2 20 204 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/5cac8fc8bdb142aa5562c960aeb6c490.jpg 4c43b36d4e7128ab2faeea235b066897 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/b0d74afda3b08aa0e93702c5ff5a023d.jpg 6e564fb4aee99de9a3bcfa86fb742e23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trinity Valley Quilters Guild QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Kay Jones Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alice Robinson OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh1225_qsostvq0003_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Quilts Designs Rotary cutting Traditions Families OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.2 2019oh1225_qsostvq0003 Interview with Alice Robinson, March 15, 2001 2019oh1225_qsostvq0003 qsostvq Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Quilts. Quilting arts workshop Quilting. Textiles. Craft and art Crafts &amp ; decorating Quilts Designs Rotary cutting Traditions Families Alice Robinson Kay Jones 2019oh1225_qsostvq0003_robinson_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh1225_qsostvq0003_robinson_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 10 Quilting classes This is Kay Jones. Robinson took a class at Calico Cupboard, now called Quilter's Dream in Dallas, Texas, with her sister, which is where she started making the quilt she brought with her. Applique ; Block of the month classes ; Blocks ; Calico Cupboard ; Cathy Clarke ; Dallas (Tex.) ; Housewives ; Monthly classes ; Quilter's Dream ; Quilts ; Trinity Valley Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 32.09, -97.14 17 Quilter's Dream, which was originally called Calico Cupboard, where Robinson and her sister took a quilting class that inspired the quilt Robinson brought with her. 135 &quot ; The Twelve Days of Christmas&quot ; quilt It is a themed quilt, so would you describe some of the blocks? Robinson's quilt is reflective of the song &quot ; The Twelve Days of Christmas,&quot ; and each block represents the gift that was given that day. Her technique was unique for the class in which she created the quilt. Applique ; Beads ; Blocks ; Classes ; Differences ; Effects ; Embellishments ; Embroideries ; Embroidery ; Materials ; Themed quilts ; Twelve Days of Christmas ; Uniqueness Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 270 Choosing fabrics How did you choose the fabrics? Robinson speaks on how she chose the materials for her quilt, many of which came from a kit provided by her teacher, while others came from her own personal collection. Fabrics ; Materials ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Uniqueness Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 312 Breast cancer and quilting --(clears throat)--Why did you choose to bring this quilt to the interview, Alice? Robinson used quilting as a therapeutic method during her time battling breast cancer. The quilt she brought with her was the one she worked on during her chemotherapy and during recovery. Backstories ; Backstory ; Breast cancers ; Cancer-free lives ; Chemotherapy ; Christmas ; Interviews ; Medical problems ; Medical therapies ; Quilting ; Radiation therapies ; Radiations ; Stitches ; Surgeries ; Surgery ; Therapeutic activities ; Therapies ; Therapy ; Wellness Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 491 First quilting classes When did you get interested in quilting, Alice? Robinson discusses her first quilting classes with Janet Mullins. She would leave work early to attend the classes with a friend. Churches ; Janet Mullins ; Quilt Box ; Quilting ; Quilting classes ; Riverside Baptist Church ; Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 32.75, -97.36 17 Central Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild meets now. Robinson took classes with Trinity Valley and Janet Mullins. 586 The uses of quilts Well, I was going to ask if you sleep under quilts? Robinson discusses the uses of her quilts, which range from practical uses on beds to decorative uses. Beds ; Daughters ; Decorative quilts ; Efforts ; Fans ; Gifts ; Granddaughters ; Pallets ; Piecings ; Practical quilts ; Spokes Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 726 Piecing quilts How many hours a week do you think you spend quilting? Though Robinson hasn't quilted, per se, in a long time, she does spend her time piecing together quilts at her husband's automobile mechanic shop for a few hours a day. Baby quilts ; Husband ; Piecing ; Quilt-related activities ; Quilts ; Sewing machines ; Time spent Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Sewing machines. ; Textiles. 17 809 A bad first memory of quilting What is your first quilt memory? When do you first remember a quilt? Robinson recalls her first memory involving quilts, which was when she exposed a pregnant family friend to the measles after coming home from school to her mother's quilting group. Friends ; Measles ; Memories ; Mothers ; Pregnant women ; Quilting ; Quilting groups ; Quilts ; Tragedies Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 885 Quilting's affect on her family Um, how does quilting impact your family? Robinson reflects on how quilting affects her family. Acceptance ; Antiques ; Auctions ; Families ; Family ; Quilt shops ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Supports ; Togetherness Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 929 Best part of quilting What's the best part of quilting? What do you like best about it? Robinson likes the process of appliqueing best, but she likes quilting, as well. Applique ; Designs ; Hand quilting ; Judy Martin ; Piecing ; Procrastination ; Quilt shows ; Quilting ; Quilts Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Sewing machines. ; Textiles. 17 1000 Hand quilting versus machine quilting --(Laughs)--Well that's one of the questions I wanted to ask about, uh, your preference for hand quilting or machine quilting and what you think about the trend in machine quilting? Robinson prefers hand quilting over machine quilting, though she can appreciate the beauty of machine-quilted creations. Beautiful quilts ; Creations ; Designs ; Hand quilted quilts ; Hand quilting ; Machine quilted quilts ; Machine quilting ; Preferences Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Sewing machines. ; Textiles. 17 1074 Unenjoyable parts of quilting Are there some parts of quilting you don't enjoy? Robinson says that she doesn't enjoy certain parts of quilting, specifically washing the fabric. Fabrics ; Ironing ; Washing Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1097 What makes a great quilt Uh, what do you think makes a great quilt? Robinson thinks that planning is the key to a great quilt. Blocks ; Designs ; Great quilts ; Materials ; Planning ; Plans Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1133 Quilting awards Have you won some prizes, Alice? Robinson discusses the many awards she's won as a quilter. Awards ; Best of Show award ; Bowie (Tex.) ; Bridgeport ; Bridgeport (Tex.) ; Chico (Tex.) ; Excitement ; Prizes ; Quilting ; Quilting awards ; Quilts ; Ribbons ; Satisfaction Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1201 Great quilters What do you think makes a, a great quilter? Robinson doesn't know what makes a great quilter, but she has examples of some from her family life. Aunts ; Continuation ; Grandmothers ; Great quilters ; Non-idle hands ; Utility quilting ; Utility quilts Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1287 Influences on quilting and rotary cutting Now, you've indicated that you took some classes, early on when you started quilting. Robinson's greatest influences were from books she read and classes she took. Books ; Classes ; Dangerous techniques ; Dangers of quilting ; Influencers ; Influences ; Judy Martin ; Meetings ; Patterns ; Quilting techniques ; Recreation centers ; Revolutionary techniques ; Rotary cutting ; Shapes ; Teachers ; Techniques ; Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild ; Trudy Hughs Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Rotary cutting. ; Textiles. 17 1569 Importance of quilting in families Um, why do you think quilting's important in your life, Alice? Robinson reminisces about her parents' work when she was a child. She hopes quilting will resonate the same way with her kids. Children ; Families ; Family ; Grandchildren ; Great Depression ; Importance ; Mechanics ; Parents ; Remembrance ; Traditions Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1665 Organization of materials Now--(clears throat)--we all have a stash, don't we, Alice? Tell me about yours.--(Laughs)-- Robinson doesn't have a room solely dedicated to quilting, but she keeps a sewing machine in a bedroom and her materials out on the porch in cabinets. Cabinets ; Car salesmen ; Car shops ; Fabric organization ; Fabrics ; Irons ; Materials ; Multi-purpose rooms ; Quilt shops ; Sewing machines ; Sewing rooms ; Shelves ; Stashes ; Used car salesmen Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Sewing machines. ; Textiles. 17 1830 Quilts in America and families Uh, when you think about America and quilts in America, uh, how do you think that, uh--or what kind of special meaning do you think quilts have for women in America? Robinson gives her opinions on the growing quilt industry in America and the uses of the quilt in modern times. America ; Bed spreads ; Decorations ; Families ; Family ; Growth ; Guilds ; Hobbies ; Interests ; Necessities ; Promotions ; Quilt magazines ; Quilt stores ; Quilts ; Women Craft and art ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. ; Sewing machines. ; Textiles. 17 interview Robinson reflects on her experience quilting, including how it helped her during her battle against breast cancer, and the awards she has won for quilting. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh1225_qsostvq0003_robinson_ohm.xml 2019oh1225_qsostvq0003_robinson_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt712nsvv3w6j Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Alexis Delbridge Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Robinson reflects on her experience quilting, including how it helped her during her battle against breast cancer, and the awards she has won for quilting. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh1225_qsostvq0003 TX76121-003 Subject The topic of the resource Quilts. Quilting arts workshop Quilting. Textiles. Craft and art Crafts & decorating Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Alice Robinson http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/750a1eb3742bae492869e7976fea569a.jpg 4a817c00f1efae2e138bcb7553e3ab3d http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/506a382cd03142f386b2ce6b8dcfa44b.jpg a3e72d5649b4b384b5a548d445c93bd0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Quilt Festival QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Sandi Goldman Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Andrea Brokenshire OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=TX77010_042Brokenshire.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 4 2011-11-05 Andrea Brokenshire TX77010_042Brokenshire Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The International Quilt Festival QSOS Quilt Alliance Andrea Brokenshire Sandi Goldman 1:|16(2)|33(8)|40(3)|50(11)|65(16)|77(3)|90(1)|106(9)|120(3)|131(2)|146(2)|161(7)|174(7)|182(8)|192(2)|209(6)|235(10)|254(2)|269(2)|282(16)|297(2)|313(8)|329(6)|341(16)|359(2)|375(5)|393(13)|405(6)|415(10)|437(2)|455(14)|473(12)|486(8)|498(6)|509(8)|519(12)|536(10)|547(5)|562(9)|586(10)|602(15) 0 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/TX77010-042Brokenshire.mp3 Other audio 6 Introduction and touchstone quilt This is Sandy Goldman and today's date is November 5th, 2011 and I'm conducting an interview with Andrea Brokenshire for Quilters' Save Our Stories and it's a project for The Alliance for American Quilts. The interviewer Sandy Goldman introduces Andrea Brokenshire and the quilt &quot ; Summer Solitude,&quot ; she has brought with her to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Andrea explains how she made this quilt for her daughter Samantha, and that it was inspired by a photographer Samantha took during a family trip to Oregon. daughter ; Houston, Texas ; International Quilt Festival ; Oregon ; photography ; Summer Solitude 29.444, 95.221 17 The International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX. http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_brokenshire_01.jpg Andrea Brokenshire &amp ; her quilt, “Summer Solitude.” 75 Brokenshire’s quiltmaking process for “Summer Solitude.” Can you tell me about your process in creating this particular piece that you brought today? Brokenshire explains how she formed the image of the quilt from a photograph, enlarging the photo to create the design ; she used the contrast of lights and darks of the photo, resulting in a vibrant quilt. The quilt is an image of a sunflower with a bee, made of many small fabrics. She formed this in segments, petal by petal, before progressing to the central piece. She outlines in detail her complex process. Angelina fiber ; Design process ; fabric ; fusible applique ; fusible web ; iron sheet ; needle felted ; organza ; Photography/photo transfer ; quiltmaking process ; Sharpie marker 29.444, -95.221 17 The International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX. 213 Technique used to create quilt's background I noticed the background is many small pieces of fabrics. Andrea explains how she formed the background of the quilt by using batik and hand-dyed fabrics which she fused using a fusible web. Fabric - Batiks ; Fabric - Hand-dyed ; Free motion quilting ; fusible applique ; machine quilting ; texture 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_brokenshire_02.jpg Andrea Brokenshire, Detail, “Summer Solitude.” 293 Typical quiltmaking process Is this the way you normally work, or is this how you're working now? Brokenshire explains how she pieces the quilt together and visualizes the final product of the quilt from the picture. She explains her quiltmaking process, including how she manages her projects. confetti-style ; dimension ; Fusible applique ; large-image ; needle felting ; painted quilts ; quiltmaking process ; shadow ; texture ; Whole cloth quilts 17 http://ambfiberartanddesign.com AMB Fiber Art &amp ; Design, Brokenshire’s artist website. 417 On using needle-felting to make the bee When you made the bee, because the bee is made separately, did you, had you needle felted before? She describes how her knitting has aided her with quilt making, inspiring her to try needle felting. The bee is her first attempt at needle felting. She describes how she created the bee and placed in on the quilt separately. bee ; knitting ; needle felting 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_brokenshire_05.jpg Andrea Brokenshire, detail of bee, “Summer Solitude.” 449 Why did you choose this quilt to bring to the interview? ; Why did you choose this quilt, to bring this quilt to the interview today? Brokenshire explains that she made the quilt form a photograph her daughter took, after her daughter gave her permission and told her not to make it “ugly.” That anecdote stuck with her as she considered which quilt to bring to the interview. daughter ; photograph ; teenager 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_brokenshire_04.jpg Andrea Brokenshire, detail, “Summer Solitude. 497 Brokenshire's quiltmaking style Do you think this quilt reflects you style? What would someone think about you if they saw that... She describes her love of color and how this passion is reflected in the golds and yellows against the blue sky. She sees the natural world as therapeutic and inspiring. From her background as a zoology major in college, she describes how her love of nature inspires her to make these works of art. beauty ; color ; inspiring ; nature ; style beauty inspiration 29.444, 95.221 17 The International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX. http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_brokenshire_03.jpg Andrea Brokenshire, detail showing blues and yellows, “Summer Solitude. 