Tea circumscribes the moments of my life. Growing up in the south, sweet tea was part of the culture, a daily tradition that made the hot days cooler and more delicious. Through this improvisation series I am connecting points of interest along the path of my life, to weave together a tapestry of ideas. I can still recall sewing my first cross-stitch as a child, my mom teaching me the same running and cross-stitches, and French knots used in this series some 30 years later. The sound of the sewing machine, learning from mom how to put together pajamas and dresses, the same clicking of the machine today, the bobbin unspooling thread to make the finishing stitches joining together the hand-sewn quilt rows. This combination of old and new sewing techniques links me to the history of quilting, the history of fiber arts, of women’s work, and the constantly emerging history of craft. In quilting together these tea bags, I am connecting to both my personal history and the history of tea through sense memory.

-Stephanie Leach Vendetti