Quilters and the Friendship Effect- Ways to Creatively Cope During Stressful Times

When you feel stressed-out about the economy or a job loss friendship, quilting and charity work can lift you up.(This quilt block is ca. 1845. I bought 4 different ones at the Quilt Festival in Long Beach 2008. All of the Art Quilts were shown at Pacific International Quilt Show, October 2008)

The effect of bonding through friendship on a female's natural response to stress was recently studied in a prestigious university's landmark study. They found that in the female brain different chemicals are released during stress than in male brains. Females release oxytocin.

Oxytocin is the natural occurring chemical released in a woman's brain when she gives birth, breastfeeds and cares for children. Oxytocin soothes and buffers the    automatic "flight or flight"  response. Quilters know meaningful conversations and sharing of feelings  happen during a girl's night out, a quilting retreat or class, meeting for dinner, or talking on the phone.

Other studies show when you give to a charity you believe in and know your donation will be used the way you want, you experiences physical and mental benefits that come from that act of doing good for someone else. Making donation quilts for children, elders, soldiers and others in times of need is nothing new to quilters. You give the gift of quilts as a symbol of their love in the form of a cozy fabric hug.

Women who are adept at machine work talk about "the zone" they get into. This is a mindless state of relaxation which is productive and relaxes the body and reduces stress responses that may follow.

Dealing with stress was a common theme when I was practicing as a psychologist and it is frequently the topic as I coach creative solo-preneurs today. Sewing and quilting are not always available when stress is high at work or when you're tired, or your eyes need a rest from close work, but paper and pencil are always handy.  Journaling or writing out how you feel about your situation is another powerful stress reducer. Writing a detailed narrative of the upsetting events, past or present, that occurred in your life and most importantly your feelings about them, has been shown to be very effective in relieving depression. Sometimes it can be as effective as therapy or anti-depressants.

Seeking friendships, quilting, giving, tackling solutions in chunks of time and focusing most of your thoughts on what is good about your life and gratitude for it will help to sooth your mind and body. Without further effort on your part, chemicals will be released to help you cope until inevitably things will turn around and point you in an exciting new direction.

I hope this was helpful info. Or you can say it just gives more reasons to be glad we are quilters!

Piece to you and those YOU quilt with,

Kim

My Last Quilt Comments for 2008- isn't life a curious thing!

Happy New Year Everyone!! May 2009 be your best year yet!

Here are a few last interesting quilt things from 2008 I want to share with you.

First is an article in about some Mennonite and
Amish appliqué quilts for sale in Lancaster county, PA but not being made there. What struck me as I read it was the fact that appliqué quilts have never been a hallmark of traditional Lancaster, PA quilts. But that was not their point to make. I first heard about Amish quilts being made outside of the US in the 1990s. This article runs down one main source of needleworked applique.

Next is an article about women scientists, mostly specializing in neuroanatomy, who are also fiber artists. See how they have combined their passions. There is an online Museum dedicated to exhibiting the results of this combo. Maybe you have a quilt to offer them?

Lastly, have you taken Martha Stewart's textile quiz? Check it out. I got all but 1 right. How did you do?

Oh what the heck- here are some completely unrelated, but significant recommendations from me to you as you begin 2009- I'm talkn' serious girl stuff here :)

1. SEE on the big screen "The Curious Life of Benjamin Buttons." It is probably the best movie that has been made in my lifetime. The message is what I am referring to; the acting, screenplay and visuals are superb too.

2.If you like Seal's music, and are a baby boomer like me, you will love his newest album of the blues and Motown songs from the 20th century, SealSoul.

3. If you get tiny fat deposits under your eyes, use Sudden Change Night Repair Eye Cream and they will quickly go away. They form from putting creams under your eye area.

4. If you have a daughter or granddaughter who is aged 10 to 14, get her the book "The Tale of Alice's Quilt" by Jennifer Blomgren. It is so delightful! It is about an 11 year old girl learning her family history while also learning to quilt. She decides to make family heirloom butterfly blocks into a quilt. The 92 page book includes the pattern and instructions. There is a watercolor picture at the start of each chapter, making this a wonderful gift book too.

