VAM galleries including this work:
Museum of the American Quilter’s Society | Animal Farm || VAM Home

This pictorial quilt honors horse racing’s Triple Crown, a series of three races that begins in Kentucky with the Kentucky Derby. “I could have made just a Kentucky Derby quilt, but when the Derby is finished, one looks to the next big race—the Preakness—and then if the winning horse wins that, on to the Belmont Stakes,” says Charlotte Warr Andersen. “If the same horse wins that, we have a horse that has become part of a very elite group: the Triple Crown winners.

“I love horses and watching horse races; I’ve been drawing horses since I was a small child—influenced by my father, who is a saddle maker. Three for the Crown honors a tradition that is a century strong and one that I hope will be with us for centuries more.”

The quilt is made up of 2,425 pieces and incorporates traditional blocks.

About the Artist

Charlotte Warr Andersen is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, where she continues to live. When she was young, she learned to sew from her mother. She made her first quilt shortly after her marriage in 1974. Since 1983, Andersen has specialized in pictorial quilts, with original designs ranging from highly realistic appliqué to abstract piecing. The pictorial appliqué technique starts with forms that are independently layered and created. The forms are then attached to the background. “I enjoy creating realistic and representational images from the unlikely medium of fabric,” Andersen says.

A teacher of quiltmaking, Andersen is very active in the Utah Quilt Guild and has written two books on pictorial appliqué. She enjoys making quilts connected with American history and traditions. She also makes wearable art. Her quilts have won numerous awards, including second place in the first Great American Quilt Contest in honor of the Statue of Liberty.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: What Kentucky tradition is depicted in this quilt? Identify the three architectural depictions that represent the races that make up the Triple Crown. What are the names of the races? What does the title Three for the Crown reference? Try to research the traditional quilt-block patterns incorporated. Do their names suggest why they were chosen?

Activities: Write a story about a favorite topic from three different points of view—three characters or three locations. Compare and contrast how the story changes depending on the point of view.

Interview someone in your family to learn about quilting traditions that have been passed on, and record what you learn. Use the following list of questions as a guide:

• Has anyone from our family made a quilt or quilts? Who?
• Do we have any of the quilts made by this person? If so, what is the pattern used on the quilt? Is there a story about the quilt?
• Are there any favorite family stories about people in the family who were quilters (e.g., how did they learn to quilt)? Who did they make quilts for? Did they make quilts out of necessity or for keepsakes? Did they use any special techniques? Did they give their quilts away, sell them, or give them to family members?

Links

Find out more about Andersen and view images of her work at the artist’s web site.
[www.charlottewarrandersen.com]

Read an interview with Charlotte Warr Andersen at the Center for the Quilt.
[www.centerforthequilt.org/qsos/show_interview.php?pbd=qsos-a0a0n6-a]