“A Time to Sew: Ecclesiastes 3:7,” Ensign, Aug. 2007, 60–63
A Time to Sew:
Ecclesiastes 3:7
Latter-day Saint artists use needle and thread to create artwork that bears testimony of the doctrines of the gospel.
Bee-come, by Ruth Jensen, Arizona, sewn fabric picture. “My artwork was created for the purpose of drawing children of any age to the message of our dear prophet.” President Gordon B. Hinckley has taught us to be prayerful, be humble, be still, be true, be positive, be involved, be clean, be grateful, and be smart.
Seminary Notes, by Jan Tolman, Michigan, embroidered cloth textile. This fabric art depicts a girl’s notes from a seminary class with her added doodles. Her notes, such as “I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT,” “look at the stars and ponder your life,” reveal her growing testimony. Her doodles, such as the name of President Gordon B. Hinckley’s wife, “MARJORIE,” above the name of President Hinckley, reveal her love for the prophet and his wife.
Come, Come, Ye Saints, by Yvette S. Ungricht, Utah, needlework fabric image, Merit Award. “I am attracted to stitchery samplers as a traditional art form combining words and pictures.” Here the artist has combined the words from three verses of the hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints” with pioneer scenes.
The Faithful Gardener, by Emma Allebes, Utah, sewn fabric quilt. The artist designed this quilt to honor her husband, Ted, for following President Spencer W. Kimball’s direction at the April 1976 general conference to plant a garden.
I Am a Child of God, by Eileen Whitaker Hancey, Utah, needlework. “As women of the Church in these turbulent last days, we are abundantly blessed to be taught, literally from our infancy through our youth and on into adulthood, who we are and what our loving Heavenly Father expects of us.”
Jesus Christ, by Narda Orieta Cardenas de Castel, Bolivia, after Heinrich Hoffman, cross-stitch textile picture. Here the artist has created a cross-stitch based on the familiar Heinrich Hoffman painting Christ and the Rich Young Ruler (see Mark 10:21–22).
The Tree of Life, by Melva Hindoian Emrazian, Syria, tatted lace picture, Merit Award. This piece is a tribute to the artist’s grandfather Moses Hindoian, one of the first Armenians to join the Church. He was “a humble man of vision and purpose, to whom I owe my faith.”
Bedfordshire Lace Collar, by Elizabeth Peterson, Utah, bobbin lace fabric collar. Out of a desire to carry on the tradition of lace making begun by her ancestors from England and Switzerland, the artist creates a lace collar in commemoration of each son serving a mission. She also taught her daughter to make lace. This is the third collar the artist has made. It took 1,000 hours to complete.
All pieces from the Seventh International Art Competition sponsored by the Museum of Church History and Art; background and stitched border by Cheryl Brower