I want to introduce you to Meet Me at the Corner, aka MM@tC. First, I have some news to share, then we’ll get into the quilt.

Fresh Potholders!

These are available directly from my website or at DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City.

Quilted Coasters!

Available exclusively at DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City.

New Album Potholders!

The Album Potholder project continues, available exclusively at Factory Obscura’s Bonus Track gift shop in Oklahoma City. The ones above are inspired by Garbage and Weezer.

Entrails II is out in the world!

I’m so proud to have my work in this compilation. Inflammatory bowel disease affects way more people than you think, and as it happens, a lot of us process chronic illness through creative work. Get your copy of Entrails Magazine issue 2 here.

Mark your calendars for an evening of art and conversation in OKC!

When: Thursday June 11 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Where: In the lobby at 5600 N. May Ave. Suite 190 Oklahoma City, OK 73112
What: A showcase of works by Greg Erway, Sheryl McLain, Liessa Lieppman, and Sarah Atlee.

We hope the evening feels welcoming, giving you an opportunity to connect with familiar faces, meet a few new ones, and share conversation in a setting that’s a little different from the usual. Feel free to bring guests! This casual evening event hosted by Eternal Wealth Management includes light refreshments.

What makes a Neighborhood?

I grew up in the 80s and 90s. My childhood wasn’t entirely free-range, but I was allowed to wander in my own neighborhood and play with nearby kids. During one phase I wore rollerskates as much as possible, and I knew every crack and lump in the sidewalks on my street. One spectacular summer, another girl (!) the same age as me (!!) lived next door and we were inseparable. I remember the day we memorized the lyrics to Material Girl. I don’t remember when exactly her family moved away, but I felt her absence like a magical dream that fades upon waking. 

A neighborhood is more than a set of streets and buildings. It becomes the armature on which we experience the world. We form memories and identities intertwined with our surroundings.

We remember smells and shapes and textures. We might bond with or be repelled by someone next door, down the hall, or on the next block. As if our relationships were defined by physical proximity and the structures between us. 

Good and bad milestones are pinned in their specific places. I fell out of that tree. I threw up on those stairs. I backed the car into this mailbox. I worked at that store. I walked home from that bus stop.

Interlude: This is a map I drew for issue 2 of my zine, Everything Sucks, So... Click here to get your own copy. It’s a memory map of a public park near the house where I grew up.

I lived in the same house from 1981 to 1997. Not everyone has that kind of continuity in their childhood. For those of you who moved around, are there any homes, neighborhoods, schools, etc. that feel like part of your identity? What stands out in your memory? I’ll also note that I grew up in a city. Rural folks, what do you feel defined your neighborhood?

Meet Me at the Corner aka MM@tC

I started this quilt in a workshop at QuiltCon 2024 taught by Amanda Nadig.

Nadig is a master at using idiosyncratic scraps. Her quilts are characterized by unusual fabrics, improvised shapes, and gestural handwork. Definitely check out her work because she might change your mind about what a quilt can be.

Nadig taught us how to incorporate scraps into the surfaces of quilts using different hand-sewing methods: raw-edge applique, needle-turn applique, foundation piecing, and more.

Note: applique (pronounced app-lick-KAY) just means placing one piece of fabric on top of another, instead of sewing their edges together side-by-side. It’s like collage, but with fabric.

Nadig also brought scraps to the workshop for us to choose from, which is like peeking into someone else’s spice cupboard to see what flavors they use. MM@tC is a mix of fabrics from my previous and ongoing quilts, plus one or two from her stash. 

I experimented with a few of those hand techniques, trying applique with some edges left exposed and others turned under. I found that raw-edge applique was best for preserving very small shapes, while needle-turn gave rectangular pieces some extra personality.

You probably know that quilting and mapping are kindred spirits. MM@tC is another example of how placing bits of fabric next to one another can easily become an aerial view of some imagined place.

This quilt became an urban landscape in my mind, with residential buildings, shops, factories, streets, and so on. I imagine it bordered by railroad tracks, a highway, or a river. Maybe there’s a public park or vacant lot. The kids go to school here while their parents go to work there. Some folks go to this church while others visit the one across the street. On this corner, sunflowers that no one planted grow in the summer.

As soon as the map concept solidified in my mind, the title appeared.

Meet Me at the Corner is not a utopia. But it is a place where we can make peace with our neighbors.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

From our favorite neighbor.

Until next time,
xoxo Sarah