Vertical Quilting Curve

The other day I gave you a sneak peek of something I was working on for Craft Critique. I am happy to report that my finished item and article is published. As you can see in the picture it is a purse. The product that made the purse is called PURSuE Your Art. It was made for the scrapbooking and stamping industry but took it as a fiber challenge. I made my own fabric from fibers using Sulky Solvy. You can read the entire article about how I did it here.

quilting, quilt art, fiber art, PURSuE Your Art

The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana is accepting submissions for its quilt art show. Deadline is October 20, 2007. The accepted entries will be shown January 12 through March 8. There will be $1000 for best in show as well as other awards. The prospectus is available in PDF format.

This would be an excellent challenge for yourself. The great thing is that there is not a minimum size for entry so it would be a nice opportunity to use some of your quilting or multimedia talents in an art quilt. If you create something, let me know and I will link to your blog entry or if you don’t have a blog send me a photo and I will post it.

Good luck to everyone who will enter and have fun!

quilting, quilt art, quilt contest, quilt show, Carnegie Center for Art and History, New Albany IN

Below is the opening line of a critique by famous feminist Germain Greer in The Guardian regarding a quilt exhibition of Edrica Huws works.

Making pictures from strips of cloth isn’t art at all - but it mocks art’s pretentions to the core

Now, I do have to admit that not all quilters are artists nor do all quilters aspire to be such. For example, the Gees Bend quilters did not set out to make art but were discovered to be artists of objects they deemed only utilitarian and such can be said of the Amish who do not believe in ornamental objects for the mere goal of an ornament. But does creating something that is visually pleasing and creatively stimulating not art?

According to Germain Greer who is responsible for this critique, quilts cannot be considered art because they are constructed with “strips of cloth” that do not stand the test of time. That fabric fades and dissolves as time goes by. She goes on to say “women have frittered their lives away stitching things for which there is no demand ever since vicarious leisure was invented.” I don’t know about you but the term “frittered” just makes me steam a little. I think she sounds a little jealous. But I am only reading into that. I would hope that as a feminist she would allow someone to be free to do what makes them happy and if “painting” with fabric instead of oils is the artists medium then she should be praising the women who break barriers pressing into the art world instead of demoralizing them for their talents. The great thing about the world is it is diverse and allows opportunities aplenty for everyone.

Here is a You Tube video of some of the Edrica Huws exhibit:

quilting, Edrica Huws, Germain Greer, Gees Bend Quilts, quilts, art quilts, Amish quilts

Although I love having my books and I own more than I will ever use and there are many I will not part with, I thought it would be nice to pass some on. Therefore I am starting the Pass It On series for the blog. Once a month I will find something (or even a group of something) to pass on and share with my readers. I also encourage you to pass it on once you are through or maybe find something else you’ve had for awhile to pass on.

My first giveaway is the 4th book in the Elm Creek Quilters series by Jennifer Chiaverini, The Runaway Quilt. I’ve had this book sitting on my bookshelf for awhile and finally picked it up to read while my husband was in the hospital last week. I’ve only read the 1st book, The Quilter’s Apprentice, before this. Of course now I want to read all of them including the 10th one that will be out in November.

Although The Runaway Quilt has some reflections from the books preceding it, it stands alone in its storyline. The story centers around a journal and the quilts found with it from the ancestors of Elm Creek Farm unwinding a tale of suspense and hidden family secrets. It is based on the possible use of quilts as signals in the Underground Railroad. It also explores the role and strength of women during the era and the moral rights of all.

To win this copy all you need to do is leave a comment below and I will select a random winner. I would love to hear if you have read any of the other books or if you already practice the concept of Pass It On but you can say anything you want about yourself or quilting or to just say hi. You can leave a comment between now and August 28th. I will announce the winner by that Friday the 31st. Sorry but the contest will only be open to shipping addresses in the U.S.

Thanks for stopping by.

quilting, quilt fiction, quilts, Jennifer Chiaverini, Elm Creek Quilts

The first line of the story reads:

If the prizes at this week’s Tri-Rivers Fair are any indication, teenage boys are making headway into that bastion of femininity: quilting.

Excuse me? “Bastion of femininity”? Evidently they haven’t heard of famous award winning male quilters before such as Ricky Tims, Phil Beaver or John Flynn. And how really is quilting feminine? Yes, quilting has traditionally been done by the females of the race but those women in our pioneering history did much more than sit around and stitch all day. Quilting was just as much a part of their jobs supporting the family as was doing the laundry or chopping wood of which neither was an easy task. Quilts were necessary items of the household to help keep everyone warm. Women were at lease able to use their creative sides when accomplishing this task and were able to socialize with others if they were lucky enough to get a few women together to make the quilting part a little less arduous.

Now after stating all that, I am not taking away from the accomplishments of these young men who were able to win prizes in the area of quiltmaking - Ryan Whelchel, 15, for the best large quilt and Joseph Bernhardt, 17, for best small quilt. In fact, it is very impressive that at their age they are able to use a sewing machine so well and turn this skill into a creative and utilitarian project. What was something that started out as teaching young men sewing survival skills has turned into a creative endeavor for them. Also, I did find a better reporting of this pretty cool story in the Salina Journal Online which is a little less sexist in its angle.

I encourage everyone to teach all their children to sew even if they don’t have a knack or great interest in it now. Everyone needs to learn how to sew on a button or repair an undone seam. It will help to reduce the need to just throw away a perfectly good shirt because of a missing button and just buy another one or at the very least keep the mending out of YOUR sewing pile.

quilting, winning quilts, quilts, kids quilting, Ricky Tims, Phil Beaver, John Flynn

While at CHA I stopped by a couple of publishers booths to see what they are up to and here are some of the books which caught my interest that will be released soon:

Simple Start Stunning Finish by Valori Wells (C&T Publishing, August 2007) - Use circles, squares and rectangles to make hip, quick to make quilts. Quilts are very geometric and look like contemporary art pieces.