5. Join me in the new year for inspirational telephone talks with quilters and women in quilt related careers and businesses at Women On Quilts where women seam together business and spirit in the creative arts. This could be a new way to learn and grow for all of us. The first call in 2009 is Jan. 8 with author, publisher and book coach, Lynne Klippel. Are you self-sabotaging that book you want to write? Sign up to recieve notices for the next tel-event or interview on http://womenonquilts.blogspot.com

Piece to you and those you quilt with,
Kim


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Think Like an Artist with Pamela Allen

         Pamela Allen's infectious enthusiasm for spontaneous quilt making had me sketching before the end of this rich two-hour DVD. I seldom sketch, but the dozens of quilts she showed inspired me! The irony of that response is that Pam would not recommend sketching at all. No. Scissors are her drawing tool.                                  

She just dives right into cutting three values of fabric into  pieces big enough to cover the backing and batting she pre-prepares by spray basting them. Her quilting and embellishing hold the layers of her pictorial wall-hanging fiber art together.

Pamela thinks in pictures; I would bet on it. She loves putting symbolism in her quilting stitches and her appliquéd pictures. She draws from her childhood up to her current life for inspiration. Her fabrics are of every fiber and type, including stretch knits. Mostly she buys clothing at thrift stores to gather her stash. She loves to touch her pictures. She appliqués the pieces by hand, using floss and big stitches on the scissor-cut edge and other stitches for decoration and portraying the symbolism she wants you to see. Stitching is an element she uses extensively, with or without embellishments - texture abounds in her art. (**bag of embellishments)

Pamela's quilt style stimulates conversation and invites the viewer to look longer and discover her many elements . About half of the DVD is like a gallery visit, where we are viewing her quilts while she explains her source of inspiration for the theme she had in mind. Good close-up views are included.  In the other half, we watch and listen as she goes about spontaneously making a wall hanging. It appeared her choices were not preplanned or scripted in any way. Clearly she loves making art by auditioning both fabrics and shapes. She urges the viewer to work fast to make decisions rather than go back and forth trying to decide.  It was her goal to teach us "to think like an artist." The word detached came to my mind. Don't get hung up on your favorite fabric or shape, go with what you find first that works, then stick with it.

The naturalness of her working style makes this DVD stand out from the others I have seen and enjoyed too. It is a less structured lesson and I felt Pamela came across in a very personal manner.  She even includes the bloopers as a menu option, which adds humor and appreciation for how nervous she was, but didn't show it. She makes you smile because of her passionate pursuit for the craft and it's possibilities. She describes her approach to making fabric postcards by showing before and after visuals of postcards being made.

If you prefer rules and details and specifics from a teaching DVD, then this one definitely won't appeal to you. Pamela is totally free-wheeling - 'the anything goes if it looks good to you' approach. She takes quilting seriously and enters shows and challenges, but she likes to do it her way.

I didn't realize I already knew Pamela's work until she showed a house moving-themed quilt that I took pictures of at Pacific International Quilt Festival a couple years ago. I loved how she had tiny kitchen utensils attached to the kitchen wall of the house. She titled it "It Always Rains on Moving Day" in  2005, 35"X40". Pamela says " I moved a great deal as a child and hated it. It didn't matter what the weather was really like, it always seemed to be raining.  Each room of the house has embellishments and quilting describing their function. Cutlery and utensils for the kitchen and even a quilted bath tub and toilet!"  Pamela makes any kind of knick-knack sew-able by using various tools to make holes it, which she demonstrates in the video.

Pamela's DVD is available here. There is a also a short video sampling  out-takes from the DVD.

Great job Pamela.  The quilt photos are also from Pamela, and used with her permission. Thanks for sharing your self, art and approach to art quilting.

 

Here is the entire quilt that encapsulates the area seen in the detail photo above on the right. It is titled "WANNA BITE?" 2008,45"x42". Pamela says "I think Eve has always gotten short shrift. After all, she introduced adventure and knowledge to the human race! Hardly forbidden fruit in my opinion"

**"Think Like an Artist" bags of embellishments for your quilts are available from www.willowwoodfibrearts.com.  The bag includes  some of your signature embellishments including plastic eggs, safety pins, dice, game pieces, keys, spools, thimbles, bobbins and much more.

Artist's Statements at Quilt Visions exhibit- some thoughts & links to past quilts

This year I was especially interested in discovering why or by what the artist was inspired.  I much prefer it when I can see what the artist is saying she or he is making visible in the piece.

Their statements for the most part were meaningful, and added to my understanding of the purpose of the quilt for the artist (from their perspective). What the artist wrote about in their statement that she/he wanted to say or project, was visible in their wall art.

