Cecelia Pedescleaux facts for kids

Cecelia Tapplette Pedescleaux, also known as Cely, was born on August 6, 1945. She is an African-American artist who makes beautiful quilts. She creates both traditional and modern art quilts.

Cecelia gets her ideas from history, other African-American quilters, and special quilt designs. These designs were used during the Underground Railroad to send secret messages to people escaping slavery. Her amazing quilts have been shown all over the world! You could see them in China, France, and many cities in the United States, like Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. A special show of 75 of her quilts was held in New Orleans at Le Musée de Free People of Color from 2013 to 2014.

Her Quilting Journey

Cecelia started loving fabric art when she was a kid. She learned to crochet and knit. Later, in the 1960s, she began making quilts using old, traditional patterns.

When she read books about slavery in America, her quilt designs started to show more African and African-American themes. She even makes quilts inspired by African art. For example, one bright quilt has beads and the Ashanti Adinkra symbol called Gye Nyame. This symbol from Ghana means "accept God".

A book called Hidden in Plain View really inspired her. It taught her how quilts were used to hide secret messages and maps for people escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad. Cecelia then researched African-American quilters and their designs. She has recreated many of these important patterns.

Inspirations and Techniques

Cecelia has been inspired by many famous artists and writers. These include Mary McLeod Bethune, Faith Ringgold, and Carolyn L. Mazloomi. She also finds ideas in the diverse city of New Orleans. This city has people from African, Caribbean, Hispanic, European, and Native American backgrounds.

Cecelia says her quilts are "75 percent research, 15 percent cloth, and 10 percent heart." This means she puts a lot of study and feeling into her work.

She uses many different ways to make her quilts. These include:

• Thread painting (like painting with thread)
• Adding beads
• Trapunto (making parts of the quilt puffy)
• Patchwork (sewing small pieces of fabric together)
• Wax batik (a way to dye fabric)
• Photo transfer (putting photos onto fabric)
• Cloth collage (making pictures with fabric pieces)
• Three-dimensional cloth flowers and figures
• Traditional African-American quilting, like strip quilting.

Cecelia once said about her work:

It is almost like a memorial to my ancestors. Every time I work on a traditional pattern, my thoughts go back to older days and how hard it was to get fabric, to find the time to stitch, and how many uses the quilt had to accomplish. Then the joy of life meets the hardships, and the traditional pattern takes on a whole new wonderful life.

This means her quilts help her remember her family's history and the challenges they faced.

Teaching and Exhibitions

Cecelia has given talks, shown her skills, and taught quilting all over the United States. She even started a quilting group at a church in New Orleans. In 2013, this group made over 100 quilts for children's welfare groups.

One of her quilts tells the story of the revolt on the ship La Amistad. This quilt is kept at the Amistad Research Center.

Her quilts have been shown in many important places:

• Nine of her quilts were part of an exhibit in Paris, France, from 2008 to 2009.
• The DAR Museum in Washington, D.C. showed her quilts in 2010.
• Her work was also displayed at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, from 2012 to 2013.
• A solo show of 75 of her quilts was held at Le Musée de Free People of Color in New Orleans from 2013 to 2014.
• Her quilt Jewels of Faith was shown at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2014–2015. This quilt shows the different people and faiths around the world.

Cecelia also made the Katrina Kids Quilt. It used drawings by children from Houston, Texas. This quilt was shown in New York City. Her art has been displayed in many galleries and museums. These include the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. Her work has also been shown at universities like Southern University and Tulane University.

See also

• Quilt Treasures
• Quilts of the Underground Railroad
• Women of Color Quilters Network