579 Fabric Were these fabrics all in your stash, or did you have to go buy fabric? Andrea explains how most of the fabric she used for the quilt was in her stash. She further elaborates that she loves hand-dyed fabrics because she loves the trueness of color and tonal varieties of the fabric. In this quilt she uses primarily cotton, but she often uses a blend of cotton and silk. applique ; color ; Fabric - Batiks ; Fabric - Hand-dyed ; Fabric stash ; Fiber - Cotton ; Fiber - Silk ; natural fibers 17 646 Plans for this Quilt What are the plans for this quilt? Andrea explains that she plans for this quilt to stay in the family, with her daughter, when she moves out of the home as an adult. She further explains that the quilt is stored flat with cotton fabric over it and on a bed. daughter ; family ; light damage ; quilt storage 17 707 Batting Do you use a particular batting in your work? Does it make a difference to you? Andrea explains that she uses a 100% cotton batting for her quilts to give it a stiffness. She uses four layers to create her quilts, rather than the typical three. batting ; Fiber - Cotton ; layers 17 755 On learning to sew and quilt How did you get started with quilt making? You said you were a zoology major. She explains how she has been sewing since the age of five years. Her mother taught her and her sisters how to sew. They went to &quot ; Singer sewing lessons.&quot ; She began quilting in 1997 when her daughter no longer wanted handmade clothes. She further explains how she joined a quilting group and from there grew as a quilter. In 2005 she became very sick from Toxic Shock Syndrome. After this, she had a long process of recovery, when she put quilting down for a while. knitting ; Learning quilt making ; Quiltmaking for family ; Round Robin quilting ; sew ; sewing ; sewing classes ; Singer Corporation ; social quiltmaking activities ; Toxic Shock Syndrome 17 921 On working as a studio quiltmaker Right now are you a full time quilter? Brokenshire describes how she works on quilts and the time she devotes to the craft, estimating she spends 70% of her work week at her art. She further explains that her sister has also made a few quilts, but they have not collaborated. hand piecing ; professional quiltmaker ; stay-at-home mom ; studio quilt artist ; Work or Studio space 17 995 Experiences with illness and recovery You mentioned that you were sick but while you were sick for a few years you didn't quilt. Andrea goes into her time sick, when she couldn't make quilts. She had to relearn how to do things because she had lost the skin on her hands, and when she regained the ability, she began to knit. It became therapeutic for her to be at a knitting store, being around people, and learning about knitting. She describes the colors and fiber of the yarn as being therapeutic to her. color ; healing ; hospital ; knitting ; learn ; quilt ; sick ; textures ; therapy ; yarn hospital knitting sick 17 1078 On the creative process I love the full creative process from looking and dreaming about how I want something to be to placing it on paper. Brokenshire explains the joys of her creative process, which includes bringing a visual concept into the world. She loves the journey of quiltmaking as much as the finished product. The only parts of the process she doesn't like are putting on sleeves and bindings. She expressed difficulty in naming her quilts. bindings ; conception ; creative process ; Design process ; dreaming ; journey ; sleeves 17 1147 What art or quilt groups do you belong to? ; I do. I belong to a number of groups. I am member of International QuiltAssociation (IQA), Studio Art Quilting Association (SAQA), IQF), Austin [Texas.]Fiber Artists (AFA), and it’s like an art quilt group. She mentions the various quilt groups and organizations she is a part of. Austin Area Quilt Guild (Austin, TS) ; Austin [Texas] Fiber Artists (AFA) ; bees ; groups ; guilds ; International Quilt Association (IQA) ; Quilt guild ; Studio Art Quilting Association (SAQA) ; Surface Design Association (SDA) 17 http://austinfiberartists.com/ Austin Fiber Artists 1213 On using technology in quiltmaking Do you, are you a technology person? You mentioned unsung a oversized copier and having to go somewhere to do that, but what other technology things do you use? She elaborates on the technology she uses in her craft. She doesn't use much technology, and admits to being intimidated by it. She generally works form her photographs by enlarging them through FedEx, or Kinkos. She works a lot with a sewing machine. Adobe Photoshop ; boredom ; computer ; design process ; FedEx ; handwork ; Home sewing machine ; Kinkos ; photography ; Technology in quilt making 17 1318 Describe your studio/the place that you create. ; Where do you create? What does your studio look like? Brokenshire explains her studio, how she stores her fabric, and how she organizes her materials and the space. She organizes her fabric by color, with a few exceptions. She describes how she likes to look down from her home balcony at a quilt, to gain a better view of the scope of the quilt. She further comments on her creative process. Bernina 820 machine/ cabinet ; design process ; Design wall ; dyes ; fabrics ; flower ; pedal ; shelving ; Work or Studio space ; yarns 17 1542 On listening to music while quilting Do you work with music on or do you like quiet? Andrea explains that while she works, she likes to listen to soothing, ambient, music, in order to be in a state of zen while she works on her quilts. ambient music ; Machine quilting ; music ; relaxation ; work ; zen 17 1586 Thoughts on quiltmaking in general I'm going to ask you some questions about just your general feelings about quilting in general, like what do you think makes a great quilt? She explains how she finds great significance in the fact that all quilts are someone’s creation, and this gives them their value, that personal connection. She further mentions some people who have influenced her and classes she has taken. Becky Goldsmith ; Diane Sehorne ; influence ; International Quilt Festival ; Jacobean floral work ; Judy Coates Perez ; kit quilts ; learning ; meaning ; needle turn applique ; painting ; Pat Campbell ; Philippa Naylor ; picnic quilt ; quiltmaking classes ; story ; value 17 1792 On publishing her quilts in books You're a part of the Lone Star's Three book...? Have you been published in any other books? Andrea notes the books in which her works have been published in. She describes having her work published as feeling like “winning the lottery. 500 Art Quilts ; Anniversary for the Paducah [Kentucky] Show ; books ; category ; Full Bloom a Celebration of 40 ; Karey Bresenhan ; Lark Publications ; Published work - Quilts ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Texas History 17 http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/398505706 Ray Hemachandra and Julie Hale, 500 Art Quilts: An Inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work (New York, NY: Lark Books, 2010). 1900 Artichokes in Bloom The quilt that you have in the show this year, how, can you tell me about that quilt? She describes one of her quilts in the art painted surface category, called &quot ; Artichokes in Bloom.&quot ; This quilt won the Judge’s Choice Award at the 2011 International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. art painted surface ; artichokes ; Awards ; beautiful ; bloom ; blowing ; category ; confetti-style ; International Quilt Festival judge’s choice award ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; wind 17 2003 Why is quiltmaking important to your life? ; It’s part of my identity I think. I have always sewn. She discusses how quiltmaking is a part of her identity. She returns to her childhood when she and her sister learned how to sew clothes. In this, she explains her journey through life as she grew as a quilter and an artist. For her, quilting is a way to express herself. It gives her hope. She could not imagine not creating something. She then muses about the direction where her quilting will take in the future. Each family member will eventually get a quilt from her. abstract ; botanicals ; emotions ; family ; flowers ; identity ; nature ; patience ; photography ; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt Purpose – personal expression ; quiltmaking for family ; sewing 17 2244 Keeping track of quilts she has made How do you keep track of what quilts are where? Andrea explains how she keeps track of her quilts using a directory of computer folders with their images and locations. catalog ; computer ; Copper Shade Tree Gallery ; Lone Star Three Exhibit ; photography ; Quilt Purpose – Exhibition ; quiltmaking for family ; Round Top, Texas ; Texas Quilt Museum (La Grange, TX) 29.906606, -96.878010 17 Location of Texas Quilt Museum Texas Quilt Museum http://texasquiltmuseum.org/ 2349 Teaching quiltmaking Do you Teach? She explains what and where she teaches. She likes teaching, and will travel to teach, preferring to teach in small groups. She mentions the techniques she typically teaches, but shares that she is trying to get over “stage fright,” preferring to teach in small groups of 6-20. appliqué ; Austin, Texas ; class ; Free motion quilting ; Honeybee Quilt Store (Austin, TX) ; Marble Falls, Texas ; raw edge appliqué ; teaching quiltmaking 30.451367, -97.784215 17 Location of Honey Bee Quilt Store, Austin, Texas http://www.honeybeequiltstore.com/ Honey Bee Quilt Store website 2445 Conclusion Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you want to mention today? Brokenshire concludes by stating that she thinks it is important to continue creating art and to keep the tradition and art form alive. art ; beauty ; create ; future generations ; Knowledge transfer ; tradition art ; beauty ; conclusion 17 The International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX. Oral History Sandy Goldman (SG): This is Sandy Goldman and today’s date is November 5th, 2011 and I’m conducting an interview with Andrea Brokenshire for Quilters’ Save Our Stories and it’s a project for The Alliance for American Quilts. Andrea and I are at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Andrea, will you please tell me about the quilt you brought today, which is titled &quot ; Summer Solitude&quot ; ? Andrea Brokenshire (AB): It is a quilt that I made in 2008 for my daughter, Samantha. She took the photograph this quilt was inspired from when we were visiting my family in Oregon. SG: How old is Samantha? AB: She is nineteen now. SG: Is she a photographer? AB: Amateur photographer. SG: Does this quilt stay with her? AB: No, she’ll get it someday [laughs.] SG: It’s beautiful. AB: Thank you. SG: Can you tell me about your process in creating this particular piece that you brought today? AB: Yes I can. I work from photographs. I took the photograph and enlarged the image using a large format photocopier. On the photocopy, I traced out the major design elements with a black sharpie marker. The Sharpie marker bleeds thru the paper so when completed, the mirror image of the image is created on the back side of the photocopy. This becomes the master template pattern used to create the design. Each template piece was numbered then transferred to paper backed fusible web and then individually cut out. Fabrics were auditioned for each template unit, fused then cut out. Using a applique pressing sheet, the template pieces were reassembled into larger units (petals of the flower). I would work one unit (petal) at a time around the circumference of the flower I worked on entire, then I completed the center. The bee is a needle felted, and the wings are made with Angelina fiber and organza that I stitched , then attached. SG: I noticed the background is many small pieces of fabrics, could you explain how you create that and is that also fused? AB: The background is created using numerous batiks and hand-dyed fabrics to make a pallet of color. This is important because when I cut the fabrics into small irregular pieces the color goes all the way through the fabric.. These bits of fabric were placed individually down onto a foundation background covered with fusible web, fused down to temporarily hold them in place prior to free motion stitching. After they were stitched down, I used my fingernails to roughen them up a little bit to have the edges that were not sewn down lift up to give texture and dimension to the quilt. SG: Is the background under the whole flower or is it just where we can see it? AB: It is just where we can see it. The flower was put down first. Then I would lift up the edges of the flower petals and just place the background bits just within a quarter of an inch or less within the perimeter. Then everything was heated with the iron to fuse the edges and bits down and free motion quilted. SG: Is this the way you normally work, or is this how you’re working now. AB: Yes this is the way I am working now. Most of my recent quilts are either whole cloth painted quilts or are images that are painted then appliqued. This one is not a painted quilt but concept is basically the same ; large image on appliqué down, raw edge fused appliqué, with a piecey confetti-style background back to give texture and dimension. SG: It’s beautiful kind of the contrast between the smaller pieces and the larger pieces. So you mentioned that you use free motion quilting, and that this whole piece is done by machine, how do you visualize the free motion quilting? AB: I look at the photograph quite a bit to look and see how the veining and how each petal is moving and how the light is touching each petal contrasting with the shadow. Then I take what I see, and try to thread-paint that into the design following the shape of the petal. SG: Did you sit down and work on this all in one day, one week, do you have a feeling? Or do you work between projects? Will you work on one or two projects at a time or were you only working on this quilt? AB: I only worked on this quilt. I have a hard time thinking about many quilts at a time. I knew I had other projects that I wanted to do but I pretty much work one piece at a time because I want to put my full attention there. I’m not one to have many hands in the fire so to speak. SG: When you made the bee, because the bee is made separately, did you, had you needle felted before? AB: No, no, but I had bought a needle felter and I wanted to try it out. It was interesting to me. I am also a knitter and so I have a real love for different fibers and I wanted to try some include different textiles to give interesting tactile qualities for the quilt. SG: I think it’s a very successful piece. AB: Thank you. SG: Why did you choose this quilt, to bring this quilt to the interview today? AB: This is a quilt that I made for my daughter and I love the image and I kept on asking her if I could make a quilt with this image and she kept on saying, &quot ; No.&quot ; I had to wait a while, and wait, and finally she said &quot ; Mom, okay you can make a quilt just don’t make it ugly.&quot ; I decided to bring that because that thought kind of always sticks in my mind.[laughs.] and so that’s why I chose this quilt. SG: Do you think this quilt reflects your style? What would someone think about you if they saw that, like a viewer, what would a viewer think about you? AB: [ten second pause.] SG: I can repeat my question ; I said what would a viewer think about the person who made this quilt? Do you have any ideas? AB: Well I think first and foremost, I love color. I think that comes out in my quilts. I find color to be very therapeutic and to be very inspiring. I absolutely love the play of the golds and the yellows against a cerulean blue sky. and that is what this particular quilt really speaks. I love nature and I like how beautiful the natural world is. I would hope to think that if somebody saw this quilt that they would see the beauty that is all around us. SG: Were these fabrics all in your stash or did you have to go buy fabric? 