victorian memory (mourning?) flower she had as a child,

Hair designer Hrafnhildun Arnardottin

created this stunning hairdo.

I have seen individual hair "flowers" 

on Ebay before, somehow I think I will look

at them differently now.

What do you think?

                                                                            

Mourning Hair Wreath

This Victorian Mourning hair wreath might

be one of the prettiest ones I have seen.

I love that it is so light and delicate looking.

Dating to somewhere in the 1870's this wreath

would have originally had a large and probably ornate

shadowbox frame around it.

But I think I prefer it in it's much more simple state

of just the "box" part.

  

This "tree of life" memorial piece includes hair from

several family members and came from

a very old Illinois estate.

At 18'high x 22' wide,

this piece includes white seed beads, black bugle type beads,

and glass pearl type beads as well as the hair.

(currently available on Ebay)

(happy bidding!)