Laura Hudson
American, 1920 - 2005
BiographyLaura Mae Hudson's first quilt was made at the age of fourteen, under the guidance of her mother and grandmother. In Alabama in the 1920s and 1930s quilt making was a necessity as well as an art. "They didn't just make quilts to have them, they made quilts to keep warm by...at that time a lot of people didn't have money like we do now. You didn't just go to the store to buy blankets, you relied on the women to make quilts for the beds." Quilting bees were a regular feature of life on the farm in Opelika, a social occasion for women, and Laura joined right in. "I saw so much of it that I began to like it." After moving to Bristol, Connecticut in 1949 with her husband Joseph and five children, Laura had more time to take up quilting again. She also had plenty of material to recycle. "The fan quilt is made from scraps of the dresses that I sewed for my kids when they were in school. All the pieces that were left over I saved and put them together and made a quilt out of them." The fan quilt and the country quilt, both of which were featured in the Living Legends exhibit, provide a family history, a poignant reminder of the Hudson children growing up.
Laura became well known for her quilts, exhibiting and demonstrating throughout New England and at the Smithsonian. Her friends and neighbors have given her boxes and boxes of material over the years, filling her basement. "One of my neighbors, after she passed, her husband came to me and said, 'Well, you know where the quilt pieces are going, they're going to Mrs. Hudson.' I didn't even have to ask for them, they brought them up and gave them to me. You should have seen her quilts, she really did beautiful work." As well as the material for quilts, Laura kept a treasure trove of quilt patterns in her mind. "The pattern for the Star of Bethlehem and also the fan, those were originally old patterns. But I didn't need (to see) a pattern to cut them out because I've seen those quilts. I just take a piece of paper and cut out my own pattern and I make it."
Traditional quilt patterns used by her mother are inspirations for some of Laura's designs. She kept a small library of old patterns she would like to make someday, trying them out as one square or small section. She will also see how new designs turn out by experimenting in this way, and composing quilts fully in her mind. "No drawing, nothing...just in my mind whatever pattern or design I want to do. I just start at it and keep going." Vibrant and playful color arrangements distinguish Laura's quilts. "What attracts your attention is color...I always like bright colors...I think that makes a beautiful quilt when you mix the different colors, dark and light." She drew a connection between colorful African-American quilts from the South and traditional African cloth.
Her husband Joe would sometimes help Laura sort out and arrange pieces of cloth for a quilt. After she pieced together the design for the top layer and got the bottom lining layer ready, "You put your batting in between and that's like the meat in a sandwich...then you would go all around and sew it together...then you put it on the frame and get your needle and thread and you can start quilting." Laura never used thimbles, although her mother did. She set up her frame in the living room. "Sometimes I sit in here when everybody is gone. I love to sit and sew. I need a room just for my quilting! One day maybe." Laura didn’t sell her quilts, because members of her family all loved them. "Every one I make they put a claim on." She was inspired by a design she saw once in a museum storeroom trunk - "One day I'm going to do the nine patch in navy blue and white...I'm going to make that one for me!" Laura continued to make and exhibit beautiful quilts until she passed away in 2005.
Laura became well known for her quilts, exhibiting and demonstrating throughout New England and at the Smithsonian. Her friends and neighbors have given her boxes and boxes of material over the years, filling her basement. "One of my neighbors, after she passed, her husband came to me and said, 'Well, you know where the quilt pieces are going, they're going to Mrs. Hudson.' I didn't even have to ask for them, they brought them up and gave them to me. You should have seen her quilts, she really did beautiful work." As well as the material for quilts, Laura kept a treasure trove of quilt patterns in her mind. "The pattern for the Star of Bethlehem and also the fan, those were originally old patterns. But I didn't need (to see) a pattern to cut them out because I've seen those quilts. I just take a piece of paper and cut out my own pattern and I make it."
Traditional quilt patterns used by her mother are inspirations for some of Laura's designs. She kept a small library of old patterns she would like to make someday, trying them out as one square or small section. She will also see how new designs turn out by experimenting in this way, and composing quilts fully in her mind. "No drawing, nothing...just in my mind whatever pattern or design I want to do. I just start at it and keep going." Vibrant and playful color arrangements distinguish Laura's quilts. "What attracts your attention is color...I always like bright colors...I think that makes a beautiful quilt when you mix the different colors, dark and light." She drew a connection between colorful African-American quilts from the South and traditional African cloth.
Her husband Joe would sometimes help Laura sort out and arrange pieces of cloth for a quilt. After she pieced together the design for the top layer and got the bottom lining layer ready, "You put your batting in between and that's like the meat in a sandwich...then you would go all around and sew it together...then you put it on the frame and get your needle and thread and you can start quilting." Laura never used thimbles, although her mother did. She set up her frame in the living room. "Sometimes I sit in here when everybody is gone. I love to sit and sew. I need a room just for my quilting! One day maybe." Laura didn’t sell her quilts, because members of her family all loved them. "Every one I make they put a claim on." She was inspired by a design she saw once in a museum storeroom trunk - "One day I'm going to do the nine patch in navy blue and white...I'm going to make that one for me!" Laura continued to make and exhibit beautiful quilts until she passed away in 2005.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1902 - 1965
American, 1976 - 2014