943 AB: No they were all in my stash [laughs.] I gravitate towards batiks and hand-dyed fabrics and because of the depth and the trueness of color and the variety. I also like how the color goes all the way through the fabric as opposed to printed fabrics where the design is only on one side. I like the many tonal qualities in batiks. I like how these fabrics work together. SG: Would you say you’re mostly using cottons in your fabric then, cottons in your quilts, all cottons? AB: In this quilt, yes. Currently I work with natural fibers of cotton and silk, most of my appliqué is done in silk but the backgrounds are done in cotton. SG: What are the plans for this quilt? AB: This quilt is going to stay in the family and when my daughter moves into her home as an adult I will be giving this to her. SG: How do you store this quilt then? AB: This quilt is stored flat with cotton fabric over it and stored on a spare bed. SG: Stored on the bed. Are there other quilts stored on the bed? AB: Yes. My quilts are stiffer and small and so if you start rolling them up or putting them they get all bent, so I like to keep them flat, I would like to have a better storage system later on but at this point I don’t have that. I just put it on the bed and cover it with a dark cotton fabric so everything breaths but the sun can’t get to the quilts. SG: Do you use a particular batting in your work? Does it make a difference to you? AB: I use 100% cotton. I like the cotton because it gives stiffness and a suppleness the needle will go through all the pieces. SG: Are you using just three layers? Meaning the back, the batting, and then your piece top. AB: Actually there’s four layers. There is the back, the batting, a what I call a foundation layer (what all the little pieces are put on to) and then all the pieces. SG: How did you get started with quiltmaking? You said you were a zoology major. AB: I am one of five girls in my family and I have been sewing since I was five years old. My mother was determined to make sure her daughters knew how to sew. She was raised on a farm. Being the eldest, she spent most of her time outside. When I was a young girl, my older sisters and I went to &quot ; Singer &quot ; sewing lessons and that’s how we learned to sew. I pretty much made my garments through my high school years. Quilting, I didn’t start quilting until 1997, that’s when my daughter decided she did not want me to make her any more clothes. About that time, I was in a neighborhood stitching group. My neighbor suggested that we make a &quot ; round robin&quot ; Picnic quilt. (A round robin quilt where each person would make something then it would go to the next person and they would add onto it and eventually we would have a quilt). I thought, &quot ; There was no way that I would ever do that. I’m not a piece-y piece-y type of a person&quot ; [laughs.] I couldn’t even imagine but, I tried it anyway. We made a number of round robin style quilts and that was how I learned how to quilt. Started out very traditionally, like most new quilters, and in 2004 I was trying to take traditional quilting and making it more with bright colors and more relevant for today’s time. In 2005, I got very sick with a disease called Toxic Shock Syndrome. I was working on a couple of quilts for my niece and nephew when I got sick. I was traumatized every time I would come in front of the machine (PTSD). That’s when I started knitting and working in other fibers. In 2007 I started quilting again, mainly making something for a friend that I knew that would really appreciate a handmade item and that broke ate mental barrier. All the sudden, I had a million ideas came into my mind and I went in a completely different direction. That’s how these quilts started. SG: Right now are you a full time studio quilter? AB: I would say 70% yes. I’m an empty nester. I was a at-home mom for years and I am still balancing a little bit of house and the kids but for the most part, yes, I try to work in the studio every day. SG: Is the studio in your home? AB: Yes it is. SG: And so everyday you get to do something. AB: Yes. but to say full time eight to ten hours a day, I do not have that luxury at this point, but hopefully I will eventually. SG: You’re the only quiltmaker in your family? AB: Yes, in my immediate family. I have a sister that also is interested in quilts and she has made a few traditional style hand pieced quilts in the past, but at the moment she is not quilting. SG: Do you quilt together, you and your sister? AB: No, no, she lives in another state. SG: You mentioned that you were sick but while you were sick for a few years you didn’t quilt. AB: I did not quilt at all. SG: But you used knitting to get through that time? AB: Yes. SG: You used fiber? AB: Yes. When I got out of the hospital, (I was in ICU for about two weeks) I had to relearn how to do everything.I had lost all the skin in on my hands and so it took a number of months for the skin to come back and be strong enough that I could touch things. I had to relearn how to walk and I had to relearn how to do everything. There was a knitting store that had just opened up near my house and my friends would take me there. I would sit there my eyes transfixed by the colors and textures of the yarn. I remember thinking &quot ; I need to learn how to do this.&quot ; So when my hands heeled enough, I learned to knit and crochet. After six months, I started working there. SG: Right, so it was yarn therapy. AB: It was yarn therapy, that’s right. But is was also color therapy. I made some lifetime friends there. SG: Yarn and color and I think they relate. AB: Yes, I think they do too. SG: What do you find pleasing about quiltmaking? AB: I love the full creative process from looking and dreaming about how I want something to be to placing it on paper. From conception to the execution. Once it’s done, it’s kind of lost its interest in me. I mean, I love looking at my quilts, it makes me really happy to see them, but they are done. It’s the process the journey from the beginning to the end that keeps my interest. Once finished, I’m ready to go onto the next project. SG: Is there any part of it the process that you don’t like? AB: I don’t like putting on sleeves and bindings [laughs.] I do not like sleeves and bindings. SG: We found that, I’ve heard that from other people. AB: [laughs.] And I have a hard time thinking about names for my quilts. Sometimes that’s difficult for me. SG: Do you currently belong to any quilt guilds or groups or both? AB: I do. I belong to a number of groups. I am member of International Quilt Association (IQA), Studio Art Quilting Association (SAQA), IQF),Austin [Texas.] Fiber Artists (AFA) and it’s like an art quilt group. I’m also a member of Surface Design Association (S.D.A.), and the Austin Area Quilt Guild. SG: Are you attending, how many bees a week or a month? Are you going to the bees? AB: I do not go to bees. I was involved in one a number of years ago but lost touch after I got sick. I do go to the meetings for the Austin Fiber Artists Group.. Problem is, a lot of the meetings are at night and I have to drive though Austin [Texas.] but I try to make as many as I can. SG: Do you, are you a technology person? You mentioned using a oversized copier and having to go somewhere to do that, but what other technology things do you use? AB: I’m not a very technological ; I’m actually very intimidated by all of that. I can get around a computer fairly well. Photoshop and that type of thing I can do but I generally take my photographs and go to FedEx or Kinkos and have them do all the work because it’s a lot easier and it takes a lot of the headache out of it. It’s totally worth it for me to have them do it versus me do it. SG: Do you have more than one sewing machine? AB: Yes I do. I have three sewing machines [laughs.] SG: So it would be bad if the power went out, right? [laughs.] AB: Yes it would. I always keep my hands busy. Before I made my quilts by machine, I did hand appliqué and hand quilting so no matter what I will be always creating as long as my hands work, I will be making something. SG: So you’ve also known what it’s like not to have your hands working? AB: Yes I always have a project in my hands. I’m not sure if it’s a product of the way I grew up. We always had something to do. I don’t know the meaning of being bored, I always have something I could be doing. SG: Where do you create? What does your studio look like? AB: My studio space is on the main level of my house. I have a Bernina 820 machine/ cabinet. i have shelving filled to bursting with supplies. I’m starting to grow out of that room so I’m spreading out to the rest of the house now [laughs.] but that’s where I have everything there. I have all my fabrics in there and my dyes and my yarns and I’m just surrounded by all sorts of things that and products to help me in my creative process. SG: How do you store your fabric? AB: I store my fabric in a closet located in my Studio. I have like open bins so my fabrics are easily accessible and its all there and then I close the closet so the sun doesn’t get into them. SG: Are they organized by color or fabric style? AB: They are organized by color, then fabric types. The fabric are separated into two groups.I have one area that I call fashion fabric(non-hand dyed, batiks, dyed cottons or printed fabric) and then a area for hand-dyed and batik fabrics. SG: Do you use, do you have a design wall and do you use it? AB: I do have a design wall located in my studio but I use it more as a bulletin board. I have a two-story house with an open foyer. I place my work on the floor and walk upstairs to get a better perspective. I look down on my work and I get a better view. SG: It’s almost like squinting at it in a way, but you’re above it. AB: Mhm because you need to be far enough away to get the whole overall design and if you get too close you don’t see things sometimes. SG: How do you bring it out then? Do you bring it out on a piece of batting or just it’s already put together? AB: Yeah at that point it’s already pretty much put together. When I’m putting the composition together I’ll audition fabrics and petals before it is fused to make the overall design. For example, in this piece when I was adding and making a specific petal, and before the piece was actually put together I would lay it down and stand back and look at it. If I didn’t like the petal and it needed to be reworked, I would see that I would make a new one. I mean it would be auditioned and if I said to myself, &quot ; No I don’t like that, it’s too dark,&quot ; or, &quot ; That color’s not quite right,&quot ; or &quot ; It stands out,' or for whatever reason, I just make a new one and start over for that particular area. SG: Do you save the pieces that don’t work? AB: I am more and more. Before I didn’t because I’d get kind of locked on that, I needed to have a fresh pallette, I just had to put it away. I am saving things more and more because I’m not sure if I might use it in some other application in somewhere else. SG: Would you redo the same quilt in a different way, or do you always move on to the next? AB: I don’t, I go on to something else. I try to do something different with every quilt that I do, I don’t, I think everything needs to be a one of a kind type of a piece and even subject matter to that extent. SG: Do you work with music on or do you like quiet? AB: Yes, yes I love music, especially when I’m machine quilting. The music puts me in a Zen moment and relaxation. I like to listen to ambient music like piano and just very soothing. SG: So probably music that has no words, just background noise would you say? AB: Right instrumental, instrumental music, just very peaceful music kind of helps especially when you’re machine quilting for a while you get a little tense in your shoulders. SG: Right, so you can get up and move around. AB: Mhm. SG: I’m going to ask you some questions about just your general feelings about quilting in general, like what do you think makes a great quilt? AB: [seven second pause.] I’d have to think about that for a second. What I think that makes a good quilt really is the fact that it’s been made. We live in such a society where people don’t know how to do anything. They go somewhere else to have things done. I think it’s important to be able to make something and to go through that process so all quilts to me have value and meaning because somebody made them and they weren’t mass produced. I guess I’m not one for kits and that type of thing or preprocessed type stuff. Every quilt has a story, there’s a meaning that every single quilt artist has and they’re trying to convey. So, just the fact that they’re made from a beginning quilt that, the first attempt that somebody trying to do something to most intricate and elaborate style quilts, just the fact that they were even thought of and made in the first place I think means something to me. SG: Do you feel influenced by other quilters? Or is there anyone particular? AB: Absolutely. Probably my first influence of quilters were the ladies that said, &quot ; Oh we can just make a picnic quilt. We’ll just make one and we’ll sit on it during a picnic.&quot ; I refused to take mine out on a picnic, because I worked too hard on it. But, there’s a number of quilt artists that mean a lot. My best friend, Diane Sehorne, is a piecer. She is meticulous. Becky Goldsmith was one. I sat and watched her do needle turn appliqué and learned how to do it perfectly. Pat Campbell with her gorgeous Jacobean floral work. Judy Coates Perez who taught me how to paint, I didn’t know I could paint, but I took the ideas of color and what I do with fabric and transferred it into painting and making art quilts, didn’t even know I could do that. Philippa Naylor with her precision work. There’s a lot of people that I just find absolutely fantastic and I am always trying to learn new things. I like the challenge myself and try to come up with new ways and problem solving type techniques. SG: Are you the type of quilter that takes classes? AB: Yes I take, I’ve been taking classes all week long. I am a lifetime learner. I think that there’s always something new to learn and everyone has value in what they can give. I like to take other people’s information and process it and come up with my version that is uniquely my ownand it kind of spits out on something new in my brain. SG: So you were taking classes all week-- AB: Mhm. SG: Here in Houston [Texas.] You’re a part of the Lone Star’s Three book-- AB: Yes. SG: Have you been published in any other books? AB: Yes I have. I have a quilt in 500 Art Quilts that was published about a year, two years ago through Lark Publications.Karey Bresenhan was the juror for that book. The first time a quilt of mine was published was in 2003.My quilt &quot ; Full Bloom a Celebration of 40&quot ; was published in a commemorative book AQS put out for their 20th (or was is their 25th) Anniversary for the Paducah [Kentucky.] Show. I’m kinda of new to this whole publishing thing. SG: How does it make you feel when you hear that you got your quilt accepted in this book, or any book really? AB: Like I won the lottery [laughs.] It’s great, it’s great. It’s like sometimes I think, &quot ; Oh man, they must have made a mistake that, they don’t really think that my quilt.&quot ; It’s just honor, it’s just honor and a privilege to be involved in this and as my girlfriend says, &quot ; You’re now part of Texas history,&quot ; and I thought, &quot ; Wow, that’s pretty cool.