FALL 2012 - International Quilt Association

J OURNAL
OF
T HE I NTERNATIONAL Q UILT A SSOCIATION
FALL 2012
The 2011 IQA JUDGED SHOW
Judge’s Choice of Linda Taylor
Bohin France
Photo by Jim Lincoln
Category sponsored by
FIFI CAN HULA HOOP! (45"
X
56.5")
by V‘ LOU O LIVEIRA of Norman, Oklahoma, USA. Original design.
con
tents
J OURNAL OF T HE
I NTERNATIONAL
Q UILT A SSOCIATION
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letter from the president
Singing “Quilters just wanna have fun!,” Stevii
Graves preps you for the excitement at the
upcoming International Quilt Festival in
Houston and IQA’s important contributions to
the show.
the iqa files: rachel wetzler
From geometric designs to pictorial works—
with a generous helping of yellow fabric!—
Wetzler’s “simply sensational” quilts run the
gamut of styles and techniques. And that’s not
even counting her needlework on lingerie and a
furry bear costume!
festival opportunities
Do you know what perks and privileges your
IQA membership gets you at Quilt Festival in
Houston? Plenty! Also find out about IQA’s
annual meeting and the return of Quiltapalooza.
2012 iqa
teacher’s directory
ballot box
Cast your vote in the upcoming election for IQA
Board Members!
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winners gallery—
art, pictorial
Is that a quilt? Or a painting? Many novice
viewers of pictorial quilts have a hard time
believing what’s in front of them was made
with fabric. See the winners from this category
in last year’s judged show.
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winners gallery—
traditional pieced
40
younger quilters make
the scene
44
from the iqa library
The past is preserved in the winning quilts
from this category in last year’s judged show—
piece by piece.
While the average age of a U.S. quilter is 62,
there is an increasing number of younger
artists in their 20s and 30s taking up the
needle and machine. Megan Farkas, Luke
Haynes, and Nora Ronningen are just three of
these quilters who are putting their own
creative stamp on the artform that brings both
challenges and joy.
Reviewed in this issue: New Ideas for Appliqué
by Pat Sloan; Les Quilts Miniatures by Kumiko
Frydl; and Patchwork Sassaman Style by
Jane Sassaman.
L E t t E R
F R O M
t H E
P R E s i d E N t
BOaRd OF
diREctORs
Dear members,
president
Stevii Graves
Cyndi Lauper had it wrong when she sang, “Girls just wanna
have fun.” She should have been singing, “Quilters just wanna
have fun.” No matter where you go, you know you are in the quilt
world when you hear peals of laughter followed by multiple
people all talking at once. Total chaos, total fun.
vice president
education
Pokey Bolton
vice president
finance
Brenda Groelz
vice president
membership
Linda Pumphrey
vice president
public service
Susan Brubaker Knapp
secretary
Pat Sloan
treasurer
Marti Michell
founders
Jewel Patterson (1910-2002)
Helen O’Bryant (1914-2005)
Karey Bresenhan
Nancy O’Bryant
jOURNaL
staFF
editorial
director
Nancy O’Bryant
editor
Bob Ruggiero
writer
Rhianna Griffin
design and
production
Hunter-McMain, Inc.
Where else, but at a quilt show, would you find eight women wearing matching lime
green T-shirts, hot pink basketball shoes, and purple glitter antenna on their heads?
You might also find a male quilter accompanied by a group of women wearing
buttons that identify each as a member of “Bob’s Quilt Harem.” Standing next to the
harem group is the couple, all dressed in black, seriously discussing the merits of
three-ply thread versus two-ply thread. All having fun in their own way.
I hope that all IQA members can come to Houston this year. If you cannot be in
attendance, you could keep up with all the excitement by reading blogs. Pokey’s
Ponderings at http://pokeysponderings.com/ is a great blog, written by soon-to-beretiring IQA board member, Pokey Bolton. Pokey is always in the know.
For those of you attending Houston, please check out the IQA and Quilts, Inc.
websites. We don’t want you to miss out on anything. Plan on attending the IQA
Winners Circle Celebration. Don’t you wonder who won this year? Even I don't know,
because the results are kept tighter than a Pentagon secret until the awards
presentation! But you can see all the winners on IQA’s site beginning Wednesday,
October 31!
Once Festival opens, go look at all the quilts juried into this year’s IQA judged show,
“Quilts: A World of Beauty.” After all, you want to be sure the judges did a good job
selecting quilts for awards!
For a fun-filled evening, come to IQA’s annual, meeting, The Lone Star Quilt
Conference, and then Quiltapalooza. Put on your fascinating Fascinator and watch
the silliness evolve. And be sure to read the article in this issue that tells you about
all the perks that your membership allows you throughout Festival week.
If you see me at the show, please say hello. I'll be easy to find...just look for a short, round, middle-aged
woman wearing comfortable shoes….
Sincerely,
Stevii Graves,
President
The International Quilt Association
InsTruCTIons For vIewInG
The IQA DIGITAL JournAL on
A TAbLeT or smArTPhone:
For iPad/iPhone:
•Both devices can now read direct
pdf files.
•Adobe Reader X is available in
the app store for iPad, iPhone
and iPod Touch.
http://www.adobe.com/products/
reader-mobile.html
•The pdf can be sent as an
attachment on an e-mail.
•Once the recipient receives the
e-mail, he/she can download the
attachment, then click it to
open in the iBooks app.
IQA’s Facebook Page!
www.facebook.com/internationalquiltassociation
•iBooks is a free app for the
iPad/iPhone that is available
through the App Store for the
iPad/iPhone.
•The pdf can be added to the
library in the iBooks app, then
viewed on either the iPad/iPhone.
For Android/blackberry:
•There are several apps available
for devices that use the Android
operating system.
•Adobe Reader X is available in
the app store for Android.
http://www.adobe.com/products/
reader-mobile.html
•Aldiko Book Reader can be used
for an Android device,
www.aldiko.com
•Kobo for Android, Sony Reader
for Android, Amazon Kindle
Reader for Android, Barnes and
Noble Nook for Android are also
available.
•Mobipocket Reader 5 is available
for Blackberry users.
www.mobipocket.com
The website www.goodereader.com
contains many of these apps that
can be downloaded for devices other
than the iPad/iPhone.
on the cover
ARTICHOKES
IN
B L O O M ( 44" x 37") by A NDREA B ROKENSHIRE of Round Rock, Texas.
Judge’s Choice of Cindy Brick. Category sponsored by Bohin France. Photo by Jim Lincoln. Original design.
3
The 2011 IQA JUDGED SHOW
First Place—Merit Quilting, Machine
Category sponsored by
C O N V E R S AT I O N S
bernina of America
WITH
DIANE (63"
X
63")
by M ING H SU of Woodside, South Australia, Australia.
Traditional pattern, from Feathered Star Quilt Blocks I by Marsha McCloskey.
Also inspired by Diane Gaudynski and her books.
4
The 2011 IQA JUDGED SHOW
First Place—Miniature Quilts
Category sponsored by
Pellon
M O N O C H R O M AT I C ( 1 4 "
X
14")
by K UMIKO F RYDL of Houston, Texas, USA. Original design.
