Sunday, October 17, 2021

Laura Fisher

 

Laura Fisher (1945-2021)
Photo from John Sauls

Laura Fisher was a long-time New York quilt dealer with a fabulous eye for the off-beat quilt. She's been a friend for years and we are all shocked to hear she died suddenly of heart disease earlier this month.


When the whole internet thing was new Laura used to send me photos of her quilt inventory. I was learning to photoshop and could cut out the radiator, square it up and do a little color correction..

But the main reason she sent them was just to have a backup on another computer. I still have them all and have added to the file from her Facebook page, email ads, etc. A lot of quilts passed through her hands.

She dealt in all kinds of folk arts.

The best memorial is probably the group of books she wrote over the years.


Here she is in her forties



She loved bold quilts and dramatic color (few frou-frou quilts in her inventory.)


Wool military quilt, probably British


Log cabins were a special fascination. She enjoyed the
graphics in many of these utility tops and comforters.

And she loved an unusual pattern,


Been trying to copy this for years


Laura had some one of a kind beauties.



Showing Martha Stewart a white work quilt.

We will miss Laura and her artist's eye.


UPDATE: An obituary in Antiques & The Arts:

12 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear this and thank you for posting this Barbara. I met Laura at an AQSG convention and she was funny, wise, and very supportive of members. What a loss to our community!

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  2. Oh how sad indeed. I’ve read her articles and her site for years. I always appreciated her knowledge and insight. What a loss to the quilting community. I didn’t know her personally but will say a prayer for her friends and family, you being one.

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  3. John Sauls, Tyler, Texas October 17, 2021

    Barbara..........thank you so much for the wonderful tribute to Laura. She was such a powerhouse in the history of Today's Quilt Revival! By the way, I sold here the very last qulit in your post, The Unnding Trail ​or Snake Trail

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  4. So sorry to learn of this loss to the quilt world, but especially for you for the loss of a dear friend. That is a challenging loss to grieve. As a friend, we want to be there for the family, but then it is easy to overlook the terrible personal loss we have suffered. Be gentle with yourself in the coming days. Peace be with you

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  5. What a wonderful, and inspiring set of quilts. Thank you so much for posting these, They would all be wonderful to see in person.

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  6. I'm so sorry you have lost such a good and interesting friend. I lost two friends myself last month and guess I am now "old" as this appears to be what happens. I love seeing the quilts and learning about Laura.

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  7. I'm sorry about your friend, and the loss to the world of antique quilts. I don't think I knew of her before this, wish I had. I could have learned lots from her also.

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  8. Oh, I am so sorry to hear this. She was a great figure in the antique world. Hugs to you and all her friends.

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  9. The world has lost a knowledgeable woman in the quilt world. She will be missed.

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  10. So sorry to learn of the loss of your friend……..thankful you were her back-up for her quilt history!

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  11. Sorry to hear of her passing, she had so much knowledge of the quilting world. I especially love the court house steps quilt,

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  12. So many of recall Laura fondly with love, joy and respect - her wisdom and wit will live in our hearts.
    May her memory be a blessing. Marion Harris

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