Gathering crepe myrtle bark

Picking some mulberry branches to get the bark for papermaking

Gathering some cedar tree bark for papermaking in Newnan

Andrew McCabe, Newnan Art Rez board member, helping set up the tables for the outdoor studio at Gray Cottage.

Andrew McCabe, a Newnan Art Rez board member, came by to visit and looked at some paper sample books and helped us to set up the outdoor studio working area at Gray Cottage.

Dyeing some paper pulp red for the eco quilt

Adding some formation aid to the blue colored pulp vat.

Forming the yellow part of the quilt block

Making the red roofs part of the quilt block

Couching the blue part of the quilt block

Using a paint brush to pat down and make sure the various layers are joining together

Red wildflower seeds added to the red paper pulp for the eco quilt

The 20 inch quilt block close up. Here I am using a paint brush to pat down the layers and make sure it is all adhered to the sheet of non-woven interfacing before hanging it to dry

Bringing the quilt block inside to dry. It is a little windy outside sometimes in the afternoon so we bring them inside to dry on a clothesline overnight.

The first quilt block hanging outside the Gray Cottage to dry.

Bette Hickman, Newnan Art Rez board member, looking at a quilt block drying inside the Gray Cottage

My sister in law Judy Berry beating twigs from a paper mulberry tree to get the bark for papermaking in Newnan. Many of my family members came to Newnan, and we had a family reunion!

My sister-in-law Tina Ingram forming a layer for a Newnan eco-quilt block

White and yellow layers forming the eco-quilt block in Newnan

Adding a blue layer for the Newnan eco quilt

 

sketch of the quilt block design for the Newnan Eco-quilt

I am continuing my residency with Newnan Art Rez (www.newnanartist.org),and these photos by my husband Timothy S. Allen tell the story of what is happening. We are continuing to make blocks for the handmade paper “eco-quilt” in a house pattern that will be put on the prepared bed of soil on August 31 in Newnan at a site near the corner of College and Temple next to the Veteran’s Park and the children’s museum (site of the old Male Academy in Newnan).  The handmade paper quilt contains seeds for wildflowers in the same colors as the pattern.  Over time as the all biodegradable handmade paper quilt dissolves into mulch, the seeds will sprout and grow and bloom as wildflowers to make a continually evolving public artwork in Newnan.

We are cooking and making paper pulp from several plants common in Newnan to add to the paper pulp: crepe myrtle bark, Eastern red cedar tree bark and red mulberry tree bark. Yesterday we gathered some magnolia tree bark, and we will start preparing it today.

Volunteers from the Master Gardener’s group in Newnan came to help yesterday and learn the process. Other community volunteers also came by in the afternoon to participate and observe the process of making the Newnan eco-quilt. We plan to make a 60 inch by 80 inch queen size bed quilt and need 12 of the 20 inch squares that are made from 4 sheets of paper that are in 4 layers each. So that means lots of papermaking! We are working outdoors in the carport and front porch area at Gray Cottage, 23 Clark Street in Newnan.
Come by and join in!

I will keep posting photos about the project, and more information about the dedication ceremony and installation of the “flower bed” for Newnan will be posted here soon. Keep watching this Blog to see the outcome of the project.

Photos here are by Timothy S. Allen (http://allentimphotos2.wordpress.com).