It was interesting to see how the artist made the leap from a mental cognition to the fiber visual.

There is no right or wrong of course, but sometimes I just don't get the connection. 

It seemed to me in this exhibit that their statements fit the quilt, even when one or the other was quite abstract.  So what changed I wondered, me or the artist's statements?

Here you can view http://www.quiltvisions.org/visionsarchives.html  quilts from past Visions exhibits.  2004 and 2006 show all of them.

This http://www.quiltvisions.org/v2006/v2006.html was one of my favorites in 2006, Cosmic Bicycles. Also "Primitive Door Series #30, Haunted House" was realistic looking and another favorite. Click on See All Quilts slideshow to view it.

I just came across an interesting article from an Australian magazine about a woman economist who found a connection to weaving, quilts, darning and photography. the article doesn't have pictures unfortunately, so it's a bit hard to visualize what she is referring to at times. But it fits with this post in my mind. See http://tinyurl.com/46kotc

Maybe some of my Australian friends and subscribers could post a comment on this with a link to visuals? it would be most appreciated.

I hope your Holidays are filled with love for you this season.

Piece,

Kim

Quilt Visions 2008 exhibit- Contemporary Expressions

You are so lucky!! No photography is allowed at this art quilt exhibit in Oceanside CA, but they have wonderful brochures with pictures!  I liked many of the quilts in the exhibit, but the two that took my vote (only in my mind, it's a juried exhibit) were on the brochure- yeah!

  This all fabric quilt was made by Diane Goulston Robinson, titled Facade. It was like looking through a window when I first came upon it hanging alone on a short wall. It is an incredibly accurate depiction of a building reflected in a glass building across the street.  Can you believe Diane used upholstery fabrics among many other types of fabrics?

 

My other favorite is in aqua and tan shades of layered  illusions on shear fabrics, AND upholstery fabrics, rough cut to blend in ways you hardly noticed but made perfect ground and wings. A beautiful quilt that felt delicate and powerful at the same time.

 

 

This is Red Temple by Miriam Nathan-Roberts. Looks like a wooden ceiling or furniture. All fabric. Amazing.

 

 

The top quilt photo(right) is only a small section of a raw edge 8 or 10 foot long wall hanging. I am guessing on the length, but it is very wide and less tall. BIG. Close up you see layers and layers of myriad of fabrics; stand back and a scene of friends sitting around and one playing music forms. Exquisite.

 

The second photo is also smaller than the wall art, but shows what it mostly looks like. It keeps your attention for quite awhile, as it is interesting to look at. Symmetry is no where to be found, yet you think you can find it. I also liked the colors.

 

Quilt Visions 2008 will hang at the Oceanside Museum of Art (just north of San Diego) until March 1, 2009. It is without question worth your time. There is a book if you can't make it. The quilt exhibit is every other year. For directions and hours, www.oma-online.org.

Piece,

Kim

Abundance of Quilts for the Eyes on this Thanksgiving

The Internet honestly I never would have thought I would say this, but it is a blessing. I am about to share with you links to incredible quilt articles, full of love, care, photos and inspiration and mindful thoughts for you to ponder and enjoy over the Thanksgiving break. (I know some of you are saying A break- what's that?)  I could say that too, but I won't. I am going to take a break, consciously setting my work and demands aside for a couple of days. If it feels really good, maybe three days!

I am headed to San Diego to view three quilt exhibits. The main event however is a phenom of avant garde art quilts at Visions. Visions is a juried exhibit. Something like 564 quilted works of art were entered and 41 were chosen. The museum in Oceanside, CA, is tiny, and this limits the number that can be shown. It's a lovely setting and shows the quilts off well. And let's face it, getting your quilt accepted is even more of a coo with odds like that.

Riding on Thermals
by Rose Hughes
Exhibited at PIQF 2008

To learn more about becoming a quilt artist, meet Rose Hughes, maker of this velvet and silk quilt, December 3, on Women On Quilts You can see more of her quilts on this page too. 

