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Preface
The
best legacy you can leave is to have had a positive influence
on others during your lifetime. Ann clearly did that in
so many ways: through her research work, through her music,
through her interacting with others and, probably most vividly,
through her quilt making.
Her
medical research work back in the 70's was instrumental
in the release of the now commonly used, anti-breast cancer
drug, tamoxifen. Ironically, this was one of the drugs that
she later used herself during her struggle with breast cancer.
She
composed or arranged more than 100 pieces over the years,
starting while she was in graduate school - ranging all
the way from duets to full orchestral compositions. Many
of these pieces are still being actively performed in high
school and college bands, big bands, church choirs and various
other groups, so they live on as well.
The
memories that many have as a result of interacting with
Ann over the years will be hard to duplicate. As her husband
and best friend for nearly 27 years, I have more than most.
The
results of her years of quilt making, however, are not as
visible to more than a handful of people who have ready
access to some of Ann's pieces. Rather than just store them
away in a closet, I felt they deserved to be shared for
their beauty and impact. They tell a story of not only the
development of Ann's quilt making skills, but also of her
life. Probably the most profound observation out of all
of these is how much her Christian faith influenced her
quilt making in light of the cancer diagnosis.
The
Sauder Village
in Archbold, Ohio (Ann's hometown) has been
gracious enough to host a showing of Ann's quilts in conjunction
with their annual quilt show this spring. The timing couldn't
have been better the show opens on what would have
been Ann's 50th birthday - but for those who can't make
it to the show, I wanted to have some way to remember and
appreciate Ann's quilts. That is the reason for this book.
Ann
spent quite a bit of time honing her craft and we are fortunate
that she documented much of it through show applications,
email messages and even comments made for her own web site.
Much of what you will read in this book is those comments
taken verbatim, so you can hopefully gain insight into her
thinking about the quilt design and production process.
Any
undertaking such as this book has many people involved.
I know that I will be leaving out many who have helped me
on this project, but I want to particularly thank the following:
Ann's mom Helen Foth and dear friends Judy Martin, Anne-Marie
Littenberg, Jeanne Creighton and Heather Urquhart for their
help in reviewing the manuscript and filling in holes in
my understanding of some
of the quilts' history; Richard Johns and Erik Goetze for
capturing so many of the works on film; Joe Doll and Erik
Goetze for creating Ann's original web site and Erik for capturing
the book so well into this online form; Mary Jane Scott
for connecting me with Prodigy Press; Kathy Noverr for capturing
Ann's spirit in her wonderful design and layout of the book;
and Carolyn Sauder for agreeing to host the show of Ann's
quilts starting on Ann's birthday (which also gave me a deadline
for this book). To them, and all of the rest who were involved,
please accept my heartfelt thanks. But most of all, I'd like
to thank Ann for creating such a wonderful collection of artwork
for us all to enjoy. Thanks, Ann. We miss you.
One of
Ann's favorite quotes is from the April 1991 Quilter's Newsletter
Magazine article by Nancy Taylor titled "The 12 Commandments
of Quiltmaking":
"...3.
It's okay to spend money on fabric.
People
collect stamps, toy trains, old bottles, salt-and-pepper shakers;
we collect fabric. They spend money on their collections;
so do we. ...[Fabric] is a raw material from which we fashion
our creative expressions. Watercolorists need paints; ceramicists
need clay;... quilters must have fabric in order to create
quilts. Fabric is relatively inexpensive; it is harmless;
and it brings us pleasure. ..."
I hope
that this book brings you pleasure.
Greg Merrell,
April 2001
PS
These quilts and comments are permanently on display at Ann's web site at: http://ann.stamm.merrell.org
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Top
of page | Credits |
Copyright 2001 by Gregory L. Merrell
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