&quot ; SG: Did you submit artwork or did they ask you? AB: They asked me. I had a couple quilts in the show last year, and those two quilts Karey asked if I would put them in the book. SG: The show here in Houston [Texas,]? AB: The show here in Houston [Texas.], yes. SG: Do you always submit to the same category when you submit? AB: No, no it just depends on what quilt I make. I generally do art pictorial or nature-style quilts depending upon what it is, I have had quilts in art painted surface, art pictorial, and art naturescapes. Generally in those categories, but it just depends on the quilt. SG: The quilt that you have in the show this year, how, can you tell me about that quilt? AB: Yes I can. It is called &quot ; Artichokes in Bloom.&quot ; It is in the art painted surface category. It is a picture of artichokes that are actually blooming. The heads of the artichokes are filamentous and they look like they’re blowing in the wind. It’s quite beautiful. It has a pieced background, the confetti-style pieced background, similar to the quilt we’re looking at today. It won judges’ choice this year and that was very exciting for me. I feel like I’m Cinderella, I just don’t want to lose my shoes [laughs.] SG: Did you know beforehand that you were going to win Judges’ choice? AB: No I did not. I just, I had gotten a call from Houston [Texas.] in September, I had just returned from a trip visiting my family and actually completely forgot about the notifications and got the call and I just was jumping up and down and was like, &quot ; Oh my gosh, oh my gosh I can’t believe this,&quot ; and was just, couldn’t believe it. It was very thrilling, but I didn’t know what award I won, I just knew that I had won a cash award ; I did not know what it would be until Tuesday night, November 1st. SG: Oh, that’s how they work it. That’s really really exciting. How would you say quiltmaking is an important part of your life? AB: It’s part of my identity I think. I have always sewn. When I was growing up and I was sewing clothes, and my sisters were sewing clothes, I used to get such a charge out of making something no one else had-- to be unique, I loved to sew. I would get so excited. One of the things I’ve learned as I got older was patience. I’m getting better at it being patient, not so great all the time, but striving to slow down.. When I was a kid, I didn’t have any patience and I just rushed through things and thus my garments were not made very well.I have always been drawn to bright colors. I would go and I would pick out the most bright colorful crazy garish patterns that I could possibly find and I made my clothes. I was so proud. As I got older, my older sisters didn’t sew as much, they looked at it as a chore and they looked at it as drudgery or something that they had to do, and I’ve never felt that way. I’ve always looked at it as a possibility, and as a joy, and a way to express my emotions. If sometimes life gets really hard, I find that’s when I make my best quilts because there’s always a sense of hope and possibility. That’s what I like about quilting and garment sewing. For me it is a part of how I define myself., I can’t imagine not creating something, to me it’s like breathing. SG: What direction do you see your quilting going in? AB: Well, I love art quilting. I really don’t know. I’d like to continue doing original work and but as far as where it goes, I’m not sure. It just depends on what happens in the future in my life. I would like to try some abstract-type work but I don’t really think abstractly. It makes me uncomfortable but I think doing thing that are uncomfortable will stretch me as an artist. I’m a nature lover, I would like to do more work in with animals and more different subject matter rather than botanicals but I love botanicals and I love big flowers and the curves and I think they’re kind of sexy and they have, they just have presence. I just love that. I’m guessing I will always stay in that general area, but I don’t know. SG: Do you have a lot of quilts on the horizon? AB: Yes. SG: Are they in your head, are they on paper, how do you keep track or how do you know what you want to do next? AB: I’m constantly looking for interesting subject matter so I always have my camera with me. I have probably about fifteen quilts that are in my head, waiting to come. I have the photographs are already there, it’s just the process of making them and spending the time to make them. Like I said before, I have a number of family members and each one of them will get a quilt and the next quilt that I will be making will be for my sister, Heidi, and so I will try to balance a show quilt then a quilt for a family member and other quilts for galleries.Each quilt I make have different reasons for being. So yes, I have many things going on. SG: How do you keep track of what quilts are where? AB: I use my computer. I have all of the quilts cataloged. I have folders for each quilt that contains full and close-up photographs. I have lists of where all my quilts are and what they’re made of and how much it took me to make them and all that type of information. Currently I have one of the is at the Texas Museum, for the Lone Star Three Exhibit. I have a number of quilts at Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas.. I’m entering different competitions and things nationally so I keep track of all of that. SG: That’s a big job keeping track of everything. AB: Keeping track of everything. I think it’s important, I have a document that is a list of credits and I am constantly updating. Any time that I get a quilt accepted into a venue, I update. It helps me not to forget. SG: That’s true. Do you feel like, do you most of your family members have a piece of your work? AB: Not yet, but they will be. I am from a blended family. Biologically a have 4 sisters and 1 brother. I also have 2 sisters, and brother from my Dads’ second marriage, so there are nine of us. Three of them have quilts, my mother has a couple, my dad has a couple, so they’re all, the rest of them are waiting [laughs.] SG: Do you teach? AB: I do. SG: Where do you teach? AB: I teach at Honeybee Quilt Store in Austin, Texas and I teach beginning free motion quilting and intermediate free motion quilting and raw edge appliqué and this background and pretty much I’ll teach anything that somebody wants to learn. I’ve also started traveling and teaching in the local areas around Austin [Texas.] such as Marble Falls in central Texas. SG: So where you could drive is that pretty much-- AB: Yeah, right. SG: You must really enjoy it. AB: I do, I do, but I have to get over something called stage fright. I do very well in small groups, microphones get me very nervous, and talking in front of large groups of people, so I’m working on that, but I do good in small groups. SG: Do you limit your class sizes? AB: I do, depending on the venue and how big the space is, anywhere from six to twenty, depends on the space. I want to make sure everybody gets individual attention because I think that if somebody spends money and wants to come and listen and learn something they deserve hundred percent of my attention and knowledge. My students get every little tip and tidbit that I could possibly think of and I want them to be able to have that. I think you get too big you lose that intimacy. SG: So you sound like a very busy quilter, teacher, mother ; is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you want to mention today? I think we covered a lot of aspects of your life and quilting. AB: I don’t think so I just think it’s important that we continue to create and to make beautiful pieces of art and keep this tradition and this art form alive for future generations. I think that’s very important. SG: Well I’d like to thank you Andrea for letting me interview you today, and I believe I forgot to mention that we started at ten o’clock this morning, and it’s now 10:41 and we are concluding our interview now. Thank you so much. AB: Thank you, thank you. 2015 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 0 Interview Date 11/05/2011 Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Martha Sielman Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context TX77010_042 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-11-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Andrea Brokenshire Description An account of the resource In this interview, conducted at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, Andrea Brokenshire explains her quiltmaking process, as well as fiber art as a therapeutic practice. http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/69f86979d34daa4051b74829033c1b01.jpg 4f8ceefd0cec89b05d7eb215c097a677 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Quilt Festival QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Janell Epp Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Anita Murphy OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Quilts Quilters Historic quilts Quilt teachers Quilting OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.3 2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006 Interview with Anita Murphy, October 22, 1999 2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006 qsosiqf Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: International Quilt Festival Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Quilts. Quilting arts workshop Quiltmakers. Quilting. Quilt Expo Quilts in art Quilts--Design. Quilting--United States--Patterns. Textiles. Arts and crafts. Quilts Quilters Historic quilts Quilt teachers Quilting Anita Murphy Janell Epp 2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006_murphy_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006_murphy_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 0 Dr. Hartgraves' family I'm here today interviewing Anita Murphy. The first quilts discussed are those of Dr. Ruth Hartgraves. Her mother pieced quilts. Some of Hartgraves' other mementos accompany the quilt, including photos of her mother and grandmother. Doctors ; Dr. Ruth Hartgraves ; Estates ; Fabrics ; Families ; Historic quilts ; Nuns ; Piecing ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Sashing ; Statue of Liberty Contest ; Stitching ; Teaching ; Techniques ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts ; University of Texas Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 117 Dr. Hartgraves' career and quilts Dr. Hartgraves has been highly honored by the University of Texas. And she said, &quot ; They weren't smart enough to ask me for my quilts, Anita.&quot ; Murphy was given Dr. Hartgraves' quilts after many of her belongings had been donated to the University of Texas, by which she was highly honored in the medical field. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Estate planning ; Fabrics ; Historic quilts ; Medical practices ; Quilt museums ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Statue of Liberty contest ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts ; Travelers ; University of Texas Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 221 Learning to quilt So, uh, uh, one time, she and Sister Lucy, my two aunts who were called 'the girls.' One of them is the one who taught me how to quilt. One of Murphy's aunts taught her how to quilt. Her husband would drive her aunts and Dr. Hartgraves around Houston often. Dr. Hartgraves learned to quilt from her grandmother, though she said that her stitching was bad. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Doctors ; Fabrics ; Grandmothers ; Hand quilting ; Historic quilts ; Nuns ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stitching ; Teaching ; Techniques ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 298 Protecting quilts with sasheen Um, she said her mother, uh, was a gracious, gracious southern lady. Dr. Hartgraves' mother quilted when it was in fashion, then became bored with it and hired someone to finish. The quilt was sasheen, which acted as a protective measure against a man's beard, which would wear down fabric. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Fabrics ; Fashions ; Hand quilting ; Historic quilts ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Sasheens ; Stitching ; Techniques ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts ; Whiskers guards Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 386 Generations of quilters I have here--I don't know if you all want it--a picture of Dr. Ruth with her grandmother. Both Dr. Hartgraves' mother and grandmother quilted, though her grandmother made utilitarian quilts for her hired help. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Fabrics ; Grandmothers ; Hand piecing ; Historic quilts ; Mothers ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stitching ; Techniques ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts ; Utilitarian quilts Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 439 Dr. Ruth Hartgraves' M.D. Day in Houston And, uh, you all might like to--this is a proclamation for Dr. Ruth Hartgraves' M.D. Dr. Hartgraves was honored by the mayor of Houston, Kathy Whitmire, by having a day named after her in honor of her accomplishments in the medical field. Baylor College of Medicine ; Boston ; Dr. Ruth Hartgraves' M.D. Day ; Elizabeth Blackwell Award of the Year ; Friends of Bijou Bend ; Gynecology ; Hermon Hospital ; Honorary Doctorate ; Houston Grand Opera Society ; Houston Symphony Society ; Jefferson Davis Charity Hospital ; John F. Kennedy ; Kathy Whitmire ; Medical schools ; Memorial Hospital system ; Methodist Hospital ; New England Hospital for Women and Children ; Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award ; Southwestern University ; St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital ; University of Texas Awards ; Gynecology. ; Medical education ; Medicine ; University of Texas at Austin 17 628 Fabrics from around the world She had a, a marvelous quick wit, and as she traveled, she went, uh, around the world actually three times. Murphy received silk scarves and handkerchiefs from Dr. Hartgraves' world travels, which she would then quilt. Murphy's aunt, who taught her to quilt, kept in touch with Dr. Hartgraves. Murphy believes that the stories of these quilts need to be recorded and preserved. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Handkerchiefs ; Magazine articles ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Silk scarves ; Statue of Liberty contest ; Travelers Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. 17 713 Early quilting days What year did you start quilting? Murphy's aunt taught her to quilt at a young age, though the materials were not up to today's standard. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Fabrics ; Families ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stitching ; Techniques ; Textiles Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 758 Nuns quilting and earning degrees Now how old was your aunt at the time that she was teaching you to quilt? Murphy's family was full of avid quilters, many of whom received advanced degrees during their lives. Because nuns couldn't drive, Sister Anita had to commute to school on the Greyhound bus. Doctorate degrees ; Home economics degree ; Howard Paine University ; Nuns ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Sacred Heart Dominican College ; Textiles ; University of Texas Arts and crafts. ; Education. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 871 Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures So, do you feel that this history that your family has had with quilts and the inspiring people in their lives, this is why you're so involved in the history of quilts? Murphy was a part of founding Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures, which preserved the stories of historical quilts in Texas. Arts and crafts ; Beaumont (Tex.) ; Creativity ; Historic quilts ; Preservation ; Quilting books ; Quilting guilds ; Stories ; Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures ; Uniqueness Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. 