Blendable Curves by Peggy Barkle (C&T Publishing, September 2007) - Here is a book that will let you take big blocks, cut in some free-form curves and end up with a quick work of art. Description from the new release catalog says “Quilts you can piece without matching seams or corners…curves you can sew without pinning or hash marks…a quilt that looks good enough to hand in a gallery, but you put it together in a single weekend.”

The Painted Quilt by Linda & Laura Kemshall (David & Charles, August 2007) - A new book about painting textiles. Catalog mentions instructions with easy-to-understand step-by-step photographs and that will deal with the application of color to the already quilted surface.

Simply Silk, Creative Designs for Quilting, Sewing & Journaling by Mary Jo Hiney (KP, December 2007) - Catalog description says this will help you tame silk for a variety of projects. Learn how to use fabric transfer, machine-stitched wording, rubber stamping and other techniques.

Living the Creative Life, Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists by Rice Freeman-Zachery (North Light Books, September 2007) - Learn about creativity from 15 full-time artists. Includes creative jump-starts and excercises from the artists. Includes different mediums but sounds like a great source of inspiration.

CHA, quilt books, quilting

I’m so excited! Today I will be at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show in Chicago. I’ll get to see some of the new products that will be in stores soon. I’ll let you know if I see anything quilt related.

Craft and Hobby Association

Due to the recent allegations from some of the members of the Gee’s Bend Quilters and recent letters flowing into her company, Kathy Ireland has released a statement regarding licensing of the designs for her products.

It is heartbreaking to learn that there is litigation involving The Quilts of Gee’s Bend and the talented quilters. This is especially distressing, to me personally and to everyone at Kathy Ireland Worldwide. I have met and spent time with these artists, who we love, respect and honor. I value their humanity as well as their art. The well being of each quilter is critical.

Our agreement assures us that the quilter’s representatives are the proper place to send all quilt related earnings. This week a careful review of our files indicates that Kathy Ireland Worldwide has paid more to these representatives than our company has earned from the quilts project.

In light of these developments, I have directed our legal team to review these serious allegations.

We look forward to a future of support for our partnership with these artists.”

kathy

Visit kathyireland.com to see some of the products using the designs.

quilting, Gee’s Bend, quilts, quilt art, Kathy Ireland, copyrights, artists rights

Maybe you haven’t heard about it yet but there is a phenomenal legal battle just beginning over quilts made by simple but proud people, good hearted people. Women who made simple but awe striking quilts and who would have given away a quilt to someone because it was the neighborly thing to do are being bamboozled into selling their hard work for a pittance compared to what they are being sold for.

Last week, Anna Mae Young filed suit against major corporations and those who discovered the artistic treasure in rural Alabama. According to the article, Gee’s Bend quilters claim big rip-off on the al.com website, the quilters had no knowledge of how their quilts were really being used. “Used” is exactly what was and is being done to these impressive folk artists. Many of the women cannot read and the Internet is not even accessible to the majority of them, so how on earth are they going to know what is being done? To them their art was their art. They would have been happy to keep making it without being in the national spotlight. Many quilters who have access to all kinds of technology and supplies are exactly the same way. Any artist creates art for art’s sake. It is just an added bonus when somebody wants to buy it.

But when somebody buys your art, does that mean they have exclusive rights to do whatever they want with the image? Is it legal for someone to purchase a vase from an artist then take it to China to be mass produced to sell in the local department store? Don’t artists have rights? I believe they do but since I’m not an attorney I can’t state exactly what they are but it seems to me that the women of Gee’s Bend are being shortchanged.

While Anna Mae is the outspoken one some of the others are content with their arrangement with the businessmen. In the article, one member is quoted

“I feel that I’ve gotten a fair deal,” Pettway said. “The others I’ve talked to, they don’t feel like Annie Mae. From what I understand, they feel that they have been treated fairly because until (Tinwood) came along, it seemed like nobody else cared. They came and let us know that we were creating artwork. Nobody cared before that.”

It is nice that people care now. It is nice that someone was able to have the vision of what could be. It is nice that some feel they have been treated fairly. But those are not reasons to not compensate these artists. Just because if no one came around and didn’t see the exceptional value of the art doesn’t make it worth any less. These women should be compensated for current value minus a reasonable commission for their work.

Question of the day: What do you think?

quilting, Gee’s Bend, quilts, quilt art, Anna Mae Young, copyrights, artists rights

I know many of you have attended quilt shows and I encourage you to keep going but if you’re like me it just not possible sometimes. I still haven’t been to the International Quilt Show in Houston because it’s too far away and I usually spend too much money on things like fabric, threads and other gadgets so I can try to actually get some quilting done. But now, you and I can sit in front of our computer screen and use a Vidcast to view a show or learn about a quilter or even learn a technique.

One of the best places I have found is on Bonnie McCaffery’s site. She has traveled around the world and along the way she has brought us a wonderful peek into quilt shows and special exhibits as well as wonderful interviews with quilters. I am so happy that I have found this site. I think you will too. You will need a Windows Media player or Quick time to play the video. She also does some interviews and her own reflections on podcasts which are just audio for those of you who may be wondering.

One observation I noted when watching the vidcast on the 2006 Houston International Quilt show was the video does move quickly through the quilts. If you would like to look longer on one, simply click on the pause button of your player then resume when you are ready. Of course, if you don’t click quick enough you may have to rewind.

Hope, you are able to view and sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the show.

quilting, vidcast, video, quilt show, Bonnie McCaffrey, quilt video