Sometimes, unfortunately, the cut fabric doesn’t fit in the design as she imagined it would. Sometimes, it’s only when she’s almost finished the design that Crow realizes it’s not up to her standards. “Every time I fail, I’ve lost six months,” she says. “I have to be able to accept that, but I’ve learned that if I keep going, something wonderful will happen.” COVID-19 has at least temporarily halted the workshops Crow holds on quilting techniques, fabric dyeing, elements of composition and design, and more, which is a shame, because she enjoys teaching other quiltmakers and fabric artists. The experience of working with students has taught Crow that “people have far more ability than they think,” she says. “It’s up to the teacher to pull that out.” Crow’s goal for each piece of fabric art she creates is “to do work that shows more growth than what I did before.” “I want to be able to make work that I consider to be profound and to be still working in my 90s.” An exhibit of Crow’s quilts is hanging at the International Quilt Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln through March 7, 2021. Take a virtual tour at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bBJymIVtbrw.
Nancy Crow’s quilting studio, at the family farm near Baltimore, is awash with fabric of all colors. She says she works vertically, on quilts that hang from her walls rather than sitting on tables.
DECEMBER 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 11