Neal Porter Books, 2023
It is my great honor and pleasure to share Kim Taylor's responses to a few questions about her process in creating this terrific new title.
SB: First, thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. Your life seems to be extremely full of responsibilities and challenges, as well as creative outlets. I'm very grateful to have this chance to share so many intriguing elements behind the gorgeous pages and text for this important new picture book.
Will you tell our readers a bit more about your creation process, especially for the “scene” pages (cabin interior, soldiers arriving, cabin doorway, etc.). I feel I'm seeing textile art using paints or other color media, combined with applique, quilting, and … more? I am in awe of the subtlety and power in you results.
KT: I remember when I was creating the interior cabin scene. It was the first illustration that I worked on. I knew what I wanted it to look like but wasn’t sure how I was going to get there using fabric alone. I decided to use watercolor paint to create the scene, and then use fabric collage and rough edge applique to build the characters, furniture, and decor. 
Interior: A Flag for Juneteenth (Taylor)
It was a disaster!
I really had to teach myself how to manage the amount of water to mix with the paint because the colors bleed and spread fast on material! I was patient and kept practicing until I got it right. My daughter bought me watercolor pencils to use when I needed to be more detailed. I used watercolors for several of the beginning illustrations and love how the paint enhanced those scenes.
Each illustration is built on a 15x15 inch square of fabric. I use many very small pieces of material to build people and other aspects of each scene. I love the beginning of the creation process because nothing is sewn down yet, and I can easily move material around until I am happy with the result. I use a little glue to tack down the pieces so that they don’t move when I am sewing.
When planning the illustrations, I tried to keep the text in mind, and made decisions about what aspects of the text I thought needed to be enhanced. For example, the first page describes tea cakes, a type of traditional cookie that enslaved people made using simple pantry ingredients. I thought that it was important to help my readers visualize a teacake, so I set out to create them using one of the brown fabrics from my stash that had some color variations. Teacakes were not fancy back then, but they were delicious and smelled amazing, so I used hand embroidered lettering to show the movement of the scent wafting through the air. I taught myself embroidery for this quilted illustration project. 
Interior: A Flag For Juneteenth (Taylor)
I chose fabrics that I felt would have matched the period. Nothing flashy or too modern. I did want to depict a difference in how my characters were dressed before and after the announcement about freedom was made. Some of the clothing was inspired by my love of African fabric and styles. I use a regular Juki sewing machine and lower the feed dog for free motion quilting after everything is in place for each panel. Quilting really brings out the texture and gives the illustrations a 3D effect. I did not go to art school, so much of this experience was a leap of faith and a learning process. A journey that I have totally enjoyed.
SB: I appreciate your notes about the embroidery. I loved that aspect of the opening, especially, and hope it had been not been computer generated, but was your actual handwork. You certainly mastered embroidery with such fluid but precise stitching!
Does each illustrated page represent a square in a completed quilt? How did you approach the sequencing and layout for that eventual full quilt?
KT: I created 26 individual quilted panels for this book. Unlike other quilts that I have created, each block is a separate illustration.
They are not sewn together to form a larger quilt.
SB: Were there any moments in the process of producing this book that felt particularly challenging, or especially satisfying?
KT: When it was first suggested that I illustrate this book using quilts, I was certain that I could not accomplish such an enormous endeavor. It takes quite a bit of time to make even one small quilt. It took 14 months to make all 26. I am very proud to tell the story of Juneteenth in a way that I hope will encourage children to want to learn more about this historic event. I felt it critical to highlight the beauty and resilience of African and African American people during their enslavement, as well as to showcase the importance of strong family and community ties. I am also incredibly proud to have illustrated this book with an art form that was used by my West African ancestors to tell their own stories.
SB: You certainly earned that feeling of pride, and I hope you have many opportunities to share the book and your process of creating it with audiences throughout the world, but especially with young children in this country. I had been imagining that someone who views the completed full quilt would be in awe of your artistry and storytelling, but that reaction will certainly be equally true for readers who open the pages of your book. If you could be a shadow on the wall and listen in to their reactions, what are some things you would most hope to hear them saying?
KT: I would love to hear my readers say that my book is unique and that they were moved by the story as well as the artistry. I want them to feel excited to learn more about Juneteenth. More than anything else though, I want to hear my readers say that they empathize with and feel connected to my characters. One of the most beautiful compliments I have received was when an adult reader told me that they cried when Huldah reached out and bravely put a sunbeam in her little jar. They understood the symbolism and it was meaningful to them.
SB: If there are other things you'd like to share with readers, please add them, as well as any info you are free to share about upcoming projects.
KT: When I finally finished writing my story, I realized that the last scene felt like a beginning rather than an end to me. I have been seriously considering a sequel, perhaps even more than one. I have often imagined what happened to this family after that momentous day. I am hoping that my readers are curious too!
SB: I certainly am, and that was exactly my reaction when I first compelled reading your book, and continued to make me wonder and worry about all of your characters each time I returned to the story. It's thrilling to know that we might learn more about them in the years ahead!
Thank you so much, Ms. Taylor, for sharing these insights and details with us. And thank you even more for such unimportant and gorgeous book with unforgettable characters living through a nearly forgotten history. I'll be eagerly awaiting the subsequent stories of their lives.
Great interview Sandy and Kim. What a wonderful book.
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