Quilting Arts Magazine October - November 2017

“MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES.” An old Chinese curse What is it about making art and taking a stand that goes hand in hand? Lately we’ve been seeing a resurgence of social awareness, personal politics, and activism in the fiber arts. Controversial topics in art are nothing new: from the depictions of the horrors of war in Picasso’s “Guernica” to the subversive graffiti of Banksy, modern artists have frequently broached difficult subjects … and quilt artists are no strangers to this movement. Often, the juxtaposition of the public’s idea of a quilt—something soft and warm, made for comfort and beauty—and the artist’s rendition of a difficult topic (such as racial profiling or domestic violence) seem too divergent to make sense. But to the artists who feel deeply about their subject matter…

Dear Quilting Arts, I knew this was the year I would finally do the motorcycle quilt I’d always wanted to do. The show theme for my guild, Clark County Quilters, was “A Walk on the Wild Side.” Why walk when you can ride, especially on a Harley? I called my daughter, Breeze Kruse, and asked her to help me draw up a pattern for my quilt. She is a wonderful artist and I wanted something whimsical and fun—right up her alley. My mom took over the housework while I spent hours up in in my quilt studio working day and night to finish the quilt. My grandson, Gage, 14, helped me pick out the fabrics for the borders. He has a very good eye for color and he loves to help me…

Abby Glassenberg is a sewing pattern designer, craft book author, teacher, and writer. She blogs about the sewing industry, running a creative business, and the online culture of craft. She is the co-founder of Craft Industry Alliance. Abby has an undergraduate degree in history from Johns Hopkins and a master’s degree in education from Harvard. She’s the author of three sewing books and lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with her husband and three daughters. whileshenaps.com Candy Glendening teaches biology at the University of Redlands in Southern California by day, and quilting and dyeing techniques by night. Candy is addicted to color, and dyes fabric to produce just the right hue and texture she wants. She uses her hand dyes in her artwork and encourages others to do the same. candiedfabrics.com Sharon Hendry still…

before Chawne started posting photos of her quilts online, she wasn’t aware of all the opinions of what a quilt should or should not be. Now, when people comment on her quilts that spell out four-letter words, or that reference race, or that question “legitimate rape,” she mostly lets the conversation unfold. “Because I’m a teacher, I look at these things as an opportunity. So I let people talk. I let all the voices in and let them interact with each other. I only step in to remove hate speech or to keep things from getting crazy. Eventually your audience selfselects,” she says. “It’s part of being an artist, releasing our work to the universe and out of our hands.” Chawne didn’t start out making provocative quilts, though she comes from a long…

history books are filled with stories of the accomplishments of men—even though women have achieved amazing things. It is time that we added HERstory to history. I was inspired to issue the call for “HERstory: A Celebration of Strong Women” by the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Responding to the call were 85 artists from seven countries. They were inspired by stories of determination and inner strength. Stories of courageous, intelligent, and ground breaking women were told in fabric, thread, paint, and more—restricted to a quilt size of 24" x 30". The quilts were juried by Lisa Ellis and Cyndi Souder. This exhibit includes tributes to women well known to us, as well as those who worked behind…

FREE Video TUTORIAL! qnntv.com/freeform The Freeform block of the month is a queen-size medallion quilt featuring a center compass block. The fabrics featured in this quilt are from the Freeform collection by Paintbrush Studio. Several blocks in the quilt are made using the Fons & Porter Compass Template Set. These tools make rotary cutting the pieces for the compass blocks quick and easy. The template set will be included with the first monthly shipment Participants will have access to a free video each month showing techniques used to assemble the portion of the quilt and tips and tricks for success in piecing. Starting in September, each month for 6 months you will receive a pattern and fabric to make a section of this queen-size quilt. Kits will include fabric for the quilt…