5
iqa files:
rachel wetzler
o f
v a n
n u y s ,
c a l i f o r n i a
IQA Journal: Tell us a bit about
your early life - growing up, going
to school, etc.
Wetzler: I’m a girl from the
Midwest—born in Iowa and raised in
Minnesota—where I went on to
receive a degree in Religious
Education and married David, my
college sweetheart.
In 1980, we moved to the Chicago
area for my husband’s post-graduate
studies, thinking we would be here
about two years (it’s now 32 years).
We live in St. Charles where my
husband’s business, ChurchSmart
Resources, is located.
My most recent work experience
involved data processing and market
research in publishing companies.
Quilting was my “after work therapy.”
Fourteen years ago, I left the corporate world to pursue my dream to
quilt full time.
DELICIOUS (56" x 64")
6
IQA Journal: How did you first
get involved in quilting?
Wetzler: Although I made my first
quilt over 20 years ago, the
groundwork for my interest goes back
to childhood, when my mom taught
me to sew. Thanks, mom!
As a kid, I sewed most of my
clothes. As an adult, I’ve sewed dolls,
pillows, draperies, lingerie, even a
furry bear costume. But then a
magazine quilt pattern caught my
attention. It was a twelve-block
sampler designed by Diane Rode
Schneck. By the time I’d finished the
quilt, I knew this was it—quilting was
my thing. Ten years and seven quilts
later, I chose to enter quilt competitions.
IQA Journal: Your quilts feature
both geometric designs and
pictorial works. What kind of
freedom does it give you to go
back and forth between these
styles rather than specialize
in one?
Wetzler: As a left brain/analytical
type, working in a geometric style is
part of my DNA.
All my early quilts are geometric.
When I joined PAQA (The
Professional Art Quilt Alliance), I
became acquainted with a lot of right
brain/creative types. Through their
example and encouragement, I
started dabbling in drawing and
discovered—with a lot of erasing and
starting over—I could actually design
and make a pictorial quilt.
Since this style doesn’t come naturally
to me, it’s a challenging endeavor.
Making a pictorial quilt stretches the
boundaries of what I know I can do
easily. After finishing a pictorial piece,
I feel the need to go back on autopilot,
which for me is returning to the
confidence and relaxation of working
in a geometric style. Alternating
between styles stirs in me a positive
tension that keeps me on my toes
rather than simply cranking out quilts.
IQA Journal: Your quilts are very
discernable, especially for their
use of yellow. How did you
develop your style, and what is so
appealing about yellow?
Wetzler: My style is a reflection of
who I am and what appeals to me.
I’ve always been drawn to ancient
ornamental motifs and classic radial
designs resulting in many of my
geometric quilts. Old World
architecture and the desire to design
scenes of tranquility influenced
several of my pictorial quilts.
I think my dominant style—
geometric—is hard-wired inside. But
as I keep trying to master skills and
broaden my viewpoint, I’ve worked to
add a secondary style (pictorial) to my
FA N D A N G O (68" x 68")
FRAGRANT MEMORIES
(60" x 51")
7
Rachel Wetzler
“bag of tricks.” Perhaps it was always
there but was undeveloped. I guess
desire and persistence drive me to at
least try something new once in awhile!
Many people shy away from yellow in
quilts. It’s true that a little yellow
goes a long way, but every one of my
contest quilts incorporates yellow,
some far more boldly than others!
My blog, A Bit of Yellow, says it all: I
like yellow. It’s the color of sunshine.
A bit of yellow in my quilts is my
trademark statement of hope, the
sunshine of the soul.
IN THE QUIET
(53" x 65")
8
Rachel’s studio sewing cabinet, built
by her husband.
IQA Journal: Tell us how you
developed your “Simply
Sensational” series and what
appeals to you about architecture
in the quilts.
Wetzler: The quilts in my “Simply
Sensational” series use architectural
settings to highlight each of our five
senses. When I came up with the idea
for a series on the five senses, I
thought my best bet at effectively
“describing” the senses in fabric was
to create a scene where each sense
speaks for itself.
I’m drawn to classic and Old World
architecture, and have always been
interested in interior design, so it
appealed to me to use architecture as
the structure to hold the concept.
Architecture is the framework in
these scenes meant to evoke feelings
of calm, beauty, and gratitude for
God’s creative genius in giving us
these gifts. My goal was to create an
environment for the viewer to feel
that they could step into the quilt and
experience the sense.
One quilt in the series is adapted
from a vintage illustration, one is
based on a photo I took in France, and
the other three are scenes imagined
in my mind.
IQA Journal: What quilting style
or technique do you want to try
that maybe you haven’t yet?
Wetzler: As one example, I’m
interested in trying Susan Brubaker
Knapp’s technique to create a small
wholecloth painted quilt based on a
photo. I’ve got the supplies—now I need
to carve out the time to experiment!
iQa FiLEs
IQA Journal: Do you have
quilters or quilting instructors
that you look up to or have
taught you something valuable?
Wetzler: It would be a long list if I
started to name quilters whose work I
admire. In general, quilts that speak
to me are original in design, have
strong visual impact, and that
indescribable “something extra” that
stops you in your tracks. Pictorial
quilts that grab me tell a story and
connect with me emotionally.
On the practical side, I will mention
taking a Caryl Bryer Fallert class
where I learned the Applipiecing
technique. I use it to accurately
construct my large pictorial quilts.
There are quilters we admire from
afar, and then there are quilters we
actually rub shoulders with, like the
small critique group I’m involved in
locally. I consistently learn valuable
lessons from them in our monthly
“think tank.”
M O R A L C O M PA S S ( 4 9 " x 4 9 " )
And although not a quilter himself,
my husband’s valuable perspective
and critique has kept me from making
many design and color catastrophes.
9
Rachel Wetzler
IQA Journal: Any funny or
amusing stories about something
that happened while you were
making a quilt?
Wetzler: I finished a pictorial quilt
top where I had used a bit of tulle to
add depth and shading. Before
layering the quilt sandwich, I decided
to give the top a final pressing with
the iron. Famous last words: “It
seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Except that I forgot about that little
area with the tulle and ended up with
a quarter sized “melt down” as the
tulle disintegrated under my too
hot iron.
Fortunately, the design already had a
lovely dragonfly near the disaster zone,
so I appliquéd another one over the
damage, and it turned out beautifully.
ORCHIDACEOUS (47" x 47")
10
IQA Journal: If you could have
one quilting “super power,” what
would it be?
Wetzler: Here’s a risky confession:
I don’t like to quilt!
When designing, auditioning fabrics,
and constructing the quilt top, I’m a
happy camper. But once the top is
complete I want to move on to my
next creation.
iQa FiLEs
The actual quilting phase—especially
free-motion work—is stressful for me.
I don’t enjoy the quilting part, and am
rarely satisfied with my results. So I’d
like to snap my fingers and have that
over and done with.
IQA Journal: What quilts are you
working on now?
Wetzler: Currently, I’m in the
quilting phase of a piece based on the
ceiling designed by gothic architect
John Wastell in Canterbury
Cathedral’s Bell Harry Tower (1503).
The natural stone fan vaults of the
ceiling are accented with details
painted in rich blue, red, and gold. My
rendition is a riot of color (yes, a lot of
yellow) that would surely make Mr.
Wastell roll over in his crypt!
IQA Journal: Any other comments?
