Randolph Biddington interviewed Bryce Reveley owner of Gentle Arts, a textile conservation service in New Orleans, at a lull in a practice for a Mardi Gras Ball. Reveley's two daughters have reigned as Mardi Gras queens for the past two seasons. Mrs. Reveley thinks of textiles both analytically and historically.
Quilts are like hanging history.
I see more in quilts than most people do. To me, an old quilt is like an old book. And I can read the quilt the way most people read books. A quilt can tell a person a lot about his ancestors. They reveal a lot about the social and economic climate of the times.