Welcome! I'm Sarah Atlee, Quilt Artist

Hi there! You've made it to The Fold. Grab yourself a hot cuppa, and pull up a chair. There's always room at this table. For new friends: Welcome! I'm so glad you're visiting. The Fold is a place where I talk about quilting and adjacent art forms, cool words, weird dreams, good books, tasty foods, and whatever has captured my attention lately. It's a mix of my own work and others'. If it sounds vague, that's on purpose. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. If this isn't your cup of tea, no...

The Fold: Keeping Cool Submerge, acrylic on canvas, 2009 by Sarah Atlee. Remember like 3 months ago when I said I was taking a short break? Yeah, ha, ha haaa ha ha ha. Ha. Summer 2025 has felt like this: Not at all polite. I didn't even realize it until I'd been hit by the Hammer of July so I couldn't turn it into a swan dive. Anyway, we're here now. Let's talk about falling into holes on purpose. I believe this work is by Alex Dodge but was unable to verify it. Wet Palette: Swimming Pool Art...

A Musical Mystery, Solved. When I was six, my favorite songs were Grandma’s Feather Bed by John Denver and …something else. I didn’t know the title. I knew it was the first song on the second side of a gray cassette tape* that I “borrowed” from my Dad. Dad listened almost exclusively to classical music. This album was older than typical classical music. It was the kind of thing that today we’d call Early Music. I think it was actually performed with period instruments, which for me, was part...

A work in progress, tentatively titled Red Map. The Fold: Micro Languages I love a language that’s just for a few people. Whether it’s a code, jargon, slang, or just a loose agreement among friends, I like hearing it poking into everyday life. Here are some language-related tidbits that have delighted me recently. I was watching the highly bingeable new Hulu series A Thousand Blows. It’s a historical drama about the Forty Elephants, an all-female gang that terrorized London in the late 19th...

Connective Tissue: What gets passed across generations Read Part 1 here. In this Issue: 2 Kickstarters to Watch Nina Simone on an artist’s responsibility Remembering Alice May Brock Remembering Jules Feiffer Lately I’m Enjoying… A GIF For Those Who Read This Far If you enjoy affirmation/tarot/oracle decks, I have two beautiful, artist-made projects for your consideration: Karina Hagelin: The Survivor's Affirmation Deck Each colorful card in the Survivor Affirmation Deck features an...

In this issue: Women’s History Month show @ Downtown OKC Library Why libraries matter and how we can help Alternatives to Amazon Libraries of Things Tiny Libraries That Time Winnie-the-Pooh Went to Rehab A Video For Those Who Read This Far Above: 2012 photo of the interior of Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart, housed at the Stadtbibliothek am Mailänder Platz as of 2011. Photo by Flickr user Schub@ The Women's History Month Art Show Self Love 1: Horizons Continue Broadening. Reclaimed garments and...

Connective Tissue What gets passed across generations In this issue: I did a livestream! History repeats itself at the car wash How Faith Ringgold cleared a path Lately I’m enjoying… I did a live stream! For the first time in a hot minute, I did a live stream on Twitch (mainly to test some equipment). In this stream, I’m doodling in my sketchbook, using colored pencils, ink, and watercolor. Adding layers to a drawing is something I can really do for hours. I don’t talk much. Click here to...

Above: Self Love 1: Horizons Continue Broadening. Reclaimed garments and household linens, commercial cotton, silk, wool. Machine pieced and hand quilted. Hi friends! The last issue of The Fold was, like, so serious. So this week I’m lightening the mood a little. News: Self Love 1 is headed to a show! For the month of March, the Oklahoma City Public Library (Downtown branch) will have an art show to honor Women’s History Month. My quilt Self Love 1, shown above, will be in the show. I’ll...

Spiral, by Hank Willis Thomas, made from American flags and decommissioned prison uniforms. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Museum purchase generously supported by American Express. For a full description of this work, click the image. The Fold: Sea of Changes In This Issue: Everything changes Social media changes Some things stay in place Watching, Listening, Reading, Tasting Turtle tears All that you touch You Change. All that you...