Wetzler: My hands need to be busy
most of the time making or improving
things. When I’m not quilting, you
may find me “playing house” by
painting a bookcase, rearranging
furniture, or scrounging resale shops
for a home accessory to tweak.
For more on Rachel and her work, visit
www.rachelwetzlerquilts.blogspot.com
FOOTLOOSE (42" x 38")
11
festival
opportunities
Exclusive Quilt Festival Houston
perks for iQa members!
This year’s fall International Quilt
Festival will take place November 1-4
(with Preview Night on October 31
and classes beginning October 29) at
Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. IQA members who attend
will have special opportunities that
no one else will! Here’s a rundown of
what your membership entitles you to
that no one else receives.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
The Lone Star Quilt
Conference, IQA’s annual
membership meeting, will take
place on Thursday, November 1
from 5:30-6:15 p.m. in room
310ABDE of the George R. Brown
Convention Center. Come hear your
Board discuss IQA news and plans
and meet the new officers while
being eligible for an exclusive prize.
Also, those who attend will be
the first through the doors for
Quiltapalooza, which immediately
follows!
• One Day’s Free Admission
IQA members get one day’s free
admission to International Quilt
Festival. Just present your membership card at the door.
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• VIP Preview
Only IQA members and Festival
enrollees admitted, 5-7 p.m. on
Wednesday, October 31. Show your
membership card at the door.
• Preview Night: International
Quilt Festival
Immediately following the VIP
Preview, International Quilt Festival
opens to the general public for a
special Preview Night showing, 7-10
p.m. IQA members can also attend this
for free with your membership card.
And Preview Night does not count
toward your free day’s admission!
• IQA Winners’ Circle Celebration
Quilts, quiltmakers, and $94,250 in
prizes make IQA’s Winners’ Circle
Celebration the place to be from
6-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, at the
third floor ballroom in the Brown
Convention Center. The excitement is
in the air as all winners for the judged
show are announced live. You can also
meet the corporate sponsors, enjoy
photos of the quilts on screen, and then
see the winning quilts themselves and
visit with many of the lucky winners.
IQA members can attend free.
Important Note: If you have not preenrolled, show your membership card
at the door. If you have a friend who
is a non-member, they can purchase
See the top winning quilts before
the general public at IQA’s Winners’
Circle Celebration.
their ticket at the special IQA table
set up in front of the ballroom before
standing in the line to get into
the auditorium.
IQA members who are winners in the
judged show will have reserved
seating, which will be roped off with
signs near the front of the stage.
• Private Photo Op
IQA members only have a special
one-and-a-half hour opportunity,
beginning at 8:30 a.m. Friday,
November 2, to photograph “Quilts:
A World of Beauty” and Festival’s
other special exhibits (except those
which prohibit photography) before
Festival crowds arrive. Booths will not
be open for shopping. IQA membership card required. Entry between
8:30-9:30 a.m. only through Hall D.
OtHER iQa EVENts
• Quiltapalooza!
Right after the Lone Star Quilt
Conference, IQA’s general meeting,
join your quilting friends old and new
at the annual Quiltapalooza! on
Thursday, November 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The event—which benefits IQA and
its programs— is a chance to set down
their packages and projects to enjoy
a Thursday night on-site cash bar,
boxed meal, entertainment, raffles,
camaraderie, and lots of door prizes.
On the “heels” of last year’s shoe
challenge, this year’s show and tell
will concentrate on Fascinating
Fascinators! You know, those hats
that were all the rage at the wedding
of Prince William and Kate Middleton
(see photo). These miniature hats are
just the ticket to display your latest
creative blast. It's a light-hearted
evening sure to make you smile.
Emcees for the evening will include
the always-funny Charlotte Angotti,
outgoing IQA VP of Education and
Quilts, Inc. Chief Creative Officer,
Pokey Bolton, and quilter/teacher
Beth Farrier.
So if you’re enrolling for events at
Festival, be sure to check off event
#475. And if you’re attending the
Conference just prior, you’ll receive
early entry and tickets for an
exclusive raffle!
• Mini-Quilt Silent Auction
IQA sponsors this auction of donated
miniature quilts, spotlighting the work
of members, previous winners, and
guest artists. Proceeds benefit IQA’s
programs. Stop by the IQA booth at
the front of Hall D and bid on these
collector’s items.
• Raffle Quilt
Yellow Rose of Texas and More
(pictured) by Stevii Graves, Martha A.
Nordstrand, and quilted by Meredyth
Gretzinger Rotlisberger will be raffled
off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 4.
You need not be present to win.
Tickets are $1 each and can be
purchased at the IQA booth.
And if one of your friends is not an
IQA member, she/he can still participate in all of the above events with
you by signing up for a membership
at the IQA table and receiving a
temporary membership card.
That table will be at the top of the
escalators in Hall D from 4:00-6:45
p.m. on Wednesday, October 31, and
at the IQA booth in Hall D for the
remainder of the show.
YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
AND MORE (81" x 91")
A “Fascinating Fascinator” by former
IQA President Charlotte Warr
Andersen. See more great art at this
year’s Quiltapalooza.
13
2012 iqa
teacher directory
aRiZONa
Barbara Polston
4802 E. Ray Rd., St. 23-202
Phoenix, AZ 85044
www.barbarapolston.com
author, quilt designer, fabric
painting or dyeing, paper piecing
caLiFORNia
Cara Gulati
P.O. Box 6640
San Rafael, CA 94903
415-662-2121
cara@doodlepress.com
author, quilt designer, curved seam
piecing, art quilts
Jennifer Rapacki
3851 Les Maisons Dr.
Santa Maria, CA 93455
805-264-5504
www.jenniferrapacki.com
author, quilt designer, Photoshop
Elements (inkjet printing on fabric)
& EQ
Jenny K. Lyon
9693 Wexford Circle
Granite Bay, CA 95746
916-797-1490
jlyon@surewest.com
www.quiltskipper.com
machine quilting, trapunto,
freehand free-motion quilting
cOLORadO
Christine M. Hause
4444 Morrison Rd.
Denver, CO 80219
303-727-8500
www.christinehause.com
author, miniatures, Crazy quilts,
embellishments
14
FLORida
Ellen Zindner
3845 Peacock Dr.
Melbourne, FL 32904
321-724-8012
www.adventurequilter.com
author, color, design,
“Double Reverse Appliqué”
LOUisiaNa
Stella Guidry
117 Lo Gan St.
Lafayette, LA 70506
337-288-9078
sm_guidry@cox.net
hand quilting, Crazy quilts,
embellishments
MaRYLaNd
Jeanne Sullivan
432 State St.
Annapolis, MD 21403
410-263-5744
www.jeannesullivandesign.com
hand appliqué, author, quilt
designer, machine appliqué
MiNNEsOta
Nancy Eha
4890 Neal Ave. N.
Stillwater, MN 55082
651-439-2827
www.beadcreative.com
author, embellishments,
hand beading
tEXas
Gail Dentler
218 Ridge View
Victoria, TX 77904
361-652-8397
gaildentler@gmail.com
www.thegaildentler.com
machine quilting, hand appliqué,
quilt designer, fabric painting
or dyeing
WasHiNGtON
Maggie Ball
10598 NE Byron Dr.
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-780-1437
Maggie.quilter@gmail.com
www.dragonflyquilts.com
author, quilt designer, bargello,
Mongolian outreach
WiscONsiN
Lisa Binkley
1117 Woodbridge Trail
Waunakee, WI 53597
www.lisabinkley.com
embellishments, bead & thread
embroidery on quilts
Betty Ekern Suiter
901 Coronada Dr.
Racine, WI 53402
262-639-4575
betty@bettyekernsuiter.com
hand quilting, hand appliqué,
quilt designer, trapunto
ballot box
candidates for your 2013 iqa board
Vicki Anderson–Vice President of Education
Vicki Anderson has over 20 years’ experience publishing, writing, and editing for the quilt/sewing/craft
industries. She is the founder of Meander Publishing Inc., where she is the Editor in Chief and Publisher of
Modern Quilts Unlimited and Machine Quilting Unlimited magazines.