17 985 Interesting characters at quilting search days But no, these stories should be kept. Uh, our second quilt search day was up at Jasper, Texas. Murphy and her group for Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures held a second quilt search day, during which a grandmother was dropped off and refused to eat. She then said some colorful things into the microphone. Festivities ; Grandmothers ; Interviews ; Jasper (Tex.) ; Jasper Days ; Muslin quilts ; Preservations ; Priceless ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stories ; Strings Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1155 Preserving quilts and their stories And we, we were so good and pure which we regretted since because we didn't want to steal quilts from people. Murphy recounts stories of quilts whose stories she preserved through Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures. Appliques ; Arts and crafts ; Aunt Jemima ; Books ; Chicago (Ill.) ; Chicago Exposition ; Creativity ; Elderly ; Fabrics ; Historic quilts ; Model T Ford ; Nursing homes ; Pancake flour ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stitching ; Techniques ; Textiles Quilt Expo ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts. 17 1277 Quilting in tragedy And yet there are stories now--I judged Oklahoma City last month... Murphy tells heartbreaking stories that she heard during her time with Texas Quilts, Texas Treasures, including someone who lost all their quilts but one and the quilt they saved won a ribbon, which was heartwarming and heartbreaking. Arts and crafts ; Creativity ; Historic quilts ; Hurricanes ; Oklahoma City (Okla.) ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Ribbons ; Techniques Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1375 Elderly quilters But, this, uh, other quilt that I really loved was a log cabin. Murphy met an elderly woman who made a quilt which Murphy really loved. Murphy describes the woman's age and attitude toward quilting as &quot ; heart touching.&quot ; Applique ; Fabrics ; Historic quilts ; Log cabin quilts ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Stitching ; Techniques ; Textiles Arts and crafts. ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1448 Teaching senior citizens and families to quilt Now, history of quilts have inspired you with--almost every step of the way? Murphy taught her children how to quilt, which they embraced to humor her. Her husband encouraged her to write books and share her unusual techniques. She also taught quilting to senior citizens, which she says was a very gratifying experience. Arts and crafts. ; Blocks ; Craft and art ; Dresses ; Dressmaking ; Families ; Historic quilts ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Self-owned businesses ; Senior citizens ; Straw hats ; Techniques ; Traditional quilts ; Workshops Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1596 God and quiltmakers But so many of them had wanted to learn to quilt. One of Murphy's elderly students wanted to make something for her 12 children. She passed away from cancer later on. Murphy sees her teachings as having a religious purpose. African American quilters ; Black quilters ; Children ; Patterns ; Quilted pillows ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilts African American quiltmakers. ; Arts and crafts. ; Craft and art ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting. ; Quilts. 17 1713 Being a confident quilter And, uh, so, I've had some wonderful women. Murphy's quilting classes encouraged women to be confident in their artistic abilities, including one woman who got to show her mother and aunt her accomplishments at a quilt show. Confidence ; Grandchildren ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Stitches Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1754 Founding a quilters' guild And I founded our guild in '81. Murphy has found her time as a teacher and founder of a guild to be rewarding. Creativity ; Crochet ; Guilds ; Lace making ; Louisiana ; Members ; Needlepoint ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1797 Teaching quilting So the teaching part of this is possibly more important to you than even the quilting, or how do you feel? Teaching quilting was a gratifying experience for Murphy, so she continued to go back and teach time after time, though she would say she was leaving. Baby quilts ; Businesses ; Cudahay Ham ; Junior Forum ; Pillows ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Stitch and flip potholders ; Teaching Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1914 Multitasking and quilting And I wrote an article and got published that years ago, we were raised to think you can't do two things well at once. Murphy finds that quilting coincides with her relaxation, and she wrote an article on how to do those two things together. Creativity ; Entertainment ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Therapeutic quilting Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 1962 Schools and quilt making Uh, we had our museum--got a grant, finally. Murphy was active in schools, quilting with younger children and high-school-age children, allowing their creativity to flow through the quilts they were making. Banners ; Blocks ; Cotton balls ; Grants ; Museums ; Neglects ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Russia ; Washington (D.C.) Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 2125 Quilts for family members I know for my husband's sister's 93rd birthday, everybody that came to her party signed their hand, and the men, of all things, started putting their rings in there. Murphy created quilts for family members, which included the hand prints of other relatives. One of the quilts was stolen, which Murphy describes as awful and a sadness. Birthday parties ; Birthday quilts ; Hand prints ; Lap quilts ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Sadnesses Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 2197 Making quilts for the greater good Yeah, we have had, uh, nice things that our members have thought of and done. Many of Murphy's quilting projects are centered around helping others. She has made quilts for AIDS, for the Seamen's Mission, for a boy's haven, and more. Murphy had a fan tell her the story of her Alzheimer's patients doing crafts, which was inspired by Murphy. AIDS ; AIDS quilts ; Alzheimer's patients ; Baby quilts ; Boy's Town ; Guild members ; Guilds ; Macaroni belts ; Plastic ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quilting guilds ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Seaman's Mission Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 2471 Quilters who have impacted Murphy So if there's anything that you wish to s, say about what quilting means to you or where you feel you'll go with quilting from here. Murphy reminisces about those who have taught and shared with her who have impacted her life. Archives ; Denmark ; Doreen Speckman ; Mexico ; National Quilt Association (NQA) ; Quilters ; Quilting ; Quiltmakers ; Quilts ; Stories ; United States Arts and crafts. ; Quilt Expo ; Quilting arts workshop ; Quilting--United States--Patterns. ; Quilting. ; Quiltmakers. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textiles. 17 interview Anita Murphy is an accomplished quilter and teacher. She began quilting because of an aunt who taught her, and she was given quilts from Dr. Ruth Hartgraves, who was held in high regard by the University of Texas. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006_murphy_ohm.xml 2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006_murphy_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7qz8d1bd0z2 Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Jane Hancock Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Anita Murphy is an accomplished quilter and teacher. She began quilting because of an aunt who taught her, and she was given quilts from Dr. Ruth Hartgraves, who was held in high regard by the University of Texas. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh0522_qsosiqf0006 QSOS_006 Subject The topic of the resource Quilts. Quilting arts workshop Quiltmakers. Quilting. Quilt Expo Quilts in art Quilts--Design. Quilting--United States--Patterns. Textiles. Arts and crafts. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Anita Murphy Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 22, 1999 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/09daefd6aea30e1eaf8f0ccffa7b3044.jpg 913e0e5b7acb75ae35582c3172764ee4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource South Central Michigan QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Estella Spate Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Anne Rolfe Interview Keyword Quilts as gifts Social quiltmaking activities Learning quiltmaking OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=MI49016-005 Rolfe.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.1 Anne Rolfe MI49016-005 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories South Central Michigan QSOS Quilt Alliance Quilts as gifts Social quiltmaking activities Learning quiltmaking Anne Rolfe Estalla Spate MI49016-005Rolfe.mp3 1:|11(18)|34(2)|48(4)|63(11)|78(2)|94(1)|114(6)|134(10)|150(15)|171(2)|186(12)|200(1)|220(7)|234(10)|248(16)|266(7)|279(9)|296(2)|316(14)|329(9) 0 http://quiltalliance.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MI49016-005Rolfe.mp3 Other audio 0 Introduction Good afternoon. This is Estella Spates and I'm interviewing Anne Rolfe at her home in Battle Creek Estella Spates interviews Anne Rolfe at her home in Battle Creek, Michigan. 42.3211522, -85.17971419999998 17 Battle Creek, Michigan 20 Tell me about the quilt you brought in today. Anne tell me about the quilt that you selected for this interview. Rolfe describes her &quot ; Star of Wonder&quot ; quilt, each block containing 62 pieces. Machine quilted by Ruth Dean. This quilt was very challenging and Rolfe wasn't sure that she would finish. Sometimes also displays in guest bedroom. Holiday quilts ; Ruth Dean ; The Quiltery 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MI49016-005Rolfe.jpg Anne Rolfe with her quilt, &quot ; Star of Wonder&quot ; 117 Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. Rolfe describes learning to make quilts after retirement and taking her first class at the Quiltery, a fabric shop in Battle Creek. She joined a guild right away, and enjoys participating. Guild participation ; Kellogg Company ; Laurie Buhler ; Learning quiltmaking ; retirement ; The Quiltery 17 222 What is your first quilt memory? What is your first quilt memory? Rolfe describes her first quilt, a sampler, drafted cut by hand. Quilt was pieces by machine and hand quilted with the help of other quilters. Eddie Bowserman ; Hand quilting ; Knowledge transfer ; Learning quiltmaking ; Machine piecing ; pattern drafting ; sampler ; Winnie Rambaugh 17 270 Are there other quiltmakers among your family or friends? Please tell me about them. Are there other quiltmakers among your families? Rolfe's mother and grandmother quilted, and they made quilts for the children, which were used until they wore out. Rolfe describes her friends in the guild. Antique quilts ; everyday use ; Generational quiltmaking ; grandmother ; Quiltmaking for family ; Social quiltmaking activities ; utilitarian quilts 17 336 Tell me about an amusing experience that has occurred from your quiltmaking ; What do you find pleasing about quiltmaking? ; Tell me about your most amusing experience that occurred when you were quilting. Rolfe describes making mistakes that required &quot ; unsewing.&quot ; From mistakes, she has learned to pay better attention. Rolfe finds satisfaction in finishing quilts. Quilt Purpose - Personal enjoyment 17 388 What quilt groups do you belong to? What quilt groups do you belong to? Rolfe belongs to a quilt group at Christ United Methodist Church and making quilts for charity. She also helps at Cal-Co Quilters' Guild shows. baby quilt ; Cal-Co Quilters Guild ; Guild activities ; Quilt guild ; Quilt Purpose - Charity ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 438 Have advances in technology influenced your work? If so, how? ; What are your favorite techniques and materials? ; Have advances in techniques influenced your quilt work? Rolfe and Spates discuss using templates and using a rotary cutter. Rolfe has used applique techniques but prefers piecing. applique ; Cardboard templates ; class ; Hand quilting ; piecing ; Rotary cutter 17 530 Describe your studio/the place that you create. ; Do you have a studio or a quilt room? Rolfe doesn't have a separate room for sewing. Describes working in dining room and kitchen. Designs quilts by laying out pieces on the floor or bed. Design process ; pressing ; Time management ; Work or Studio space 17 595 What do you think makes a great quilt? ; What makes a quilt artistically powerful? ; What do you think makes a great quilt? Rolfe believes that the design makes a great quilt. Describes a quilt made by husband's great-grandmother. Received the top from a cousin and had it hand quilted. The pattern was &quot ; Garden of Eden.&quot ; A great quilter is dedicated and enjoys making quilts - gives their time and talent. Rolfe enjoys watching Kay Woods and Nancy Zeeman from Wisconsin on PBS. Antique quilts ; Kay Woods ; Nancy Zeeman 17 749 Why is quiltmaking important to your life? Why is quilting important to you? Rolfe enjoys quilting, and her family and friends enjoy receiving quilts. Grandchildren are happy to have something made by their grandmother. Quilts reflect community through charity. Rolfe describes thinking of quiltmaking was a dying art, but she was excited to see the activity generated by quilt shows and the International Quilt Show in Chicago. Describes quilts related to the Underground Railroad and as part of history in Battle Creek. Explains how church group gives quilts to members in nursing homes, and hosts &quot ; baby shower&quot ; to give away quilts. Believes that quilts can be preserved for future through proper care by refolding and airing. Christ United Methodist Church (Battle Creek, MI) ; Guild activities ; Quilt care ; Quilt history ; Quilt Purpose - Charity ; Quilt Purpose - Comfort ; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quiltmaking for family ; Social quiltmaking activities ; Underground Railroad Quilt Code 17 965 What has happened to the quilts that you have made or those of friends and family? ; What has happened to the quilts that you have made? For your friends and your family. Describes making a quilt for friend whose daughter had cancer and later passed away. The quilt was then passed to son with children and is still used in her memory. Quilt Purpose - Comfort ; Quilt Purpose - Memorial ; unfinished objects (UFO) 17 1050 Tell me about the last quilt project you worked on. Tell me about the last quilt project you worked on. Rolfe has recently been making baby quilts. Describes recent projects, including a purse, a chenille jacket, a quilted tote, potholders, table runners, and other small projects. Crib quilts ; Quilt Purpose - Charity ; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation ; Quilted goods 17 1182 Conclusion Anything else you would like to share with us about your quilt experience? The interview concludes as Rolfe shows a few of her quilted pieces to the interviewer. Baker Bars (pattern) ; Quilt Purpose - Challenge or contest entry 17 Oral History Anne Rolfe was interviewed as part of the South Central Michigan QSOS. She shares her experience making quilts for friends and family and how she learned to quilt. Estella Spates (ES) ; Good afternoon. This is Estella Spates and I&#039 ; m interviewing Anne Rolfe at her home in Battle Creek [Michigan.]