:: September 2003 
Advice
A Crazy Quilt Shawl, a Fair, and a Recovery
CyberFibres is happy to share the story of a crazy quilt shawl that is headed to the state fair this fall (see photo). Fibre artist Faye McGinnis of Cary, NC, who recently designed and stitched the shawl, is a stroke survivor. Faye suffered a stroke in 1997. In the weeks immediately following her stroke, she attempted to stitch her crazy quilt designs, but her brain, eyes, and hands could not communicate well enough to do it. She was not fully aware of her deficit, but to family members who had seen the beauty of her earlier work, her diminished skill was readily apparent. Stitches that had once been precise and uniform were now knotted and haphazard.
In time, Faye recovered her faculties and became able to piece attractive crazy quilt designs once more. After making several crazy quilt vests for relatives, she made her first crazy quilt shawl. The top is pieced primarily of old silk ties, and the lining is black silk. Every seam of the pieced top is covered by hand embroidered stitches of rayon floss. Florets of old lace are appliqued here and there atop the surface design.
The finished shawl measures 16 inches by 70 inches, excluding 3.5 inches of black fringe on both of the narrow edges. It is a lovely accessory and could even be used as a table runner for an elegant event (no food or candle wax near it, of course). Faye's shawl is an heirloom of determination, regained creativity, and thanksgiving. Being able to enter it in the fair is a triumph in itself before the judging even begins