An avid quilter since 1979, Vicki has a desire to use her knowledge to attract new quilters, especially a younger
demographic. “I hope to use the position of VP of Education to become a resource for those potential quilters and artists who need
a helping hand to develop their voice. By advancing the Grant Program through social media and online venues, I feel that we
can tap into the talent of new, modern quilters, while preserving the traditions and history of our craft.”
Linda Pumphrey–Vice President of Membership
Pumphrey is a quilt industry veteran with more than two decades of experience and an award-winning quilter.
She is currently the National Sales Manager for AccuQuilt.
Pumphrey holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a focus in marketing. She is also a published
writer and sits on several renowned quilt industry boards. Linda is running for her second term in this position.
“As an organization, IQA is wonderful about recognizing the achievement of quilters and supporting quilters worldwide,” she
says. “IQA would not be such an outstanding organization without our members and their support of our mission. I hope by being
able to serve to grow our membership and the benefits we offer to our members.”
Pat Sloan–Secretary
The talented artist, pattern designer (Pat Sloan & Company), fabric designer, and radio host is running for her
second term in this position.
“Being on the IQA board has been extremely educational and personally fulfilling,” she says. Working with my
fellow board members to create a show to be remembered is an honor. I am excited about serving one more term
to be involved in promoting quilting at the highest level!”
Marti Michell–Treasurer
Michell is running for her second term in this position. She is the owner of From Marti Michell, “Home of the
Perfect Patchwork Templates,” which also offers pattern and books. She is an esteemed quilter, teacher, and
author who travels all over the world. She began in 1972 selling quilt kits to stores with her business, Yours
Truly. Michell was presented with the Silver Star Award in 2004 for her lifetime contributions to quilting.
(Please detach or photocopy and mail to: IQA Ballot, 7660 Woodway, Suite 550, Houston, TX 77063 USA; or fax to 713-781-8182.
We must receive your ballot by October 23.)
As a member in good standing of the International Quilt Association, I hereby cast my vote for the following nominees:
VP of Education: ■ Vicki Anderson Other ________________________
Secretary:
■ Pat Sloan
Other ________________________
VP of Membership: ■ Linda Pumphrey Other ______________________
Treasurer:
■ Marti Michell
Other ______________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________Member’s Name (printed)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Member’s Signature
Note: If you are nominating a write-in candidate in the “Other” column, please make sure that you have received their consent
before filling in their name.
15
T h e 2 0 1 2 Q u I LT s : A w o r L D o F b e A u T y J u D G e D s h o w s P o n s o r s
$94,250 in non-purchase cash awards
Note: Click on a company’s logo to visit their website
The Handi Quilter® Best of Show Award
$10,000*
The Founders Award
International Quilt Festival
The World of Beauty Award
eQuilter.com
$7,500*
$7,500*
The Robert S. Cohan Master
Award for Traditional Artistry
The Fairfield Master Award for
Contemporary Artistry
$5,000*
$5,000*
The Pfaff Master Award
for Machine Artistry
The Maywood Studio Master
Award for Innovative Artistry
$5,000*
$5,000*
The Superior Threads
Master Award
for Thread Artistry
$5,000*
16
*These prizes also include airfare to and hotel accommodations for Quilt Festival.
NEW AWARD SPONSOR!
The Future of Quilting Award
Omnigrid–New Sponsor!
$1,000
Each Category Award Totals $2,000
($1,000 for first place, $700 for second, and $300 for third)
!
EW or
N ns
o
Sp
Art-Abstract, Large
Art-Abstract, Small
Art-Miniature
Art-Naturescapes
Art-Painted Surface
Art-People, Portraits, and Figures
Art-Pictorial
Art-Whimsical
Digital Imagery
Embellished Quilts
Group Quilts
Handmade Quilts
Innovative Appliqué
Innovative Pieced
Merit Quilting – Hand
Merit Quilting – Machine
Miniature
Mixed Technique
Traditional Appliqué
Traditional Pieced
Wearable Art
Judge’s Choice $250 each
Viewers’ Choice $500
www.
quilts.
org
17
winners
gallery
art, Pictorial
FiRst PLacE
M AY N A R D (54" x 81")
by D AVID TAYLOR of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA. Original design, based on a photograph.
18
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY accUQUiLt
Artist’s Statement: “This quilt was adapted from a photograph by my friend Hillary
Spillane, wife of winter Olympian Johnny Spillane, of their dog Maynard. The image was taken
on a cold winter’s day in northwest Colorado. The shadows in the snow were created with linings
and thread.”
c
anine derrieres aren’t a
normal subject matter for
quilts, so Taylor can certainly
claim to be at the vanguard of this
potential movement. Even if he has to
shock a few people along the way.
“During the first exhibition for
Maynard, the curator of the museum
was a little aghast at my subject
matter,” Taylor recalls. “She was full
of questions about how I created the
piece, and could not wrap her head
around my technique. ‘Did you have
to touch it?’ she kept asking. ‘Did I
have to touch what?’ I replied in kind.
‘It! ’ she said. ‘No,’ I answered, ‘not the
actual dog. I work from photographs.
But you can touch it.’ Then I walked
over to the quilt and poked his butt
with my finger. I thought she was
going to pass out.”
Taylor first started quilting in 1999,
through the encouragement of his
friend, Madeleine Vail. Until then, he
had only done apparel and costume
work, and was not convinced quilting
was the thing for him. He has
obviously changed his mind.
“Madeleine still has the first simple
block I completed from a pattern she
developed and had given me as an
exercise,” he says. “It's certainly not
anywhere close to being a square, and
I was even more sure after that
grueling experience that I could not
do this.“
For Maynard, Taylor wanted to work
on a “white” quilt, and he felt that
this image was the perfect
opportunity. No ifs…ands…or butts.
19
art, Pictorial
sEcONd PLacE
R E D VA S E
AT
MIDNIGHT (72" x 84")
by B ARBARA L IES of Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
20
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY accUQUiLt
Artist’s Statement: “The name of the quilt came to me out of the air and I designed the
quilt around that. It’s my first attempt at needleturn appliqué. The flowers are original drawings
based on my own photos.” Original design.
a
ccording to Lies (although her
mother denies this) she was
born with needle and fiber in
her hands, because textiles have been
her lifelong passion, and quilting is an
extension of that. “There was no
single ‘moment’ of discovery,” she
recalls. “When I could no longer do
hand work because of carpal tunnel
problems, I turned exclusively to
quilting because I could do most of it
by machine.”