. Today is May 18, 2009 and it is 2:13 p.m. Anne tell me about the quilt that you selected for this interview. Anne Rolfe (AR) ; This is a quilt that I made at The Quiltery. I took the class. I think it was 1996. It &#039 ; s called Star of Wonder and each block has sixty-two pieces. It was a big challenge to me. So it took a while to get it finished, but, anyway, when I got it all done I had it machine quilted by Ruth Dean and I enjoy it and I get it out at Christmas time. I put it on the back of the couch so I can enjoy it and people that come in can enjoy it so I really like it. ES ; You&#039 ; ve told me about it being a Christmas quilt. Does it have any other special meanings to you? AR ; No, not, just that I like it. ES ; And why did you choose this quilt as your interview piece? AR ; Just because it was such a big challenge for me. Because I thought I&#039 ; d never get it done. ES ; How do you use this quilt other than just putting it on the couch? AR ; Oh, sometimes I&#039 ; ll put it on the bed in the guest bedroom. So people can see it. ES ; So do you have other plans for this quilt? Are you going to give it away? Or-- AR ; Well, I only have two children and they both have their share of quilts, but when the time comes I might give them their choice of the lot that I&#039 ; ve made. ES ; Tell me about your interest in quilting. AR ; Well, when I retired in the fall of 1989 the Kellogg friends of mine made me a quilt and it really excited me and really that got me started. So I took a beginner’s class at The Quiltery and Laurie Buhler, who&#039 ; s in our quilt guild, took that same class with me. I enjoy doing classes and I&#039 ; ve taken a lot of them over the years. ES ; So you were retired when you started quilting? AR ; Yes, I was and I retired early. I was fifty-seven and I joined the guild right away after I took beginner&#039 ; s class and I&#039 ; ve always enjoyed the guild and being part of it. ES ; So you learned to quilt at The Quiltery? Or, did you-- AR ; I had beginner&#039 ; s quilting there and I have taken a lot of classes there and I took some from Ruth Ann Dean and then different places. ES ; So you didn&#039 ; t start quilting at all before you retired or before you were fifty-seven? AR ; Nope. . ES ; How many hours a week do you quilt? AR ; Well, it depends on what I&#039 ; m working on because if I start something I&#039 ; m excited then I can&#039 ; t leave it alone. So, it depends if I&#039 ; m working on something, probably a couple hours a day, maybe three days a week if I&#039 ; m working on a quilt. ES ; What is your first quilt memory? AR ; Well, let&#039 ; s see, can&#039 ; t remember now. Oh, it was a sampler that we had to draft our patterns and cut it all out by hand. And then I think I enjoy machine piecing. Then, when I got it all together, then I layered it and I hand quilted it. The first one that was given to me was all layered and the binding was on but I had to hand quilt it. And two quilters came to my house to show me how to do that. Winnie Rambaugh and Eddie Bowserman. ES ; Are there other quilt-makers among your families? AR ; It goes way back. On my husband&#039 ; s side, his great grandmother. We happen to have three of her quilts and my mother and grandmother did some quilting. More my grandmother than my mother. When the kids were young, they made them quilts but I didn&#039 ; t know any better and we used them all the time. We wore them out. ES ; You have friends that quilt also? AR ; Yes, I do. Of course, I lost my friend Eddie Bowserman. Friends in the guild, Veronica Graham and all of you girls that I share the guild with that like quilting. ES ; How does quilting impact your family? AR ; They love it. They both have more than the law allows. [laughs.] ES ; Tell me if you have ever used quilts to get through a difficult time in your life. AR ; Well, not necessarily. No, I don&#039 ; t believe I have. ES ; Tell me about your most amusing experience that occurred when you were quilting. AR ; I&#039 ; ve made mistakes where I&#039 ; ve had to unsew. That&#039 ; s kind of amusing when you are not paying attention. How easy that happens. And you learn by your mistakes, so then you pay more attention. ES ; What do you find pleasing about quilting? AR ; It&#039 ; s just real satisfying when you get one all finished. ES ; What part of quilting do you most enjoy? AR ; Well, I guess putting the blocks together and laying it out and joining them, trying to get it done. ES ; What quilt groups do you belong to? AR ; Just the one at Christ United Methodist Church. We sew for charity. We do lap quilts and baby quilts and we have done larger ones. We only do it from the fall until the summer months and then we take a little break. But we do things at home we can turn in. ES ; What about Cal-Co Quilters? AR ; Well, I always help when they have their shows. And I used to help on the library, but then w hen my husband was alive we&#039 ; d go away the winter months and maybe be gone for four months, s o I hated to volunteer because I wouldn&#039 ; t be there to do my job. ES ; Have advances in techniques influenced your quilt work? AR ; Yes, it has. ES ; And how is that? AR ; Well, just by taking classes in different patterns you learn different techniques. ES ; Now, when--did you start quilting when, you know, they were making templates-- AR ; Yes, I-- ES ; And then you graduated to using a rotary cutter? Was using a rotary cutter hard for you to learn or-- AR ; No, I enjoyed it after once learned how. I did an appliqué quilt where, and another one where you had to make a template. ES ; What is your favorite technique? And materials to use? AR ; Well, I can&#039 ; t think off hand. That appliqué quilt was fun while I was doing it, but it took me a l ong time because every piece you had to cut out and appliqué on the block and it took me two years to get it finished and it was all hand quilting. ES ; You like appliqué better than piecing? AR ; Not really. I think I like piecing better. ES ; Do you have a studio or a quilt room? AR ; No, I live alone and I don&#039 ; t have a separate room but I enjoy sewing in my front dining room and then I press in the kitchen. I&#039 ; m here by myself so I spread out. ES ; How do you balance your time when you&#039 ; re quilting? Do you have to make time for other things because you&#039 ; re so involved with your quilting, or you plan to do so much each day? AR ; Well, I usually get my errands done and do what I&#039 ; ve got to do if I&#039 ; m going to sew and then come home and do that in the evening. ES ; Do you have a design wall? Do you-- AR ; No, I don&#039 ; t. ES ; How do you design your quilt? Do you-- AR ; Well, I either lay things out on the bed or I lay them out on the floor. ES ; What do you think makes a great quilt? AR ; Well, the design. That&#039 ; s most of it, I guess. ES ; What makes a quilt artistically perfect? AR ; I don&#039 ; t know. I can&#039 ; t think. ES ; What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or special collection? AR ; I got one that my husband&#039 ; s great grandmother made and a cousin gave me the top and I had it hand quilted. And a friend of mine looked up the pattern. It&#039 ; s called the Garden of Eden. And that was, is interesting. It&#039 ; s quite old. It don&#039 ; t look like it because it&#039 ; s been well taken care of. ES ; What makes a great quilter? AR ; Well, somebody that&#039 ; s very dedicated and enjoys doing what they&#039 ; re doing and who gives of their time and their talent. ES ; Whose work do you like? Whose work are you drawn to? Quilt artists are you drawn to, or, I should say, do you like certain quilt artists better than others? AR ; Well, I like to watch the quilt show on Saturday on PBS. Kaye Woods and Nancy [Zeeman.] from Wisconsin. That&#039 ; s interesting and gives you ideas. So, I can&#039 ; t think of any one quilter that I like but they&#039 ; re both pretty good. ES ; How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? Versus the longarm quilter? AR ; Well, I was in a car accident and I broke my thumb and it bothered me so then I went to having people finish my quilts but if it&#039 ; s small I&#039 ; ll do it by hand. ES ; Have you ever done the machine quilting-- AR ; No, I never do that. ES ; On a domestic quilt? AR ; No. My machine is just a Pfaff, but I really haven&#039 ; t got-- I&#039 ; ve taken a class on machine quilting, but it takes practice. ES ; Why is quilting important to you? AR ; Well, I do and my kids enjoy them, too. And I&#039 ; ve made them for my all of my family, friends and my great grandchildren and they like them because Grandma made them. ES ; In what way do your quilts reflect your community? AR ; Well, I suppose what I&#039 ; ve done for charity, through the church and like, the guild doing the baby quilts. Last year I did quite a few for them. And it makes you feel good to be able to participate. ES ; What do you think about the importance of quilts in American life? AR ; I think it&#039 ; s wonderful. I think at one time they thought it was a dying art, but I think it&#039 ; s really a live because when you go on trips and stop to quilts shows. Twice, now I&#039 ; ve went to the national quilt show in Chicago. Oh, my, it&#039 ; s mind boggling. It really makes you excited. ES ; In what way do you think quilts have special meaning for women&#039 ; s history, women in history in America? AR ; I think it&#039 ; s wonderful how it goes way back to the-- here in Battle Creek [Michigan.] was it the Underground Railroad? Then they used quilts for signal s and I think that is terrific. Just, it really goes way back and it&#039 ; s part of our history and I think it&#039 ; s marvelous, wonderful. ES ; How do you think quilts can be used? AR ; Well, they can be used on the bed or they can be used like, as a wall hanging, or just for friend ship, or you can give them to a friend. There&#039 ; s all kinds of ways. ES ; And you&#039 ; ve mentioned before about the charities that you give your quilts to. You want to tell more about that? AR ; Our church, Christ United, we have a lot of older people and they give them to ladies that belong to our church in nursing the homes. The baby quilts, once a year they have a baby shower and s o that&#039 ; s, I think give them back to the Charitable Union and they dispense with them. ES ; How do you think quilts can be preserved for the future? AR ; Well, by letting them breathe and not sealing them up where they can&#039 ; t breathe and maybe airing them once a year. Refolding them and keeping them so they don&#039 ; t get worn where they&#039 ; re folded. I guess that&#039 ; s it. ES ; And you do that to all your quilts? AR ; Well, usually, now I aired one yesterday because I hadn&#039 ; t had it out, but once a year maybe I&#039 ; ll string a line in the backyard and hang some outside for a while. ES ; And does that bring your neighbors over to talk about your quilts-- AR ; Well, all my neighbors work and our neighborhood has changed because I&#039 ; ve lived here so many years. They don&#039 ; t run over. ES ; What has happened to the quilts that you have made? For your friends and your family. AR ; Well, I made one specifically for a good friend of mine and her daughter got cancer and she passed away about four years ago. So the quilt I gave her, my friend passed it on to her son that had children. So it&#039 ; s continued being used and it&#039 ; s in her memory because I made it for her. So, it makes you feel good. ES ; Any other quilts that you&#039 ; ve given away that have a history or a story? AR ; No, I can&#039 ; t think, off hand. Oh, my cousin, Barb, when she lost her husband, she had some quilt tops that were unfinished and her husband&#039 ; s grandmother made them. So I had one of those finis hed and gave it back to her. She gave them to me. ES ; What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quilters today? AR ; I just don&#039 ; t think--there&#039 ; s always a lot to think about. There&#039 ; s so many designs. ER ; Tell me about the last quilt project that you worked on. AR ; I can&#039 ; t think, probably baby quilts. Probably for the Church and the guild. Other than, oh, when I went to camp and I made a purse and I like it. Turned out nice and everybody&#039 ; s is different. ES ; Do you use that purse a lot? AR ; Yes, I have. I&#039 ; ve already, yep. ES ; Will you make other purses? AR ; I got, I already got the fabric and I hope to make one soon. ES ; And will you give purses away as-- AR ; Yes. A gift? ES ; Gifts this year? AR ; I think so. ES ; Are there other crafts, projects and any other, any other type of art work that you participate in doing? AR ; Well, at camp one year we did the chenille jackets. And I enjoyed that class. ES ; Did you make any more chenille jackets? AR ; No, I didn&#039 ; t. And then I made this quilted tote to carry supplies back and forth. And then I made, one year went on a shop hop, and I made some table runners. I can&#039 ; t think. I got wall hangings t hat I&#039 ; ve made. ES ; Now do you make lots of gifts, quilts as gifts to friends. AR ; I have if I go away to Florida. This winter I made baked potato bags for my neighbors and then made pot holders and the year before last we had quilt classes down there. A lady from Pennsylvania. And we made a lot of small projects. It was fun. ES ; Anything else you would like to share with us, about your quilt experiences? AR ; Well, I can&#039 ; t. I&#039 ; ve made a lot of them. This here was a challenge. It was from camp. We start everything there, but then we finish it at home. ES ; And what is that called? AR ; Well, I think it was called Baker Bars. Baker Bars. ES ; Did you have that quilted? AR ; Yes, I did. ES ; Okay, Anne. Thank you for the interview. This has been Estella Spates interviewing Anne Rolfe at her home in Battle Creek. Today is May 18, [2009.] and the time is 2:35. 2016 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from the Quilt Alliance. 0 http://quiltalliance.net http://quiltalliance.org/projects/qsos/ Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Vicki Coody Mangum Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Anne Rolfe was interviewed as part of the South Central Michigan QSOS. She shares her experience making quilts for friends and family and how she learned to quilt. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MI49016-005 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Anne Rolfe http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/34602f9880929e355ade2507e6fcdc3f.jpg b17e6318d1c8c4d9f50bb980f0907be3 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/36aec577890749c7a74362d0ecacf25e.jpg 31b90d851fe92509838b94fc52d86bcc http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/9cd4fdbb59e1a38c4911dd4aa47ebaf7.jpg c8cdc6a793704e53a7e525cff99fad29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Quilt Festival QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Shelly Pagliai Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett Location The location of the interview Houston, Texas Transcriber Katie Demery OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=TX77010-037Barrett.xml Interview Format audio Interview Indexed Specifies if OHMS index has been completed [Yes/no] yes OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. <!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?--> <root><record id="00021263" dt="2017-05-24"><version>4</version><date format="yyyy-mm-dd">2011-11-04</date><date_nonpreferred_format></date_nonpreferred_format><cms_record_id></cms_record_id> <title>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett</title> <accession>TX77010-037Barrett</accession><duration></duration><collection_id></collection_id><collection_name>Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories</collection_name><series_id></series_id><series_name>The International Quilt Festival QSOS</series_name><repository>Quilt Alliance</repository><funding></funding><repository_url></repository_url><keyword>nature</keyword><keyword>Austin Area Quilt Guild</keyword><keyword>design process</keyword><keyword>technology in quiltmaking</keyword><interviewee>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett</interviewee><interviewer>Shelly Pagliali</interviewer><file_name></file_name><sync>1:|8(9)|19(3)|28(5)|41(10)|50(11)|66(8)|75(10)|85(8)|93(7)|101(6)|113(9)|123(10)|132(3)|140(11)|147(6)|158(1)|166(13)|172(3)|181(14)|190(5)|198(12)|204(10)|218(7)|223(6)|227(13)|238(6)|246(11)|253(14)|261(12)|269(9)|275(11)|286(3)|291(9)|297(10)</sync><sync_alt></sync_alt><transcript_alt_lang></transcript_alt_lang><translate>0</translate><media_id></media_id><media_url>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/TX77010-037Barrett-1.mp3</media_url><mediafile><host>Other</host><host_account_id></host_account_id><host_player_id></host_player_id><host_clip_id></host_clip_id><clip_format>audio</clip_format></mediafile><kembed></kembed><language></language><index><point><time>0</time> <title>Interview introduction</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>This is Shelly Pagliali, today's date is November 4th, 2011</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis></synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>International Quilt Festival</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>28</time> <title>Will you tell me about the quilt you brought today?