A Quilter’s Retrospective: 2001-2024

 

Photography by Pam Benham

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Maureen Coupe Toomey is a lifelong textile artist, educator, and skilled seamstress whose work spans across fine art, clothing, home textiles, and furniture. In 2000, she began her journey in quilting, with emphasis on reclaimed materials and fabrics. Her quilts draw strong inspiration from the natural world, incorporating pressed leaves silhouettes, geologic scales of time, and storm patterns.

To mark 25 years of quilting, Toomey released A Quilter’s Retrospective, a comprehensive anthology of her work captured in four themes: Exploration, Reclamation, Catalysis, and Natural Forces.

As editor and design director, I worked closely with the artist to develop artistic statements for 21 difference quilts, select professional photography, and refine the larger narrative for her book. The 57-page retrospective eloquently captures the joy of artistic discovery, family bonds, and diverse history of quilting in United States.