And machine quilt she has, as with
this effort, whose title came to Lies in
the middle of the night, with the
design to follow. “I spent a lot of time
working the blue Attic Windows
blocks to get that effect of light
through a glass block window. And my
camera became my best friend during
the creation of this quilt, with
hundreds of black and white photos of
the blocks laid out on my design wall,”
she says.
“The oil-painterly quality of the
flowers is one of the happiest
outcomes of all. My camera was my
best friend here too. I have thousands
of photos of flowers and used those
and Adobe Illustrator to develop the
templates and value placement for
each petal of each flower. Each was
created off the background. Once I
had several dozen flowers, I began
arranging them on the background.”
Lies also points out that this is her
first asymmetrical, non-radial quilt,
and has a realistic image. “One of
these days, when I grow up as a
quilter, I will develop my artistic
voice!” she says. “In the meanwhile,
I’m having a great time romping
around birthing some of the many
quilts gestating in my imagination.
But I am a piecing klutz. On the other
hand, I love appliqué!”
Finally, this quilt also provided the
artist with some, um, inexpensive
entertainment. “I am a cheap date
and easily entertained,” she explains.
“As the light effects in this quilt began
to emerge, I would turn off all of my
studio lights and close the door. Then,
I would slowly open the door to see
that ray of fabric light gradually
brighten like the moon coming from
behind a cloud to beam through the
window onto the vase. Thrilling!
As I say, I am easily entertained.”
21
art, Pictorial
tHiRd PLacE
MARMALADE’S FIRST SNOW (47" x 35")
by D AVID TAYLOR of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.
22
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY accUQUiLt
Artist’s Statement: “My friend Jane McLeod took this picture of her cat, Marmalade,
stepping out of her barn. I knew immediately I had to turn it into a quilt. Most of the barn wood
was pieced together and then appliquéd in place. I love the latch and the hinge.” Original design,
based on a photograph.
t
aylor’s second win in this
category is for a quilt also based
on a photograph of an animal—
albeit of a species that doesn’t always
get along with the one from his
other work.
“Most all of my quilts start with a
photograph, and this one is from my
friend Jane McLeod,” Taylor explains.
“She snapped several images of her
barn cat, Marmalade, as he ventured
out on the morning of experiencing
his first snow fall.”
And the artist is definitely pleased
with his results, calling this quilt his
personal favorite since his Spring
Chicken from 2008.
“I do enjoy creating barn wood from
fabric. The patternmaking for wood is
simple enough, it’s finding the right
fabrics to create the realism that is
the time-consuming part,” he says.
“That just means I usually have to go
buy more fabric. That, as Martha
[Stewart] would say, is a Good Thing!”
And after sampling a variety of
techniques, Taylor has discovered that
it’s all about hand appliqué for him.
“And I really love machine quilting on
my HandiQuilter Sweet 16,” he adds.
“I do have an appreciation for all
types of quilts. For me, it’s all about a
love—and obsession—for fabric!”
23
art, Pictorial
HONORaBLE MENtiON
AUTUMN BEAUTY (56" x 59")
by B ARBARA S HAPEL of Washougal, Washington, USA.
24
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY accUQUiLt
Artist’s Statement: “Combine the elegance of the Great Blue Heron with the beauty of
maple trees shedding their leaves with such breathtaking style, and a scene is created that I
hope brings the viewer peace and a moment of pause.” Original design.
s
hapel’s entry into quilting,
unfortunately, came through
tragedy. But on a positive note,
it has helped sustain her through
many years.
“I started quilting because my best
friend’s mother passed away
unexpectedly in a car/train accident,”
she explains. “Her mother was a
lifelong quilter and left a quilt in a
quilt frame that my friend, Jeanette,
inherited. She wanted to learn how to
quilt so she could finish her mothers’
quilt, so she convinced me to take a
class with her.”
For this effort Shapel—whose favorite
style is contemporary appliqué scenes
of nature—saw a picture of a bright
red maple in the midst of a pine
tree forest.
“I really wanted to interpret that tree,
along with a pair of Great Blue
Herons, in a quilt,” she says. “I'm very
happy with how this quilt turned out,
but I always feel like there’s room for
improvement. Maybe my next one...”
25
art, Pictorial
HONORaBLE MENtiON
SOUTHERN DELIGHT (53.5" x 71")
by M ARIYA WATERS of Melbourne, Australia
26
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY accUQUiLt
Artist’s Statement: “Created as a gift for my husband’s 60
th
birthday and our 40th
wedding anniversary. The Kea (New Zealand snow parrot) is a bird of our childhood. The sky
quilting design is a heart theme. There are little spiritual motifs quilted in the water and the
corners of the border.” Original design.
E
ven in quilting, it seems, what
goes around comes around. In
the 1990s, Waters made a quilt
with a very stylized Kea (snow parrot)
that her husband particularly
enjoyed, but she sold it. As he was sad
about it, she promised him another
one—and a decade later, delivered.
“In those 10 years, my drawing skills
had improved so much that I am
really proud of this bird!” she crows.
“Especially his feet, and it is also very
hard to make a bird look happy, but I
achieved that also!”
The background of the quilt was
originally going to be a glacier, but
Waters had the perfect piece of fabric
for…well…water...so it became a lake.
And there are lots of quilting motifs
in the quilt that symbolize the life
that Waters and her husband have
together, and these are representations of spirit guardians based on
Maori myth and legend.
Waters notes that she saw her first
quilt in New Zealand in 1987 while
studying for a City and Guilds of
London embroidery course. She began
and completed her first art quilt two
years later, though over the years she
gradually moved around the circle to
making more traditional quilts, which
she really enjoys.
“I love to make technically difficult
quilts because of the challenge they
pose,” she observes. “I particularly
love appliqué, and also machine
quilting, and I teach both techniques.
I like mixing and matching both hand
and machine appliqué techniques in
my quilts, and have had to develop
new techniques to deal with pushing
on the technical boundaries.”
She also uses turned-edge appliqué
in a lot of her work both by hand and
machine, and has extended this out
to large landscapes like Southern
Delight. “But my greatest love is to
make miniature quilts,” she adds. “After
each major project, I create a special
miniature as a bit of a wind down.”
Still, even though this project was
intended as a birthday gift, Waters cut
it close…real close…on that aspect.
“I created the bird during the state
quilt show in Melbourne. On day one
I made the front wing, day two the
back wing, day three the body and
the tail, and on day four nearly a
hundred people were waiting for the
bird to go together as a single unit
ready to apply to the background,”
she explains. “By my husband
Gavin’s 60th birthday, only the quilt
top was completed! So I told him
he had to “remain” at 59+ until I
finished quilting it. I presented to
him 364 days later. So he had his
official 60th birthday…on the day
before his 61st birthday!”
27
winners
gallery
traditional Pieced
FiRst PLacE
BARCELONA CROWS NEST (96.5" x 85.5")
by PATRICIA D ELANEY of Abington, Massachusetts USA.
28
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “The color came first. A trip to Barcelona inspired the white-onwhite scheme based on a Gaudi mosaic ceiling of 63 whites and a booth selling eggs at the
market. A Nancy Crow workshop led to the ruler-free strips of the traditional string quilt.