</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I call this quilt 'Sing a New Song'. It features a large bird in the center that happened by accident.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Shelly Pagliali begins by asking Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett about the quilt she brought to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Barrett describes her quilt featuring a bird built out of pieces from an abandoned New York Beauty quilt project. She realized the partial blocks looked like bird feathers. The border is made scraps sold by a weaver from Taos, New Mexico.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>"Sing a New Song";arcs;border;fringed border;International Quilt Festival;New York;New York Beauty - quilt pattern;scraps;Taos, New Mexico</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps>29.7604, -95.3698</gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text>Site of the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas</gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-037_barrett_01.jpg</hyperlink><hyperlink_text>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett with her quilt, “Sing a New Song.”</hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>95</time> <title>Why did you choose to bring this quilt to the interview today?</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>This is one of the more recent ones I've made. It kind of represents the way my quilting is changing since I began. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett begins to explain why she decided to bring this quilt to the International Quilt Festival. She goes on to explain how the bird represents joy in nature to her.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>bird;country;Fabric - Batiks;freedom;Nature;repurposed fabric;symbolism</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-037_barrett_02.jpg</hyperlink><hyperlink_text>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett, “Sing a New Song,” detail showing bird constructed from New York Beauty blocks on a batik ground. </hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>162</time> <title>At what age did you start quiltmaking?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>Seriously, about the mid 1990's. I've always sewn.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains that she didn't start quilting until later in life. She did however, begin sewing as a child and continued into her teen and adult life.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>handwork;Learning quiltmaking;patchwork;quilt;quilting;sewing</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-037_barrett_05.jpg</hyperlink><hyperlink_text> Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett, “Sing a New Song,” detail.</hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>207</time> <title>Learning to quilt</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I took a class. I gave myself a class for my birthday one year. It was hand piecing very traditional blocks. I came home from the class and said 'I'm not going to do this'.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett explains how she gave herself classes one year for her birthday and she didn't think she would be able to be a serious quilter. She went on to explain how nature helped inspire her. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>blocks;fabric;hand piecing;Knowledge transfer;Learning quiltmaking;quilt;quilt making classes;traditional blocks</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-037_barrett_03.jpg</hyperlink><hyperlink_text>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett, “Sing a New Song,” detail showing how nature inspires her work. </hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>257</time> <title>How many hours a week do you quilt?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>Sometimes none. But a good week is when I can spend about four to five hours a day. I always do handwork at night.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett recounts how some weeks she doesn't spend any time making her quilts. But when she does, she spends a good four to five hours working. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>Design Wall;handwork;Home sewing machine;machine;Time management</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>293</time> <title>What art or quilt groups do you belong to?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I belong to the Austin [Texas] Area Quilt Guild and I have for a long time. I belong to a bee with a small group of women that meets on some frequency.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett lists the quilt groups she is a part of. She also says where they are based. In addition to guild membership, she participates in several quilting bees. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>Austin Area Quilt Guild (Austin, TX);Austin, Texas;Bastrop, Texas;Blockettes Quilt Bee (Austin, TX);International Quilt Association (IQA);Loose Threads Quilt Bee (Bastrop, TX);Quilt Guild;Texas quilting bee;The In Stitches Bee;The Night Bloomers Quilt Bee (Austin, TX)</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps>30.2672, -97.7431</gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text>Meeting site of the Austin Area Quilt Guild</gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>359</time> <title>Have advances in technology influenced your work? If so, how?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>To some extent, I've always been a gadget person. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how she has many rulers and a good sewing machine. She explains how she uses the computer software Electric Quilt in her design process. She has experimented with some new threads as well.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>computer;design process;Electric Quilt;home sewing machine;machine quilting;rulers;Technology in quiltmaking;threads</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>421</time> <title>What do you think makes a great quilt?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I've thought about that one for a long time. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains what makes a great quilt. She believes that good workmanship and a good visual impact are just a few things that play into making a great quilt.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>color;symmetry;visual;workmanship</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>530</time> <title>Which artists have influenced you?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I've been influenced by the artists that pioneered studies of color, like Jinny Beyer and Joen Wolfrom. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett describes how various quilt artists have influenced her own work. Barrett lists quilters who have inspired her throughout the years: Jinny Beyer, Joen Wolfram, Karen Stone, Sally Collins, Becky Goldsmith, Gabrielle Swain, and Caryl Bryer Fallert. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>artists;Becky Goldsmith;Caryl Bryer Fallert;detail;folk art;Gabrielle Swain;graphic themes;Jinny Beyer;Joen Wolfram;Karen Stone;precision piecing;precision work;Sally Collins</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>628</time> <title>What are your favorite techniques and materials?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I think people would say about me, I love precision piecing. I like folk art. I like wool appliqué. I love hand quilting. Those are my favorites.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains to Pagliali some of her favorite techniques when it comes to quilting.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>applique;Hand quilting;precision piecing;wool</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>661</time> <title>Why is quiltmaking important to your life?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>The first reason is how social it is. Most of my friends are involved in quiltmaking. Not all, but most. Without those friends, my life would be a lot emptier. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how her life would feel somewhat empty without quilting. She also explains how it has brought important friendships into her life.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>artist;artistic;expressive;quilt making;Social quiltmaking activities</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>738</time> <title>What aspects of quiltmaking do you not enjoy?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I hate to baste a quilt [laughing.] </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett begins to explain a few things she doesn't particularly like about quilting, or things she finds difficult. She has trouble imagining the entire piece as a whole. She mentions the aspects of quiltmaking, including machine quilting, that she finds frustrating. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>baste;design process;fabric;machine quilting;piece;project;shopping for fabric;visualize</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>811</time> <title>Describe your studio/the place that you create.;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I'm lucky to have my own space. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains what her work space looks like. She seems to feel lucky to have such a beautiful studio. She walks Pagliali through the various furnishings and features of the space. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>cutting table;design wall;fabric;fabric stash;home sewing machine;work or studio space</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>927</time> <title>Do you use a design wall? If so, in what way/how does that enhance your creative process? If not, how do you go about designing your quilts?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>It's absolutely essential. I use it all the time. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how and why a design wall is essential to creating a quilt. She thinks it helps her see the whole project. The wall is moveable and easily dismantled. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>blocks;cut;cutting table;Design process;Design Wall;fabric;fleece;insulation boards</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1001</time> <title>How do you feel about machine quilting vs. hand quilting? What about long-arm quilting?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I think they're both wonderful. I enjoy hand quilting more than machine quilting.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how she enjoys hand quilting more than machine quilting. Although she believes both are wonderful. She thinks the influx of machine quilting has enabled people to finish quilts were more ease, resulting in more completed quilts. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>design;Hand quilting;Long arm quilters;Machine quilting</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1105</time> <title>Are there other quiltmakers among your family or friends? Please tell me about them.;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>Yes, my sister quilts. My mother quilts. I'm trying to get some of my nieces to quilt. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how her sister and mother are quilters just like she is. She admits to trying to convert people into quilting, including her nieces. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>family;mother;sister</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1155</time> <title>Impact of quilting on her family</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>No. I think that for me and my husband, we each have hobbies we're very involved in. That's good in a marriage, to have individual pursuits.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how having different interests in marriage are good for it. Her quilting doesn't have a negative impact on her marriage. Her husband also has hobbies for which he has passion. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>hobbies;mother;nieces;sister</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1215</time> <title>Tell me if you have ever used quilts to get through a difficult time?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>Yes I have. The first time I remember is after my younger brother died in 1998.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how quilting has helped her get through some difficult times in her life, including the death of her brother and a recent wildfire. By sewing for others, she has been able to heal following tragedies.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>Bastrop County,Texas;desire;healing;Mourning/Grief;Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation;Quilt Purpose – Charity;Quilt Purpose – Mourning;quilts;Quilts as gifts;sew;sewing</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps>30.0459, -97.3517 </gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text>Bastrop County, Texas</gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1379</time> <title>In what ways do your quilts reflect your community or region?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>Not specifically. I don't set out to make a Texas quilt. I do tend to make a lot of quilts about trees.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains that she doesn't specifically make quilts based off of her community. She really makes them based off of her interests, including nature. She describes several quilts she has made with nature motifs including trees and leaves.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>background;International Quilt Association (IQA);International Quilt Festival;nature;quilt;Quilt shows/exhibitions;quilted;Texas</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink>http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-037_barrett_04.jpg</hyperlink><hyperlink_text>Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett, “Sing a New Song,” detail, showing a leaf motif in the quilting stitches.</hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1514</time> <title>On her fabric choices</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I think that it's interesting, and a lot of other people have commented on it that you've used the woven scraps around the edge of this quilt. Do you use materials like that a lot or do you mainly stick with cotton?</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett talks about the fabrics she likes to use when quilt making. She prefers cotton, but has experimented with silk.</synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>block;cotton;cut;grain;quilt;silk;texture;threads</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1593</time> <title>What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or special collection?</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>I think museums serve a role to capture the major things happening at a time period. They are a historical tool.