If These Quilts Could Talk
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo and the Alliance for American Quilts are proud to bring you a collection of incredible quilts in “If These Quilts Could Talk”. All the selected quilts have been made by quiltmakers interviewed for Quilters’ S.O.S. - Save Our Stories between 1999 and 2010.
Q.S.O.S. is a grassroots oral history project about today’s quiltmakers run by the Alliance for American Quilts and ar
chived by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Q.S.O.S. interviewees are asked to select a “touchstone” object, usually a quilt they have made, that serves as both a point of departure and reference for the interview.
Not only can you enjoy the diverse talents represented in these quilts, but we are sure you’ll find the stories their makers share to be simply captivating. The lives of quiltmakers, like their quilts, are colorful, full of surprises and, best of all, make a whole cloth of sometimes disparate parts of life.
Enjoy the quilts and the stories in this exhibit when you visit Original Sewing & Quilt Expo! Check back as we get closer to the show for more images and information about quilts in this exhibition. In the meantime, visit
www.AllianceforAmericanQuilts.org to browse more than 1,000 Q.S.O.S. interviews.
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo will showcase a collection of quilts created by Modern Quilt Guild members in response to a challenge they received about what it means to be a modern quiltmaker.
The question “What does modern quilting mean to you?” instigated lively conversation among members of the NYC Metro Modern Quilt Guild. As a group, they found community to be their driving force – the coming together and trying of new things, sharing with each other and collaborating on group quilts in response to their monthly challenges. Discussion during these quilt challenges grew into the desire to build a quilt show representing what it means to each person, individually, to be a modern quilter.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe, of Bumble Beans Inc., President of the NYC based group, says "Many of us in the group are traditional quilters branching out and being influenced by the past in a new way. We’re also inspired by today's selection of designer fabrics, and find they push our ideas about quiltmaking into new territory. Our new quilters come wanting to learn first-hand and find support from other quilters to dive in and try -- simple or more complicated techniques.”
The conversation, represented in a striking collection of small quilts, showcases the diverse nature of the members and how they approach their quiltmaking. It is a visual exploration of whatever it is that drives each of them to quilt, presenting answers to questions like: Why did you make the quilt? What was your process?
What were you inspired by?
Many in the NYC Metro group think Modern Quilting is a movement rather than a style of quilting. Findlay Wolfe believes “because we all come from varied backgrounds, we feel it’s important to be open minded to all the possibilities – and everyone has a different opinion about what Modern Quilting means to them. We thought this would be a great way to showcase the variety of ideas represented in our group and the impact calling ourselves “modern quilters” has on our quilts. “
Are you a modern quilter?
www.nycmetromodquilters.com
Behind the Scenes...They Really DO Make Quilts!
Quilts from the pages of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting
The editorial staff
at
Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting is a group of avid designers and quiltmakers, who consider working with quilts more fun than work! From editor to graphic artist to sewing technician—they all love to make quilts. The quilts in this exhibit have been or will be featured in
Love of Quilting, and the crew is busy creating and searching for more designs for future issues. They like to feature quilts that are accessible to the majority of quilters—not tricky or difficult, and yet still interesting to more the more experienced among us.
www.fonsandporter.com
From the Pages of Quiltmaker
You’ve loved seeing these quilts in the pages of
Quiltmaker, now visit them in person to really fall in love with some of
Quiltmaker’s favorite quilts. Discover a variety of techniques used in these quilts including pieced, applique, foundation pieced and machine embroidery—just like
Quiltmaker, there’s something for everyone. This exhibit also includes brand new quilts inspired by
Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volumes 1-4.
www.quiltmaker.com
Gammill Longarm Artists Special Exhibit
Gammill’s tradition of excellence shows up in the work of so many talented quilting artists as they create their award-winning quilts using hand and computer-guided machines. We are grateful to the artists who have been generous in sharing their work for this special exhibit – they also teach, publish how-to books and DVDs, appear on PBS television series and…quilt! They’re a busy group, and set a high bar for excellence even as they help others advance their own skills. Please enjoy this collection as it captivates your imagination, and inspires your own quilting stitches.
http://www.gammill.com/index.php?m=quilting_artist
Linda Taylor
Cathy Franks
Pam Clarke
Judy Woodworth
Merrily Parker
Quilts of Valor
The
Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF) began in 2003 when quilter Catherine Roberts’ son was deployed in Iraq. Catherine, remembering the unwelcoming reception experienced by many Vietnam War veterans, wanted the next generation of returning warriors to be received differently. She envisioned a solder awake in the night struggling with war demons, but surrounded by a comforting quilt.
Responding to her vision, Catherine made a quilt and gave it to a soldier. Soon, others were doing the same, and eventually a fully-functioning 501C-3 not-for-profit foundation was formed.
As of December 31, 2011, more than 60,000 Quilts of Valor (QOVs) have been awarded, not just to combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, but to service members from all branches and all US conflicts who have been touched by war.
When Original Sewing & Quilt Expo invited Quilts of Valor Foundation to supply a group of Quilts of Valor to travel to its 2012 events, QOVF Director June Moore sent an email blast to the nationwide Quilts of Valor community asking for submissions. Within a few days, June received over 100 replies.
QOVs are created not to win quilt competitions but to comfort healing warriors; however, you will see many outstanding quilts in this collection. Quilt makers from 20 states are represented here.
In 2011, nine fabric companies participated in the American Valor Fabrics project, each creating a collection of patriotic fabrics designed specifically for QOVs. Each company designed a quilt to utilize their fabrics, and you will see several of these patterns represented. The participating companies are Andover, Clothworks, Marcus, Moda, P&B, Red Rooster, Quilting Treasures, Timeless Treasures, and Windham.
Also in 2011, Quilts of Valor Foundation launched a program called “
Under Our Wings,” which invites capable quilters, “Coaches,” to take non-quilters, “Rookies,” under their wings. Quilt shops all over the US are Official Under Our Wings shops.
Moda Fabrics, one of the American Valor Fabrics project participants, invited quilters nationwide via an ad campaign to make “just one star,” a simple block for a Quilt of Valor. Hoping for 1800 so the Moda staff could make 100 quilts in 100 days, instead Moda received over 15,000 blocks. Many of the “extras” were donated to the QOVF community, and you’ll see several “Moda star” quilts in this show.
Original Sewing & Quilt Expo has underwritten all costs of this exhibit and has provided free booth space for use by local and regional Quilts of Valor Volunteers to educate show-goers about National Service via quilt making.
At the conclusion of this tour these quilts will be awarded to combat veterans.
For more information about Quilts of Valor, please visit
http://www.qovf.org/index.html.