This portrait is my favorite. It is also the quilt that is the most extensively researched and most detailed. The First Ladies took 6 months to research and 6 months to construct. The First Ladies is the piece that is closest to my heart. In grade school, whilst learning about the Presidents, it made me very angry that learning about their wives was non-existent. A little about Jackie Kennedy, Dolley Madison saving Washington’s portrait and perhaps a sentence or two about Eleanor Roosevelt. I would assume being the wife of the President would almost BE as stressful as the President’s job. First Ladies support their husbands, AND seemingly have no voice. I wanted this quilt to give them a voice. I also use the term “First Lady” as not only wife, but also in many cases daughter, niece, daughter-in-law and sister. A First Lady is a supporter, an advisor, a confidant, a hostess, and a friend. In appliqué, I changed the popular saying “Behind Every Great Man Is A Great Woman” to “BESIDE…”