Subtle and spontaneous.” Original design based on Nancy Crow workshop and featuring String
Quilt Spider Web.
t
he inspiration for Delaney’s
winning quilt came from an
anniversary cruise of the
Mediterranean.
imagine. Between the two visuals,
I had my color scheme. I almost
always start with color in
my quiltmaking.”
“We stopped in Barcelona and took a
tour to see [famed architect] Gaudi’s
work, including the Sagrada Familia
church and Park Guell,” she explains.
“I noticed the pavilion ceiling was
white mosaic, and the guide mentioned that there were exactly 63
colors of white—from pink to blue,
cream, green, and everything
in between.
Delaney may have decided on a color
scheme, but actually making it
happen turned out to be a bit of a
challenge! Collecting that number of
pale tints was difficult, she says, and
a color that appeared pale in-store
“decided to speak up at home.”
“The outdoor market was like none
I had ever seen. The booths were so
beautifully arranged! One entire
booth was nothing but straw nests
with eggs in every tint you can
And after two days straight of
working on the quilt during a guild
retreat, Delaney realized she’d
become completely “color starved,”
and had to break out her Kaffe
Fassett reds and purples for a few
hours before she could get back to
work on Barcelona.
In the year prior, Delaney took a class
with well-known quilter/teacher
Nancy Crow. “I told her I wished to
break out a bit from my traditional
style,” she says. “So, when it came
time to choose a design for my quilt,
I thought a Spider-web block would
showcase my fabrics. I went wild and
crazy by not using a ruler to cut my
strips, à la Nancy. Ta da!
“The upside to this was not having to
match seam allowances! After making
my strip sets, I used a thirty-degree
ruler to cut the triangles, and I was
off running. I noticed that the Spiderweb blocks reminded me of the straw
display nests for the eggs, hence [the
name] Barcelona Crow’s Nest.”
29
traditional Pieced
sEcONd PLacE
ME
AND
MY SHADOW (83" x 83")
by G AIL S TEPANEK and R ONDA K. B EYER of New Lenox, Illinois, USA.
30
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “When I find fabric that I really like in a quilt shop, I may purchase
a yard or two, but when I found this taupe line, I walked out with four yards of each color. The
pattern choice was easy...we both love Feathered Stars. Ronda’s selection of quilting designs
always adds such interest to our quilts.” Original design based on a Feathered Star pattern.
s
tepanek came across the fabric
used in this quilt—which also
served as its inspiration—after
a friend recommended it to her. “She
thought that it was me, and she was
so right!” she says.
“The line included brown, gray, and
taupe, which are all colors that I like
to work with. I purchased four yards
of each with no idea as to what I was
going to do with them. Within the
week, colors and the Feathered Star
pattern—a pattern that both Ronda
[Beyer] and I favored—were selected.”
Stepanek and Beyer collaborate on
quilts often, and have both a good
working relationship and design
process down at this point. It was
Stepanek who selected the pattern
and layout for Me and My Shadow,
but, as the quilt progressed, she
would often email photos to Beyer
for her input and suggestions.
“It was a struggle to find the right
outline to the ‘on-point’ center, and
I must have sent at least 20 pictures
with different ideas to Ronda for her
approval,” Stepanek says. “Finally, we
agreed to use a portion of the paperpieced star as trim.”
The Feathered Stars were all paper
pieced. “If I’m not hand piecing, I’m
paper piecing,” Stepanek adds. The
scrolls in the sashings—a suggestion
that came from well-known quilter,
Claudia Clark Meyers—were machine
appliquéd, while the dots were hand
appliquéd. And once Stepanek had
completed her work, Beyer completed
the quilt by adding the beautiful
machine quilting.
31
traditional Pieced
tHiRd PLacE
STAR MEDALLION WITH 96 BASKETS (88" x 88")
by K ATHLEEN H. M C C RADY of Austin, Texas, USA.
32
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “When I first saw this quilt pictured in print, I thought it would be
a challenge to reproduce. And it was! The hand piecing was a challenge because of the amount
of pieces, and the hand quilting was even more of a challenge. I finished it one week before my
85th birthday.” Center Lone Star and Baskets quilt inspired by an antique quilt published in
Quiltmania (2009).
a
fter coming across this
quilt in the pages of a
Quiltmania magazine,
McCrady knew she wanted to
create her own version...even if it
would be a challenge. And challenge
it was, largely because it is entirely
hand pieced and appliquéd. It took
McCrady the better part of a year
to complete all of the hand piecing,
and several more months to quilt it.
“Understand, though, that I can
really only quilt for about an hour a
day,” she explains. “Sometimes I get
going and don’t want to stop...but I
need to stop after about an hour.”
You see, at the time of the quilt’s
creation, McCrady was nearing her
85th birthday. Now, at 87, she has
to pace herself a bit more than she
once did, but it’s not stopping her
from doing the thing she loves—
creating beautiful, traditional quilts
by hand.
While McCrady has dabbled in
many areas of quilting—even
creating several contemporary and
machine-quilted works—she always
comes back to traditional patterns
and techniques. And though she
appreciates all styles of quilting,
and firmly believes there is room
for all in the today’s quilting world,
she says that she would hate to see
the day that the traditional quilt is
no longer represented.
As McCrady points out, it’s often the
quilts “created by our quilting
foremothers more than a century ago,”
when quilters had very little with
which to work in the way of fabrics
and tools, that are admired the most.
When asked what she thinks
someone, 100 years from now,
might say about her quilts, she
jokingly replies, “Why didn’t she
use a machine?”
33
traditional Pieced
HONORaBLE MENtiON
C E L E S T I A L C O M PA S S R O S E ( 7 3 " x 7 3 " )
by PAT C ONNALLY of Midland, Texas, USA.
34
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “Celestial—‘of the sky.’ Compass Rose—‘a figure displaying the
orientation of direction on a map or nautical chart.’ Pattern for inner quilt by Jacqueline de Jonge,
and I designed and drafted the outer border. The Compass Rose is the quilting design overlaid
onto the field of stars.” Inner quilt pattern by Jacqueline de Jonge; outer border by artist.
c
onnally chose the design used
in the body of her quilt—
based on a pattern by
Jacquelin de Jonge, and created in a
different color wave—because she
needed a challenging project and to
get past a drafting roadblock in
another quilt she was working on at
the time.
“It did challenge me—not from the
difficulty of the elements, but the
time it took to make each section and
then putting the ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of it
together,” she says. “I used techniques
learned in a Ruth McDowell class
where each pattern piece is marked
with colored registration marks that
are transferred to the fabric and
matched up and pinned.”
After seeing the finished piece on her
design wall, Connally felt that the
quilt could benefit from a border that
incorporated all of the fabrics and
extended the “spikey star” design to
the outer edges. “I drafted the outer
border full size on paper and made
copies for piecing it,” she explains.
“A black and white flange was used
between the body and the border to
give a break from the powerful colors
of the bright batiks.”
Although Connally loves the piecing
process, and the satisfaction that it
brings, she says she’s always ready to
move on to the actual quilting! For
this piece, she wanted the quilting to
tie into the theme of the piecing
without taking away from it, and to
make its own statement.
