“Indian Summer”  (28” x 34”)  2005:


This quilt was made in memory of my Mother, Anna Maria van den Honert – Coene (1913 ~ 2002) after she passed away August 1, 2002.


Being a girl, she found herself privileged to receive an education as an elementary school teacher and possibly Principal in The Netherlands in the late1920’s, early 1930’s, shortly before the outbreak of WWII.

During that training she learned about the USA and the “Indian Summer” in The South (as opposed to cold & windy Holland!).

Yet little could she have known that her youngest daughter Marga would spend the majority of her life in the USA, in “The South”, i.e. The Triangle.


When Anna Maria planned her first visit overseas to be with Marga & her young Family, it was consciously planned for late September/early October in order to experience this “Indian Summer” she had learned about so long (80 years) ago.


While me, my 4 year older sister Cora and 2 year older brother Taco sorted out the very last of her belongings after her funeral, we stumbled upon a stack of Creative Design Magazines I’d subscribed to as a teenager. I remember flipping through them and tearing out any pages that could be an inspiration for a future quilt (as well as fit in my suitcase and make it through more than tightened customs at the time, it being so shortly after 9/11….), including the black & white tumble block design that served as the basic pattern for this quilt.


As a viewer I hope you’ll experience the warmth of my upbringing as well as encouragement from both of my parents to explore beyond my horizons.


The Quilting lines are based on the principle of line drawing, where straight lines form curves.


The fabrics were hand dyed by Kate Tracton in Chapel Hill.

Every little scrap was used to piece the backing of this quilt and resulted in a rather “Minimalist” Look.