The Walker Sisters

What an extraordinary time I had at the long-awaited HGA Convergence 2022, an international fiber conference organized by the Handweavers Guild of America and held in Knoxville, Tennessee. Textile artists from all over the world gathered for an immersive experience. I presented a Small Expressions juror’s talk, taught a new design workshop, gave a lecture, took some classes and later hopped onto a bus for three days of local tours. Then I flew home and let everything marinate inside my brain.

I viewed many exceptional textiles during the conference, and the handspun, handwoven textiles and clothing made by the Walker sisters from Little Greenbriar, Tennessee were particularly impactful. Walker family artifacts are held at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Collections Preservations Center. Baird Todd, the Museum Curator, led us through a close viewing of this extensive collection, giving us a glimpse of another way of life.

image: The seven Walker sisters: Front left to right - Margaret, Louisa, and Polly. Back left to right - Hettie, Martha, Nancy, and Caroline. Photo taken by Jim Shelton in 1909.

The textiles and clothing made by the Walker sisters are powerful artifacts from their life stories, and speak to the time and skill involved in domestic textile production. Looking at a heavily mended sock and bodice sleeve remind us that textiles and clothing in previous centuries were valuable commodities that were used and reused – that “Mindful Mending” is not a new concept. “Fast Fashion” is the true outlier.

MUSEUM CURATOR BAIRD TODD

Inside the collections of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Collections Preservations Center

COVERLET WOVEN BY ONE OF THE WALKER SISTERS

This beautiful traditional coverlet was likely woven with yarns that were handspun.

MUCH MENDED AND PATCHED

Handwoven cloth was made into this garment, which as it became well-worn, was mended and patched - many times.

A WELL-WORN SOCK

Mindful Mending is not a new concept.

SEWING KIT

A sewing kit used by the Walker sisters.

THREAD WRAPPED AROUND CORN COBS

A storage method that was new to me.

FABRIC SCRAPS

All scraps left over from cutting out a clothing pattern were saved to be used as patches later. These scraps are a window into the original fabrics before wear changed their appearance.

There are many articles and videos about the Walker sisters, who gained national recognition in 1946 from an article written about them in the Saturday Evening Post. And here is a less breathless synopsis about the Walker Sisters, written by Lindsey Taylor for the National Park Service.