So - Take your time, pour a glass of whatever you love to sip, put on some soothing music, light a scented candle, and begin to embrace the variety below.  I recently discovered a musical group or orchestra really called State of Grace which I love to listen to as I work. Few words, mostly heavenly music. Very inspiring. It's published by Windham.  Don't confuse it with their State of Grace 2, it's not as soothing IMHO.  While I'm sharing, have you discovered the exquisite scented candle made by W&M Co.? Wow, scented meets it's match. I bought mine at Home Goods in the Silicon Valley, but it's a chain of stores.

http://www.selvedge.org/default.aspx  1924 video about the  wool manufacturing process step by step in Australia

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2008/11/21/another-2-diamond-blocks-done.html  crazy quilt embroidery stitching
and http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2008/11/23/how-to-transfer-embroidery-patterns-to-fabric.html  hot to transfer embroidery patterns to fabric

http://lucyquilting.blogspot.com/   "Quilting with the Past"about making reproduction quilts mostly

http://www.gwenmagee.com/portfolio.html  Gwendolyn Magee, Art quilter, some are statements on slavery, intense & speak volumes

http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/11/art-of-embroiderer-museum-exhibit.html  antique embroidery on clothing at Kent Museum

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/category/interviews  scroll down and down through the posts to see the photos mostly, but they grab you to also read text. Warning- no quilts, yet.

http://greenquilts.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-use-forpaintstix-rubbing-plates.html

Marshall county dump quilts  http://pennysanford.typepad.com/penny_sanford_porcelains_/2008/04/finally-the-sto.html

Judy's frugal link http://www.womenfolk.com/frugal_quilting/
quilt_business.htm 

Selvage jacket Calendar Pages
http://calenderpages.blogspot.com/  and http://calenderpages.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html and http://calenderpages.blogspot.com/2008/11/jacket-finished.html

http://charmsofdays.com/ Lots of feedsack photos intermingled

http://www.sacredthreadsquilts.com./default.htm be sure to click on the Gallery tab to see previous winning quilts

End with http://farmgirlfollies.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/be-generous-of-spirit/

http://needlework.craftgossip.com and
Oh Well, La La http://denisefelton.blogspot.com/ 

http://lynnewsnyder.blogspot.com/2008/11/lunch-at-quiltlers.html  the Provo quilter  country charm

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/389492_caps26.html  inspiring story about teen girl helping homeless, quilts mentioned just once

http://www.uwhealth.org/gored/goredforwomenandquilting/13919  go red

http://scrapsandthreadtales.blogspot.com/  scroll down for location pictures on this woman's travel

I have enjoyed our journey together this year. Thank you for being with me on it. Each of you are a gift to me. Together we hold the thread that forms the circle of quilters spirits around the world.

Piece to you and those you quilt with,

Kim

Introducing Women On Quilts: Interviews, Teleclasses, Webcasts

I have been working 24/7 and now I've lost my voice! Oh my gosh- I have just never been so a buzz with new ideas and projects that I can't wait to complete so I can get on to the next. I have been dropping hints about the imminent launch of my new project. After a critical week like this one has been for people around the world, I think it’s time for some good news.

Introducing (trumpets roll please) a teaching, learning, and sharing opportunity for creative women everywhere- Women On Quilts: Interviews, Teleclasses, Webcasts! From the comfort of your home, by telephone or using the internet, meet fabulous women who make their living or live their joy in the quilt world. Learn how they did what they do to pursue their goals and find succesful inside and out. My hope is you will feel a spark from these conversations and classes that will enable you to accomplish your dream too.

During this demise of our country’s economic fabric, I can't help but think about women living during the Great Depression and making quilts for covers and mattresses. I have to believe we will figure a way to avoid another Depression. Every day brings new information, new stock market numbers and experts discussing how we can save our money. Although I couldn't have known this when Women On Quilts was just a buzz in my head early this summer, what I am bringing to you certainly seems to be an antidote during this crisis and the ensuing months of the recession. Just think, from your home or office you can meet women working in the wide world of quilt businesses, designing, writing, leading & planning, teaching, quilt making, and so much more. I will teach how-to classes in research, quilt history and to spark your creativity & overcome challenges in your life, work & art such as

 building confidence
 fearless speaking in front of groups
 using perfectionism to your benefit
 using healthy attitudes & beliefs in your work and art
 releasing blocks, fears, and negative thinking
 finding approaches to living your life pursuing creativity ***


I so appreciate all of you that subscribe to my newsletter, read this blog, post comments and send me emails. You made WOQ happen. To keep up with my next interviews with well known and lesser known quilters, including the first women I haven't announced yet, opt-in to WOQ VIPs now so that you will automatically get the class and interview announcements. As a thank you, you will receive my E-article "Sparking Your Creativity." Yes, you want to subscribe to both QS and WOQ as they are completely different and WOQ VIP's get privileges non-subscribers and feed subscribers do not.