“I created a design to place over the
whole top that would again carry out
the star theme,” she adds. “When you
see the quilt from a distance, the
Compass Rose overlay is not
noticeable. But with a little closer
look, you will see the designs because
they don't line up with any of the
piecing. The variegated threads used
in the quilting give a glow to the
overall quilt.”
35
traditional Pieced
HONORaBLE MENtiON
BRILLIANCE (78.75" x 78.75")
by YAEKO N EGUCHI of Saitama City, Saitama, Japan.
36
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “Twinkling stars I saw from cottages at the top of the mountain
inspired me to make this quilt. I quilted this with a wish to keep nature beautiful forever.”
Original design.
N
eguchi says that she enjoys
climbing as much as she
enjoys quilting, and it was
actually a climbing trip that provided
her with the inspiration for the design
of her winning entry. “This quilt was
inspired by a lot of shining stars I saw
from the summit when I climbed the
mountain,” she explains. “I expressed
these shining stars in the night sky
with outline-stitched round shapes.”
To create the piece, Neguchi used a
combination of hand piecing, hand
embroidery, and hand quilting…you’d
be right to guess that she prefers
making quilts by hand! In fact, the
hand work is one of the things that
most keeps her excited about quilting.
Because it takes longer to work by
hand, she says she creates many
stories as she works on a quilt.
But this extra time and effort can also
create extra challenges along the way.
As she worked on this quilt during
the summer months, the weather
became increasingly hot, and so did
Neguchi. “It was hard to stop my
sweat even though the air conditioner
worked with full power,” she laughs.
But this only added to the sense of
achievement she felt when she
completed the piece, she adds.
Another challenge was finding the
perfect fabric to match what she’d
envisioned for the design of the quilt.
She visited many fabric stores, but
to no avail. But—funnily enough—it
was during a casual stop by a store
that she never visits that she came
across the material she’d been after
all along.
37
traditional Pieced
HONORaBLE MENtiON
CHRISTMAS ALL AROUND (87" x 87")
by S HERRY R EYNOLDS of Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
38
catEGORY sPONsOREd BY FROM MaRti MicHELL
Artist’s Statement: “Created to reflect the wonderment and magical beauty of
Christmas. Favorite icons, memories, colors, and the sparkle of the season were captured and
will always be fondly remembered. Designed on graph paper. Free-motion quilted on 20-year-old
Bernina 1001.” Original design.
W
ith this quilt, Reynolds
wanted to capture the
“magic, wonderment, and
beauty” of Christmas, her favorite
holiday. “My quilts all tend to have a
theme, and are designed from the
thoughts I have about that theme,” she
begins. “With Christmas, I think about
stars, trees, ribbon, and sparkle.
“I definitely wanted to use the
swirling Lone Star as the center, and
between its points, I wanted to put
little appliquéd motifs that reminded
me of fond holiday memories—
mistletoe, a stocking, a present, a
sleigh, a reindeer, a snowman, three
kids decorating a tree, and finally the
scroll that reads ‘Dear Santa, please
define GOOD! Love Taylor, Darryn
and Kara,’ my three kids. We still
hang the wooden plaque I made years
ago with these words beside the
Christmas tree.”
These motifs were created using fused
pieces of fabric, edge finished with a
tiny satin stitch. The colors, while
not the traditional reds and greens
of Christmas, do reflect those colors
found in Reynolds’ home and, she
says, work to create the feeling of
a peaceful Christmas night. “I
absolutely love playing around with
fabric and will spend weeks placing
them until I have what I am seeing in
my mind,” she adds.
Another aspect of quilting that keeps
Reynolds excited about the art form
is the process of transforming her
vision—“first onto graph paper, and
then bringing it to life with fabric
and thread,” she declares. “I am a
meticulous piecer, and consider myself
very detail orientated. The wonderful
thing about quilting is that there is
always room for improvement. When
you let your determination and
creativity set the standard, the results
can be amazing!”
39
younger quilters
make the scene
b y
d e b o r a h
q u i n n
h e n s e l
L
ike artists of any medium,
quilters know no boundaries––
not in terms of style, methodology, materials, or demographics.
detail of hand stitching
from VORTEX IN
V A R I A T I O N by M EGAN FARKAS
It’s not surprising to note that, among
the 21 million active quilters in the
United States, the average age is 62,
according to the survey, Quilting in
America 2010. But younger quilters
like Nora Ronningen, Luke Haynes,
and Megan Farkas are paving the
way for the next generation of fiber
artists with pieces that extend the
boundaries and sometimes, happily
break the rules.
Both Ronningen, 25, and Haynes, 29,
have degrees in architecture, which
may explain why they approach the
art of quilting from both an analytical
and an aesthetic perspective.
THE TSAR’S DECREE
( 5 2 " x 4 1 " ) by M EGAN FARKAS
40
The geometry of quilting is what drew
Ronningen to quilting and presented
a challenge this University of
Minnesota graduate was drawn to
tackle. She used 1,233 pieces in the
center of her work, Vortex in
Variation, which was shown at the
International Quilt Festival in
Houston in 2011.
“It is paper-pieced from a pattern I
drafted, and each piece was cut and
trimmed later with a rotary cutter,”
Ronningen, who does website design
in La Habra, California, says. “I’ve
been sewing forever, but I’ve been
quilting on and off since I was 12.”
She learned to sew from her mother,
Dawn Cook Ronningen, who has an
Etsy shop (cwneedleorder) where the
pattern for the 95-inch-square Vortex
in Variation is available. Ronningen
now uses her skills to help her mother
draft commercial patterns based on
historic quilts, and working in that
arena has given her a deep
appreciation for quilting traditions.
“I saw tons of amazing quilts in
Houston,” she offers. “I really enjoy
looking at a lot of the old quilts, the
older fabrics and the craftsmanship
that goes into all those.”
“I’m just looking forward to making
more quilts eventually, and to keep
practicing and improving on my skills
like the hand quilting I’m still
learning,” she adds. “On one hand, I
think it can be really relaxing. The
quilt in Houston was the first I’d done
hand quilting on.”
N ORA R ONNINGEN
Hand quilting is also what drew
Megan Farkas, 36, of Sanbornton,
N.H., to take up the needle. She
started out with needlepoint and
cross-stitch, but was looking for more
of a challenge. Then in 2003, a
colleague at the private school where
she works in the development office
asked for her help teaching elementary
students to make ABC quilts.
“She knew that I could sew by hand,
so she thought I could teach the kids
to sew seams,” Farkas says. “I made
my own ABC quilt and I thought ‘This
was actually kind of cool. I could get
into this.’”
Farkas then made baby quilts for
friends and other smaller projects for
the next six years, until 2009, when
she entered the competitive quilting
arena and became an instant hit.
“It’s been really astonishing,” she said.
“My first show was February of 2010,
and I got best hand workmanship in
the innovative category in the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival.”
In 2011, for her first entry in the
International Quilt Association judged
show in Houston, she won the Future
of Quilting Award for Sakura I:
L UKE H AYNES
M EGAN FARKAS
Hanaogi Views the Cherry Blossoms,
a 98” x 60” work that is totally handappliquéd and hand-quilted.
“I’ve never used a machine. I don’t
own one,” Farkas adds. “I don’t have
anything against machines
personally. When I go to shows, I love
test-driving the longarms because
that’s really fun. But for me, it’s just
about the handwork.”
