Joy Kimbrough/The Daily Times
Debbie McMurray (left) and Darlene Bakos were commissioned by TVA to make the agency’s 75th anniversary quilt that hangs in the entry of a TVA office tower in Knoxville. Included in the quilt are photographs ranging from 1930 to 2007.
Sew full of memories: Quilt crafted by Blount women reflects 75 years of TVA By Joel Davis of The Daily Times Staffjoel.davis@thedailytimes.com
Two Blount County quilters have sewn 75 years of Tennessee Valley Authority history into the fabric of a new quilt on display at the agency’s office complex in downtown Knoxville.Darlene Bakos, of Maryville, and Debbie McMurray, of Alcoa, were chosen by TVA to create a quilt to celebrate the agency’s legacy. They incorporated 24 photos into the traditional Sawtooth Star pattern of the quilt, said Katie Bell, senior manager of TVA community relations.“We found very few quilters who work with photographs,” Bell said. “The quality of Debbie’s and Darlene’s work is outstanding. The back of the quilt is as beautiful as the front.”“It was quite an honor to be commissioned to do this quilt,” Bakos said.The two women, Bakos of Gingersnap Quilts and McMurray of Creative Quilts, specialize in incorporating photos and other memorabilia into quilts.“This is a standard part of our business — memory quilts, photo quilts and T-shirt quilts,” Bakos said. The 24 photo squares in the quilt display images from a mix of historical and contemporary photographs chosen by TVA historian Pat Ezzell and others. “We went through hundreds of photos to find a good representation of 75 years,” Bell said.Predominantly designed in shades of blue and white, each quilt block consists of a center square surrounded by right-angle triangles. The quilt’s center square displays the TVA logo.“That is the TVA dark blue,” McMurray said. “The other colors were chosen to give it contrast.”It took Bakos and McMurray more than 100 hours to design and sew the quilt to their exacting standards.“It gives a new meaning to perfect points,” Bakos said.“It’s just amazing,” Bell said.McMurray free-handed the outside border of the quilt, not relying on mechanical means to keep everything straight.“She is the stitch regulator herself,” Bakos said.“You get into a zone,” McMurray said.TVA turns 75 years old in May. The agency commissioned three quilts from the two artists. One will be displayed, one will be auctioned during the agency’s United Way campaign later in the year and one will be donated to another organization, Bell said.
Originally published: March 09. 2008 3:01AMLast modified: March 08. 2008 11:31PM
