New to the Collection: The Willa Cather Quilt

The Cather Quilt, a collaborative work by Vicki Seeger and
Sue Wood made its public debut recently. The vibrant quilt
honors the life and work of Willa Cather through textile art
and brings to life the many places Cather spent time or called
home: Jaffrey, New Hampshire; Gore, Virginia; New York City;
and Grand Manan Island, while anchored in the landscapes of
Red Cloud, Nebraska, which inspired much of her writing.

At the heart of the quilt lies a medallion depicting terraced farmland beneath a sunrise or sunset, with storm clouds and a rock fence, directly inspired by the cover art for O Pioneers!. Surrounding the medallion are four intricately designed borders, each rich with personal and historical references.

One border recreates a Cather family quilt using period fabrics. Another reflects the floor tiles of the Burlington Depot, with corner blocks inspired by Cather’s time in France and the painted windows of St. Juliana Faconieri Catholic Church, executed using the French boutis technique. A third incorporates fabric recreating the attic wallpaper of the Cather home, appliquéd with a bittersweet vine and corner blocks referencing Grace Episcopal Church. The final border draws inspiration from a turkey tracks family quilt, with corners echoing a Red Cloud bank’s tile entryway.
 

A unifying teal fabric, reminiscent of Cather’s velvet cloak,
threads throughout the quilt. Machine quilting by Kris Vierra
adds intricate details from Cather’s homes, her tombstone, and the Cather Cottage on Grand Manan Island, creating a layered and historically resonant work of art. The creation of the Cather Quilt was shaped by immersion, discovery, and heartfelt connections to the landscapes that inspired Willa Cather. As Seeger reflected, one of the most memorable parts of the project was “traveling to places that we know Willa Cather spent time, lived, wrote, and enjoyed,” where she and Wood often paused to consider that they were “seeing what she would have looked upon.” Grand Manan proved especially powerful, though Red Cloud offered its own moments of recognition and insight—each stop illuminating “what a master she was at capturing setting in her writing seen
through her eyes.” Wood echoed this sentiment, recalling how every visit, from their first trip to Red Cloud to their final journey to Grand Manan, “deepened our understanding of her life and the communities that shaped her writing.” Their travels, research, and collaboration—enriched further by viewing the Cather quilts preserved in the Foundation archives—infused the project with authenticity and reverence. Together, they hope viewers will see Willa Cather, the places she loved, and the Cather family reflected in the quilt, and above all, come to understand the beauty of the Nebraska prairie and Red Cloud stitched into its design.