Farkas—who says she doesn’t own
much of a stash either—chooses
hand-dyed cottons or tightly woven
batiks for her work, and said she
finds inspiration in Japanese block
prints and Islamic art. Her quilt, The
Tsar’s Decree, will be shown as part
of this year’s IQA judged show in
Houston. The 52" x 41" piece depicts
an artistic style not unlike “The Great
Wave,” the universally recognized
Japanese wood-block print.
“I was really pleased that it got in
because it’s not a blockbuster,
barnburner type of quilt,” she
observes. “For me, it’s at a gut level
whether I pursue something or not. A
lot of it has to do with color, or the
color I imagine it could be. It’s the
pattern and the rhythm of it.
SAKURA I: HANAOGI
VIEWS THE CHERRY
BLOSSOMS (98" x 60")
by M EGAN FARKAS
[MAN STUFF #1]
H A M M E R by L UKE H AYNES
41
M A D A M X by L UKE H AYNES
“As far as the handwork goes, I think
I’m a little out on the fringe with
that,” Farkas sums up. “I just don’t
see a lot of people jumping into that
in this country, although in Japan, it’s
going strong.”
It took him three years to finish the
17' x 10' piece he called “ugly and
hard to look at because of all the
polka dots,” but his next effort–a selfportrait––proved more satisfying and
aesthetically pleasing.
Portrait artist Luke Haynes, 29, of
Seattle, Washington, has no problem
making quilts by machine. A 43second video on his website,
lukehaynes.com, shows him speedily
constructing a small art quilt. In just
10 years since taking up quilting in
art school, this prolific quilter has
finished more than 170 quilts.
“From there, I started honing my
technique as both a quilter and a
portrait maker,” Haynes said. “For
the first three years, I didn’t know
anything about sewing or making
quilts. I was sort of making it up as
I went along. I was just kind of a
painter who used fabric.
“It’s not quite a quilt a day, but I am
working hard,” said Haynes, who
studied architecture in New York
City. For three years after that, he
worked with an architect in
Ashevillle, North Carolina, then
gave it up to pursue quilting.
V O R T E X I N VA R I A T I O N
(95" x 95")
by N ORA R ONNINGEN
42
“The first quilt I ever made, I started
in 2002. I was in art school at North
Carolina School of the Arts. And I
break from classes, and I was just
kind of sitting around twiddling my
thumbs,” he recalls. “I had this box of
pre-cut fabric squares. I just kind of
thought to myself, ‘I could do
something with this.’”
“In recent years, I started learning a
lot about quilting traditions and
technique and incorporated that into
my work. But early on, I was more or
less a painter/architect who happened
to use fabric for those images,” he
adds. “There was batting and backing
and it was sewn all the way through,
so by definition it was a quilt, but not
much further than that.”
Haynes has come a long way in the
quilting world. In 2010, he won an
honorable mention in the Merit
Quilting, Computer Guided category
for On My Bed #3, a self portrait that
was displayed in the Houston
International Quilt Festival. This
spring, he had a solo show at the Eli
Alexander Gallery in New York City,
and it’s unlikely that he’ll go back
to architecture.
“There is not big money in being a
quilter initially, but I’ve started
selling to museums and developed
a big collector base. I work with
probably five galleries at any given
time,” Haynes said. “So as I develop
a business, it’s going to be as
lucrative––if not more so––than
working for an architect.”
Haynes now serves on the board of
directors for the Quilt Alliance (formerly
the Alliance for American Quilts), and is
actively involved in outreach programs,
as well as the preservation of quilts and
quilting history.
But even with a rich history from
which to draw, all three young
quilters are also looking to the
future, where they predict quilting
will continue to thrive.
“I think that there are lot of people
that are young and interested in
quilting,” Ronningen says. “I think it’s
a lot more of an expensive hobby than
say, knitting. It takes a lot more time,
money, and space that a lot of young
people don’t have, but there are
definitely people out there that are
interested in this.”
“You kind of think of quilts as these
large, bed-sized masterpieces that
take so much skill and practice to
make––and that’s true, but only on
your 30th quilt.” Haynes adds. “I think
it’s a matter of getting people to make
their first one, and then they realize
that it’s acceptable and a lot of fun
and very rewarding.
“The first thing we have to do is get
quilts as art in front of as many people
as possible,” he continues. He also
believes that more textile art shows in
museums and more exposure to the
art form also will help erase the
gender lines and the perception of
quilts as “a home ec project.”
[THE AMERICAN
CONTEXT #4]
AMERICAN GOTHIC
by L UKE H AYNES
“I see the way the Modern Quilt
movement is taking off and that’s
really exciting,” Farkas says. “People
of every age, particularly younger
people, are getting engaged by this.”
43
from the
iqa library
b y
s t e v i i
g r a v e s
New Ideas for Appliqué
Pat Sloan
Leisure Arts
88 pp., $19.95
www.leisurearts.com
Les Quilts Miniatures
Kumiko Frydl
Les Editions de Saxe
63 pp., $19.59 €
www.edisaxe.com
Patchwork Sassaman Style
Jane Sassaman
Dragon Press
168 pp., $29.95
www.dragonthreads.com
Definitely, do not judge this book by
its cover. It really is a quilt book!
Pat has made a charming folk art
calendar quilt, in two color ways, for
this book with eight projects to be
made using motifs from the quilt’s
appliqué block patterns.
Kumiko Frydl is an award-winning
miniature quilt artist who uses many
different techniques for her quilts.
This book is written in French. But
even if you cannot read French, you
can read pictures!
Simple patterns and complex fabrics
combine to make dynamic quilts.
Jane says to “let the fabric do the
work.” And she is a genius at making
fabrics work!
The purse on the cover is just one of
the projects to make. The table runner
and coordinating placemats are a
great gift item. Pat includes directions
for needleturn appliqué as well as for
machine buttonhole appliqué.
In a pinch, try Google Translate, but
the pictures seem to cover the subject
well. The paper pullout in the back of
the book has patterns for 15 different
miniature quilts. The techniques
include paper piecing (La couture sur
papier), wholecloth, and embroidery.
She begins with a wholecloth quilt,
and then goes on to an Amish Bar Set
quilt that no Amish lady could have
created. The patterns begin to have
more pieces, but are easy to piece.
Manipulating the large-scale prints is
what makes these quilts exciting.
If you are a current member of IQA (or publisher of a current member) and have a book or DVD that you would like to submit for
potential review, please mail it to: Bob Ruggiero, c/o IQA Journal, 7660 Woodway, Suite 550, Houston, TX 77063.
Materials cannot be returned regardless of whether or not they are chosen for review.
44
The 2011 IQA JUDGED SHOW
judge’s choice of stevii Graves
Category sponsored by
Bohin France
L A U R A’ S S T O R Y I X ( 6 6 . 5 " x 6 5 " )
by RYOKO H ANDA of Ueda-shi, Nagano, Japan.
Inspired by the book Hedgehog in the Fog by Yuri Norstein and Francesca Yarbusova.
The 2011 IQA JUDGED SHOW
First Place—Art-People, Portraits, and Figures
Category sponsored by
The Grace Company
CHECKS & BALANCES (93" x 65")
by C ARYL B RYER FALLERT of Paducah, Kentucky, USA. Original design.