Look for QS newsletter on Monday when I will talk about my quilt making during this week of economic crisis and you'll get a glimpse into some of my thinking about the mind/body benefits of being creative. I will pull from my background in psychology for some of the classes I offer through WOQ.

***An interview Judy did with me reveals more about WOQ's purpose and goals on Womenfolk:The Art of Quilting.

Contemporary Websites

I come across some pretty darn wonderful out-of-the-ordinary websites while cyber-cruising around and I thought you might like to know about some of them too.

The first is written by Serena Renton, an artist and college teacher currently in North Carolina. Her website is a thinker and a looker Layers of Meaning. She offers her personal comments on design and textile arts and the creative expression of them.

Sue Spargo is a folk art quilter. She designs all of her own pattern designs which . are quite different than what you may think of when you think of folk art quilts. Sue uses wool, decorator fabrics, trims and cottons all together in a pattern to make her appliqued quilts, pillows, and gifts. Her designs are whimsical and wonderful and some are even useful, like needle cases and pin cushions,. She draws from the old but they are decidedly contemporary.

Fiberella is an art quilter's website with a gallery of quilts made with machine needle felting, machine embroidery and quilting and thread drawing techniques that make quilts very exciting and intriguing. Paula Scaffidi, the quilt artist invites quilters to submit photos of their own work to post in her gallery!

Mildred's Lane.

Recently I watched a teaching video for beginning art quilters and those quilters who want to know the art school terms and thinking about composition and drawing to add to their repertoire. It was terrific, like being with friends in their studio, they being the teachers on the video Jan Davila and Elin Waterston. You can read more about Teach You Art Quilt Basics and my thoughts as a student. After that, why not check out my other book reviews, they offer quite a variety of topics in the quilting field.

More IQF LB quilts and people

Hello everyone- I hope you are having a good August! This summer has whirled by me, one of the busiest I have had in some time. Isn't August when everyone goes on vacation and it's"dead"? Not so this year! (I go on to blab about the Olympics for awhile here, but if you scroll down you will see photos of the quilt show- promise)

Plus the Olympics have caught my attention this year, I have so enjoyed learning and seeing more about China than I ever have. I have cried so man y times watching Micheal Phelps, Shannon Johnson and Nastia, Misty May and Kerrie, and all the other people who are so superior in their sport. My heart has grown huge with happiness for them and I am regularly awed by their ability and by their handling of the challenge before them. Such wonderful role models for everyone!

I must admit that I have not watched the Olympics before, other than here and there, but this locale and Phelps' story caught my eye. Come to find out, many incredibly inspiring personal stories have been told by NBC. I am blown away by what these people have gone through in their personal life! It made me appreciate everyone of them so much more deeply.

Remember I am a clinical psychologist and have worked in many venues and heard many stories, but seldom do people rise to such levels of overcoming the challenges, although some certainly do! I don't mean in their sport, I mean in their life. They are able to keep their vision, reach their personal goals, get support, find their way, rise above feeling like the victim of their life and instead a leader of their life who dream big and make it happen in spite of the odds. I am so impressed by the Olympians' accomplishments before they get to China. I especially have enjoyed seeing how many older folks are coming back to compete and doing a great job.

I certainly don't see watching the Olympics as a tacit acceptance of communism or Chinese attitudes toward women, the environment or Tibet. As I see it, the athletes and this huge country of human beings also living on this planet, are my brothers and sisters, and knowing their ways is enhancing my life. Wasn't that Opening Ceremony something? I simply have never been so awed at a performance and I've been awed at a lot of performances, but 2008 people in unison on stage, over and over again with different sets of 2008 people in perfect unison, doing intertwined performances, on a giant led monitor- the tears were just running down my cheeks in amazement that they have this level of discipline, creativity and vision in China.

With that said, let's look at some pictures of the fabulous quilts and people I saw at the Long Beach Quilt Festival.
















These happy campers are Audrey, Dee and me.

So who are Audry and Dee, besides my long time buddies? They are the founders, planners and hostesses with the mostesses of both Quilt Camp in the Desert (Jan. in Phoenix) and Quilt Camp in the Pines (July in Flagstaff, AZ) See http://www.quiltcamp.com/ to see the teachers lined up for the July camp. It's a blast!


