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Kathleen Rountree

The stunning beauty of vintage table linens and laces creates a gentle palette of color, design, and style that becomes my canvas.  Beginning with a one-hundred-year old tablecloth, napkin, or hanky, I add modern quilting styles, designs, and surface enhancements to create a new and hopefully wonderful work of art.  A piece of antique lace, a doily, or a Victorian-style collar can become a central point in an abstract, a still-life, or even a landscape.   While working with vintage materials, some which were hand-embroidered by the light of a candle or a lantern, I strive to create a partnership with the original artisan, adding new elements in ways that enhance and embolden the original design while modernizing the overall effect.  When I achieve this goal, the work of creating the piece is an immense joy.   Even after creating these pieces, I experience great joy watching others view these pieces.  Inevitably they stand very close to study the intricate details, all the while saying  “I have some linens that belonged to my grandmother . . . . . “     Watching them become linked to these vintage treasures is my privilege and my honor.     

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