She recently gave a lecture about them to a full room in Johnson House. Though not all of her quilts are coded, Tindall is a believer and defender of the codes. I want to convey a message of hope, freedom, love for the slaves.” The slaves, the Johnson family who protected them, that presence was the colors in the sky of the quilt. “I walked around where they slept, where they ate. “You really get a sense of enslaved people there,” she says. Built in 1768 in the heart of Germantown, Johnson House’s woodwork, flooring, and glass are all original to the house. Tindall hopes her handmade quilts hanging in the Johnson House, a crucial station on the Underground Railroad and now a National Historic Site in Philadelphia, embody the spirit of the house and the presence of those who passed through. “I’m thankful I am able to create something of comfort.” “When I’m creating a quilt, I’m focused on the purpose of the quilt,” she says. Sharon Tindall is a Virginia-based quilter, educator, and one in a tradition of contemporary quilters who design textile works inspired by this “quilt code.” Some do, and maybe it did, but others question the authenticity of such events. Nimble fingers working in secret, armed with needle and thread, engaging with a visual language, doing their part for freedom. Log Cabin = Seek shelter now, the people here are safe to speak with These quilts were embedded with a kind of code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next.īow Tie = Dress in disguise to appear of a higher statusīear Paw = Follow an animal trail through the mountains to find water and food According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill.

Crossy roads codes