This was the booth for SAQA, Studio Artists Quilt Association, one of the earliest art quilt group orgs, which Yvonne Porcella began right here in California.Artists in the Photo from left- Jeanette Kelly, Cathy Gregory, Linda Miller, and Karen Lusnak.

I would show you photos of SAQA's quilts on exhibit here, but no photography was allowed. These are incredible quilts though, many presented in a series, and many were for sale and marked sold on the very first day.

when I took a time out to hear Yvonne Porcella teach for a half hour (and describe her new magazine coming out this fall!)I was oohing and ahhing in unison with the woman sitting behind me, so I turned around to talk during the break, to see the kindred spirit. Turns out it was Peggy Martin, the Strip Paper Piecing Queen!


A funny coincidence happened (there are no coincidences in my opin)I had just ordered a DVD of Peggy's book from C&T for reviewing. It won't be out until November darn it, but it was on my mind and then there she was! We had a great talk and I look forward to watching her teach even more now.

More to come from the Long Beach show, but this is it for now. Piece to you and those you quilt with!

Kim

Stenciled cloth

This cotton panel falls into a rare category of embellished textiles, in excellent condition, considering it was made around 1830 in Maine.

Around the time this single panel was made, the theorem method of painting with oils and stencils was taught in affluent girls schools. When the theorem method is used on most of the quilt's surface , it is usually referred to as a stencil quilt. Small motifs can be stenciled on blocks and combined with patchwork and appliqué blocks. From a distance or photo, these areas can appear to be appliquéd or embroidered. Sometimes the whole quilt can look like applique and turn out to be stenciled. (This makes reading the caption important.) This method was much faster, but required different skills and templates.

Today's art quilters use similar techniques. Their stencils are different, and the paints are seldom oil, but the joy and quick process for dynamic results remains the same. Here is a feast of stencils available today.

Although few antique quilts remain,there are examples in the collections of these museums; American Folk Art Museum, NY, Sturbridge Village, MA, Shelburne Museum, VT, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daughter's of the American Revolution, and others. Links to each of these museums and many more are here.

Lynne Z. Bassett, former curator of Sturbridge Village Museum, wrote an excellent article about the history of stencil quilts for The Magazine Antiques in February 2003.

While at the Shelburne Museum website, be sure to check out their building named the Stencil House, where the walls, woodwork and furniture are stenciled.

Piece,
Kim

P.S. Synchronicity! This info was posted on the quilt history list that I read this morning.
In the August issue of the magazine Early American Life is the article
EYE ON ANTIQUES: SLEEPING WITH STENCILS, by Jeanmarie Andrews
"Young girls schooled in fancy decorative techniques took paintbrush in hand to stencil these rare bedcovers." You can order a copy here http://www.ealonline.com/editorial/toc.php?id=0808

Ricky Tims, art quilter, on TV News

The CBS News Sunday Morning program with Charles Osgood will be featuring a segment on quilting. It is scheduled to air this Sunday, March 16, 2008. Be sure to check your local listings for exact times. In CA it's on in the morning from 7AM to 8.

CBS News Sunday Morning features beautifully produced, personal human interest profiles. A portion of the program will feature the International Quilt Festival in Houston and a portion of the story will focus on Ricky Tims, his quilting and his music. All quilters and quilt industry professionals are urged to immediately notify friends, family, and quilters they know. Forward this message and use any other means possible to spread the word.

We also understand that the CBS news website will feature the profile on their website after the show airs so international people will have the opportunity to see it too.
Here is the link for the upcoming CBS News Sunday Morning:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/09/sunday/main13562.shtml

Quilting Arts TV

There is now an online home for Quilting Arts TV http://www.quiltingartstv.com/ with host Patricia Bolton. I received feedback from John Bolton at Interweave Press (QA Magazine publishers) today, Jan. 10th, saying the station finder will be launched this afternoon. He said the programs have not been delayed and are currently airing in over 300 markets. So let us know what you think by posting your comments!!

For those of you who can't get it in their area (and maybe that's what's going on in LA) they are releasing a CD of all the programs (13) in early Feb..

Click on "Program Notes" on their website menu and you can read an overview of each show. They sound terrific; a technique such as machine quilting, or photo transfer, a viewpoint such as quilting every day, or a theme such as landscape quilts are discussed in a show with a well known teacher in that field.

Click "Projects" and you will get PDF supply lists and instructions for each program and a picture of course.

