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Patty Harants's
Biography

Patty Harants's replica of Rebecca Kohler's 1832 quilt.
Patty is an artist, and fabric is her pallet. She graduated from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan with a BFA, leading to a teaching career, for several years, in Michigan, Ohio and Massachusetts.She has studied the folk art of every location she has visited, and has chosen the appliqué quilt as her grandest medium. Her artistic hands have explored various aspects of old world techniques, such as decoupage, gold leafing, egg shell inlay and much more. Patty specialized in historic restoration and interior decoration leading her to every facet of design as well as quilting. The appliqué quilt, however, has claimed her attention and after many years of lovingly creating her owns works, she began reproducing the antique and truly unique quilts found woven into the history of the United States.

Patty claims to own the greatest fabric collection in the quilt world. Anyone who has been in her studio has to agree. Her studio, full of fabric, patterns and pattern books, family mementos, and numerous quilts in varying stages of completion, is a mixture of artistic creation, color and beauty. Walking through the studio, she may stop to arrange a baby quilt she is producing for the child of a friend, and then will stop to straighten the corners of an incredible reproduction of an antique quilt. She has a bulletin board with quilt pieces pinned in place in order to test each individual design.

The original 1832 quilt by Rebecca Kohler.


A detail of Rebecca Kohler's Quilt.

She balances her art with a full family life. She and her husband George and three children have moved many times over the years, but believe that their stop in Memphis, Tennessee is the last. Their two grown daughters and a grandson live nearby, and their son lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Frequent trips to visit her son allow her the freedom to visit the many local museums in the east that feature antique quilts. The State Museum of Pennsylvania has a fabulous quilt collection and has generously allowed Patty the opportunity to reproduce two of their quilts: The Rebecca Kohler Baby Quilt, 1832; and now The Wickersham Signature Quilt. The Chintz Medallion Quilt, 1825, is in process.

Reproducing the Wickersham Signature Quilt required Patty to painstakingly trace the quilt and the quilting at the museum. She began hand tracing, while wearing gloves to protect the original. After several days of tracing, Patty carried the patterns back to her studio where she reproduced the quilt using only her notes and a single photograph of the quilt to verify the use of correct fabrics and appliqué styles.

This loving reproduction of the Wickersham Signature Quilt is a tribute to the descendents of the early Americans, and an invitation to those who came to our shores later (as did Patty's family) to join in the wonderful traditions of the United States of America. Each piece is truly unique, and these pieces joined together create something bigger and stronger than any single design.

For more information on Patty Harants, her publications and patterns visit her website at
www.pattyharantsapplique.com.

 
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