Cely's Quilts - in New Orleans

While cruising the Rhythms Festival I admired Miss Cecelia's quilts. She had only a few on display. I wish I had spoken with her longer, but I had to run off for some previously scheduled errands. Reading her web page, I see that she is quite prolific and talented. I noticed while standing up close to her work that she uses a combination of hand quilting and machine quilting.

Miss Cecelia has traditional quilts and some like paintings; I copied these two examples from her web site to illustrate:





Taken from her web site, she provides this information about herself and her work:

Cecelia "Cely" Tapplette-Pedescleaux, a self-taught quilter, grew up surrounded with women that were seamstresses that did all sorts of handwork lace, crocheting, beading, tatting and much more. Her passion for quilting bloomed when she purchased a quilted apron/dish-cloth kit she bought to make Christmas presents in the late 1960's. From there she was hooked on quilting.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in downtown 7th Ward New Orleans, to Jean Phillips and Albert Tapplette, Cely attended public schools in New Orleans, Louisiana State University in New Orleans (now University Of New Orleans) and Southern University in New Orleans. Cely has three children; Louis Keith, Lance Kyle, and Cheka Bahiya.

As a youth director for her church, Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ (Congregational), Cely made quilts for the youth graduating from high school, college, or getting married. As the years progressed, she began combining her quilting with African design and history. She

started quilting researching in old cookbooks, winemaking, agricultural, and architectural books that had comments on enslaved people's handiwork. Cely's love of New Orleans; which she considers a melting pot of nationalities, flamboyant colors, fragrances, and sounds serve as a catalyst for her creations. She uses brilliant colors, beadwork, and embroidery on her quilts.
Cely teaches quilting and the history of African American quilting to the public through the Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ Quilt Guild, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, The New Orleans, Jefferson and surrounding school systems as well as through speaking engagements local and abroad. Her quilts have been on exhibit in many galleries, colleges and universities, festivals and quilts shows.

Cely expanded her love for quilting in fashion when she created tor outfits for Worn Again (2009, 2010), a fashion show that show artist creativity by giving them old clothing to recycle into new garments.

Articles about her works have appeared in numerous publications. Quilter's Newsletter Magazine printed 'Missing New Orleans" in the July/August 2006 issue. Les Nouvelle- Patchwork et Creation Textiles de 1'Association France, Patchwork Magazine December 2008.

Cely has been the recipient of several awards since she begin quilting and speaking about quilts. In 2001, Cely received the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Artie Award for Visual Arts, an honorable merit award in the Satchmo Art Show, and the National Conference of Artist Outstanding Artist Award in 2003.

Nine of her quilts were in a French exhibit, "A Patchwork of Cultures: Traveling Exhibit from Louisiana to France," sponsored by the U.S. Ambassador to France (Paris) and the French Patchwork Association in 2008-2009. The quilts made were also in an exhibit at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (DAR), in Washington D.C. entitled "Honoring Lafayette Contemporary Quilts from France and America in August 2010.

OMG, I started cruising the Facebook page for the Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ Quilt Guild that she mentioned on her web page. I want to get involved, but jiminey Christmas, I can't add another project to my list of things to do. I can't get done what I already have on my plate. So frustrating!