“ARTISTRY IN QUILTS”: Mada Coles Galloway is one of three quilters who will speak on Saturday, February 29at 1 p.m. at the William Trent House Museum in Trenton. All three are members of the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild, whose focus is on African American history in quilts. Their work is on display at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park through April 19.

By Anne Levin

Quilting is addictive. Those who spend copious amounts of time sewing layers of fabric together to create unique, often colorful coverings, are the first to admit that it can easily become habit-forming.

“I’ve been quilting forever. I made my first baby quilt when my daughter was born 35 years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said Mada Coles Galloway, who lives in Lawrenceville. “I just love the freedom of expression it gives me.”

Galloway is one of three well-known quilters who will speak at the William Trent House Museum on Saturday, February 29 at 1 p.m. Galloway, Princeton resident Juandamarie Gikandi, and Hamilton resident Gail Mitchell are members of the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild, whose focus is on African American history in quilts. Their work is currently on display at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie through April 19.

Galloway is a retired educator who is accomplished in several needle crafts. Gikandi is also an educator and a textile artist who uses a range of fabrics into patterns that highlight the importance of material culture in the African American community. Mitchell’s specialty is photo transfer and signature quilts, with an extensive collection signed by actors, politicians, poets, and colleagues. She is a published poet, and will read at the Trent House event.

The women will speak about the art and craft of quilting, the history of the guild, and their personal backgrounds in quilting. A few quilts that the women will bring to the Trent House are not part of the exhibit at Ellarslie, where Mitchell recently combined her stitching and poetry in a one-woman show.

“Sankofa” means “return and get it,” and comes from a symbol of the Akan people of Ghana. “The idea for us as a group of women of color is that we want to take what we know about quilting and teach it to others,” said Galloway. “That’s what we really believe in. Right now, we are working with a Girl Scout troop. We are always interested in meeting people interested in learning how to quilt. We say, take a basic class and then come to us. We’ll give you support.”

Galloway credits her great-grandmother with inspiring her to quilt. Several years ago, she became part of a quilting group in West Windsor, which led her to join additional groups, or guilds. She met Gikandi, and they started quilting in each other’s homes. It grew from there.

Inspiration for Galloway comes from a variety of sources. “It can start with anything,” she said. “A tree, a person, a thought — I have one that is inspired by a photograph I took years ago, and have always wanted to turn into a quilt.”

When she began learning the craft, the focus was on traditional blocks of fabric. “I didn’t like that at all,” Galloway said. “I couldn’t figure out what it was about quilting that I should like, and that definitely wasn’t it. But then I saw my first Gee’s Bend quilt in the ’90s, and that was it.”

Gee’s Bend was created by a group of women and their ancestors who live or have lived in the isolated African American hamlet of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, along the Alabama River. “I think they are the original improvisational quilters,” Galloway said. “They just piece them together in a way that I found to be very pleasing, and that really spoke to me. It gave me the freedom to go back and embrace quilting the way I wanted it to be.”

Part of the fun of quilting is meeting like-minded people. Even better is sparking an interest in someone who might never have considered creating a quilt. “I have a neighbor across the street who wasn’t into it at all. I introduced her to quilting, and now she quilts every day. I pulled her over to the dark side,” Galloway said with a chuckle.

Tickets to the Trent House event are $8-$10 and include light refreshments. The William Trent House Museum is at 15 Market Street in Trenton. Visit williamtrenthouse.org/events for more information.