Berks in Stitches

Fine Art Quilter, Martha Ressler has recorded her journey through the boroughs and towns of Berks county, creating stunning quilts that capture the treasures of each place, both old and new.

The 2019, series of articles in the Reading Eagle, “The United States of Berks” by Susan Meiers Smith, was the inspiration for Martha Ressler to start her amazing project of recording Berks County towns and Boroughs. As Martha says,

"The weekly series became my guide as I visited all of Berks County’s boroughs and townships in alphabetical order.

As I logged reference photos and sketches and started my stitching, my rules took shape. Based on what I saw and felt upon each visit, I would decide what to depict, along with what fabrics, stitching and objects I would use. I decided that each one had to include the name in some way as part of the image. I avoided private homes, seeking out landmarks in the public domain.

As I worked and finished and framed, I came to view these 87 art quilts as little gems. In each one, the drawings, postage stamps, found objects, fabric choices and hand embroidery weave a unique story of old treasures to be enjoyed and new ones to discover.

MARTHA RESSLER studied history and art history at Oberlin College in Ohio and University of Michigan. As a late-blooming artist, she first turned to painting in 2006, but since 2009 has made over 800 art quilts.

She is a member of Cloth in Common, an international challenge group of art quilters, and a Juried Artist Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).

In addition to local shows and galleries, her work has appeared in four international SAQA shows and Quilt National in 2019 and has earned numerous awards. She uses a raw edge applique method with either elaborate machine free motion quilting or, in the case of these pieces, hand quilting and embroidery.

And also at Art Plus in the main gallery is a Holiday Show featuring small works at small prices, visit this show and find the perfect gift, while supporting local artists. The gallery is open during regular hours Thursday - Sunday and by appointment Tuesday and Wednesday. visit www.artplusgalleypa.com