What an asset this website appears to be for art quilters or those wanting to try it out and learn about it. The magazine Quilt Arts is one of my favorite magazines, in fact, it's the only how-to quilt magazine I now subscribe to besides Quilter's Newsletter which I love and have since the 1970s. I buy other how-to magazines in quilting and various crafts off the shelf on an as desired basis. I've kept boxes of older magazines from QNM, LCPQ, AQS, NQA, QT, TQ, McC, BHG, and some other International ones like France patchwork, Quilt Mania, and Australia's P&Q; they are filed by date, in easy access (thanks to a recent rearrangement of my attic files which placed them close to the entrance that is off my studio- how convenient, if only it weren't so hot or so cold to go in there!). I really enjoy going through old magazines and reading about what was popular when, what was the style of quilting, what was the newest tool, and what exhibits and shows were of interest when. Also, happily, many of the older magazines included history articles, often about an individual quilter who had passed on but left a legacy of family quilts.

Some of you may not know that I had a regular column in Traditional QuiltWorks magazine from 2000 to 2002 called "Quizzing the Quilt Historian." It was a Q&A feature based upon photos sent in from readers. This predated the common use of digital cameras and scanners, so most people sent actual photographs (remember those??) and their quality didn't always publish well in a magazine, which discouraged the publishers. Eventually the magazine was transformed into QuiltWorks Today Magazine by combining two of their magazines and my column was ended then. It was my pleasure to work for them and to date and describe the quilts that people sent to me via photos. Great fun and lots of wonderful quilts are held in private hands.

Needled Art Online

First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! 2008 will be great is my motto for this upcoming year. I can feel it- can you?

Recently I came across some remarkable quilts made in the ART style, not contemporary, but ART. I see a big difference between the two types, and like them both. I can and have made contemporary quilts, but want to push my limits this year by making some art quilts. So in the search for ideas I found these quilts online and will share the links with you.

An online exhibit of about 15 art quilts by acclaimed artists including their thoughts, materials used and a mini-bio.

A patchwork quilt top made of 2"x 2" sampler-style sqs. made by many women. Each block is dedicated to the memory of their friend in beading, Barb Davis. This quilt is made 100% from beads. Barb's work

An exhibit of merkins which quilt artist Linda Gass curated gets my award for the most unique challenge topic, not only of the year, but the entire course of quilt history! Do you know what a merkin is? Linda puts it into the category of intimate apparel

Dee Clements embroiders old hankies with comic-style pictures and words that tell stories.

Arle Skylar-Weinstein used digital photos to make a layered effect on her quilts. Her quilt offers a great deal of variance in topics, colors, and themes.

Remember PBS will start their Art quilt TV program in January. See my Nov. 2007 post for link and more info about it. And see the Houston Quilt Festival post while there for the link to their art quilt exhibit online.

Cheers to a happy quilt filled, historical year for us all.

Piece, Kim

Nancy Crow

I think quilt artist Nancy Crow would wholeheartedly agree with Julia Cameron's words "For many of us, our artists [within our self] have been waiting to speak with us for years....We are spiritual beings and when our spirit grows larger, so must we. There will be no comfortable resting in yesterday's definition of ourselves." WALKING IN THIS WORLD.

Nancy's new book is; CROSSROADS Constructions, Markings and Structures. It is a beautiful book showcasing her latest work showing 25 new quilts, never before seen outside Nancy's studio. This is actually a catalog for a 2008 exhibit which will continue to move about the country. Nancy works in series, and this book covers three series. All of the quilts were created over a two-year span and mark a new direction in Nancy's work, including her experimentation with screen- printing and direct-to-fabric blocking. The quilts are shown in incredible detail. Work-in-progress shots taken inside Nancy's studio, along with excerpts from her private sketchbooks provide unique insight into the life and work of this incredible artist. It was this that I most liked about her 2007 book, NANCY CROW. CROSSROADS cost less than half as much at $22.95, as that one but the photography is just as beautiful and the impact is too. This book shows quilts that are completely different from her earlier quilts, and the other book is a retrospective.

Piece,
Kim

Inspiration

Think of what art quilters could do with this image.




Beginning Jan. 2008 "Quilting Arts TV" will be a show on PBS. Patricia Bolton is the host to a long list of big names in the fiber art community. Should be excellent! Check your local listings for times and dates or quiltingarts

Piece,
Kim