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how quilts play an important role in our history. And with museums displaying them, we get to experience that history. She thinks it is appropriate for museums to collect quilts. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>artists;collecting;museums;Quilt history</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1643</time> <title>In what ways do you think quilts have special meaning for women's history in America?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>There's a lot written about how quilts have reflected the times that women have lived through.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how she sees a lot of history when she looks at a quilt, but she prefers to express herself in a quilt rather than tell a story about a past event. She does not like sad quilts, but wants quilts to express joy, rather than sorrow. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>evolution;historical;Quilt history;Quilt Purpose – Personal expression;quilts;story;women</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1767</time> <title>What do you think someone viewing your quilt might conclude about you?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>On the surface level, they would see what a lot of people see when they first meet me, that I'm kind of meticulous and I pay a lot of attention to detail. I think that if they had never met me, they might say some things that would be different. </partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett goes on to explain the kind of person she is: meticulous. She tells Pagliali what she hopes people would be able to tell about her when looking at one of her quilts. She thinks her quilts reveal aspects of her personality that some may not see on the surface, but are expressed through quiltmaking. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>adventurous;color;meticulous;nature;passion;Quilt Purpose – personal expression;quilters;quilting</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point><point><time>1899</time> <title>What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today?;</title> <title_alt></title_alt><partial_transcript>For me, it's been finding my own voice and my own style. There is so much diversity in quilting. You go to a major show like this and you're overwhelmed with the talent that you see. You think you can never do it.</partial_transcript><partial_transcript_alt></partial_transcript_alt><synopsis>Barrett explains how the most difficult thing for her is trying to find her own voice and style when creating a quilt. It's challenging to have a voice but if you keep working at it you can find it. She encourages quiltmakers to take chances with their work in order to develop their own personal style. </synopsis><synopsis_alt></synopsis_alt><keywords>artist;challenge;diversity;nature;nature designs;organic design;pieces;quilt;Quilt shows/exhibitions;quilting;style;talent;work</keywords><keywords_alt></keywords_alt><subjects></subjects><subjects_alt></subjects_alt><gps></gps><gps_zoom>17</gps_zoom><gps_text></gps_text><gps_text_alt></gps_text_alt><hyperlink></hyperlink><hyperlink_text></hyperlink_text><hyperlink_text_alt></hyperlink_text_alt></point></index><type>Oral History</type><description>Barbara Barrett is a quilter in Basrop, Texas who began quilting in the mid 1990s. She's known how to sew since a young age, and moved to quilting when she took a class. She is an active member of many groups and guilds including the Austin Area Quilt Guild, the Night Bloomers Quilt Bee, the Blockettes Quilt Bee, Loose Threads Quilt Bee and the In Stitches Bee. She also is amember of the International Quilt Association (IQA).</description><rel></rel><transcript>Shelly Pagliali (SP): Barbara, will you tell me about the quilt you brought today? Barbara Barrett (BB): I call this quilt 'Sing a New Song’. It features a large bird in the center that happened by accident. A few years ago, I thought I wanted to make a New York beauty quilt. I got started on all of the arcs that takes and soon decided that I really didn’t want to finish that. They sat around for a while on the table and one day they started to look like feathers to me. I put them up on the design wall and a bird came out. I decided he was pretty enough to pretty much stand on his own with a few friends and a little suggestion of nature. The border is interesting. It’s made of scraps from a weaver from Taos, New Mexico. She makes garments and sells her scrap bags here at festival. I picked up a couple last year and turned them into a fringed border. It’s one of my favorite parts. SP: Why did you choose to bring this quilt to the interview today? BB: This is one of the more recent ones I’ve made. It kind of represents the way my quilting is changing since I began. My quilting is getting to be more free in design. I think the quilt represents a joy in nature. We’ve recently moved to the country, so I have nature all around me. I’m more aware of it. I like that it used old things and repurposed them. That made it special for me. It also represents freedom. The bird is having a good time flying in the beautiful batik sky. SP: At what age did you start quiltmaking? BB: Seriously, about the mid 1990’s. I’ve always sewn. I do know as a little girl, my next door neighbor friend and I one summer sewed probably about 100 yards of patchwork, maybe two feet wide. It seemed like miles of it at the time. Then I went on to other sorts of hand work. I found those recently and gave them to her for Christmas and we made a quilt out of them the next year. I didn’t start really seriously quilting until about 20 years ago. SP: Did someone teach you or did you learn on your own like that? BB: I took a class. I gave myself a class for my birthday one year. It was hand piecing very traditional blocks. I came home from the class and said 'I’m not going to do this’. Then my parents came to visit once. My mom and I walked outside and it was spring. There were daffodils coming up in the yard and I looked back at the house and I said 'I could make a quilt out of that’. I went back to the shop and bought all of the fabric for that quilt. I put my house in the middle with some flower blocks around it. That was enough to get me hooked and I haven’t looked back. Now it’s my main passion. SP: How many hours a week do you spend on your quiltmaking? BB: Sometimes none. But a good week is when I can spend about four to five hours a day. I always do handwork at night. Every day I’m doing something, but during the day I’m at the machine or the design wall. A good day would be four to five hours. Some weeks go by where that doesn’t happen. SP: Do you belong to any art groups or quilting groups? BB: I belong to the Austin [Texas] Area Quilt Guild and I have for a long time. I belong to a bee with a small group of women that meets on some frequency. For us, it’s a month. I belong to the Night Bloomers Quilt Bee [Austin, Texas]. I belong to the Blockettes Quilt Bee, which is a block exchange group [ Austin, Texas]. [inaudible.] About six years ago I moved to Bastrop [Texas] from Austin [Texas]. I belong to the Loose Threads Quilt Bee [Bastrop, Texas] and to the In Stitches Bee [Bastrop, Texas]. I think that’s all. SP: Do advances in -- BB: - and IQA. I belong to IQA [International Quilt Association]. SP: Have advances in technology influenced your work? BB: To some extent, I’ve always been a gadget person. I must own about 40 rulers. I did invest in a good sewing machine. I would love to invest in something to make machine quilting better. Someday I will. That’s an advancement that I haven’t taken advantage of yet. On the computer, I have Electric Quilt 6 and use it sometimes for portions of the design of a quilt, and of course using the computer to communicate, for online research, and even lessons and things like that. It’s been a great tool. I’m also trying new threads, which I think have been made better for quilting. SP: What do you think makes a great quilt? BB: I’ve thought about that one for a long time. At the basic, you have to have excellent workmanship. That’s a given. And visual impact. Without that, it’s not a great quilt. Beyond that, I think it needs to have a unique or fresh view. I got to thinking because music has been a big part of my life too, how you’ll be in the car and hear a song and some songs you just listen to and others you start singing to. As soon as you start singing, your whole mood lifts up and you feel like you’ve been given a gift. Singing that song makes you joyful inside. I think a great quilt triggers a similar response in you. That’s hard to quantify, but you walk by and wonder 'How did she do that? What made her think of that?' It’s a fresh approach, a fresh view. Then there are things that make a great quilt to me. It always has to have wonderful color. I don’t think that’s necessarily true for everyone. For me, I love color. I love symmetry. I love organic things and designs, but those three are more personal. SP: Are there any artists or quiltmakers works that you are particularly drawn to or that influence you in particular? BB: I’ve been influenced by the artists that pioneered studies of color, like Jinny Beyer and Joen Wolfrom. [loud noise in background.] I’ve always admired Sally Collins’ attention to detail and her precision work. I love Gabrielle Swain’s organic, nature-inspired graphic themes. I love Karen Stone’s precision piecing and her idea that every block should be beautiful on its own. I like folk art, so Becky Goldsmith has been an influence. Those are ones that come to mind. SP: What’s your favorite -- BB:- [inaudible name-Ruth McDowell?] because of her organic, nature, joyful, simple creations. Her work makes you wonder 'How’d she do that? What made her think of that?'. SP: What’s your favorite technique? BB: I think people would say about me, I love precision piecing. I like folk art. I like wool appliqué. I love hand quilting. Those are my favorites. SP: Why is quiltmaking in your life? BB: The first reason is how social it is. Most of my friends are involved in quiltmaking. Not all, but most. Without those friends, my life would be a lot emptier. The social aspect of quilting and sharing it with friends is super important to me. I guess the second thing would be that it lets me be an artist, or at least be artistic. I think that’s in everybody to some extent, but its hard to express with all of the pressures we have today. People don’t think of themselves as artistic, and with quilting anyone can be expressive to some extent. It gives me that. SP: Are there any aspects of quilting that you don’t particularly enjoy? BB: I hate to baste a quilt [laughing.] Starting a new project is hard. When I’m into it, I’m in the swing of it. Getting off the paper and into the fabric is sometimes hard. Making the commitment to the design is sometimes hard. I think part of that is being trained to visualize the entire piece. I’m trying to un-train myself, to look at individual elements and let them tell you what to do next. I enjoy quilting. Machine quilting is difficult. I’m getting better, but it’s still a challenge and sometimes frustrating. But I pretty much enjoy all aspects of it, starting with buying the fabric. SP: Describe your studio or your work space. BB: I’m lucky to have my own space. It’s a 20’ by 20’ foot room. It’s got a smooth, easy to use floor. I have a fireplace at one end with two rocking chairs. I have my computer in a corner and a tv in another corner. My sewing machine is in the center with an ironing board at an L to the side. I have a large cutting table with usually too much stuff on it to cut anything out. I have a big design wall. I have a wall of plastic shelving bins that I store all of my fabric in by color. I have tall ceilings, 10’. Pretty high up above the fabric storage I have a clothes rack that runs 20’ feet long. I hang my quilts on that above my fabric storage, so I can see them. There’s a shelf above that. I collect wooden shelf-sitter animals of all funky types and they’re sitting up there looking down at me. I have a door onto a screened in porch that looks out into the back of the property. It’s very nice and I’m very lucky to have it. SP: Do you think that having the design wall helps a lot with your creative process? BB: It’s absolutely essential. I use it all the time. I use it even before I’ve cut out the fabric to put things up to see how the colors look. I try to keep most of it available, unlike my cutting table which is almost always unavailable. I put notices along the side, but I try to keep about six by eight feet always open. I put up all of my blocks. I use it constantly. I don’t know how anybody could see their project well without one. It’s a simple design wall. It’s not permanent. I covered two insulation boards with fleece fabric and leaned them up against the wall. It can be taken down or moved if I have to. SP: How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? BB: I think they’re both wonderful. I enjoy hand quilting more than machine quilting. I think machine quilting has changed the art form on two levels. One, it has changed the type of quilting that people do and made quilting take off in a new direction, more intricate and certainly more intense and part of the design. Another thing is, it’s helped people finish quilts. I hand quilt some quilts, I machine quilt some quilts, and I send some of my quilts to a good long arm quilter. There’s a role for each of those in your life and it’s great to have that much choice. I use what makes sense and I think without machine quilting, a lot fewer quilts would be made. It’s put it into people’s hands. It’s made it more achievable. Because of that, there are more quilts. I think that’s great. SP: Are there other quiltmakers in your family? BB: Yes, my sister quilts. My mother quilts. I’m trying to get some of my nieces to quilt. They have taken to it. One, who is an adult, makes some quilts. She has a baby so not as many. The others that are in school have all tried their hand in it from time to time. We’re always trying to convert people to quilting. SP: So your habit of quilting doesn’t impact your family in a negative way? BB: No. I think that for me and my husband, we each have hobbies we’re very involved in. That’s good in a marriage, to have individual pursuits. Then to come together at the end of the day and be able to share it. I love sharing it with my mother and sister. It’s fun to get my nieces involved. It’s been nothing but good, I would say. SP: Have you ever used quilting to get through a difficult time? BB: Yes I have. The first time I remember is after my younger brother died in 1998. I made quilts for his four daughters out of his t-shirts and neckties. That was very healing. They love having something of his to cuddle with. We recently had a big wildfire in Bastrop County [Texas], where I live. It took me awhile to want to sew again. But it was through deciding to sew things for other people in my community that I could enjoy sewing again. That was very healing. I think from everyone I've talked to, and me too, when a tragedy happens, it takes away your desire to quilt for a while, for whatever reason. Usually, the first steps out involve doing something for another person with your quilting. That gives you some purpose in what you're doing, while reawakening the passion you have still hidden in you for it. Then you're back in the groove and can go on from there. SP: Have you ever taken any really long breaks from your quilting? BB: No more than a few months. SP: You mentioned making things for people in your community. Was it quilts or quilted items after the fire or other projects? BB: Sometimes. Right now I'm making a quilt for a firefighter who lost his home. I'm making some placemats for the people who loaned us a place to live. SP: Do any of your quilts reflect your community or where you live? BB: Not specifically. I don't set out to make a Texas quilt. I do tend to make a lot of quilts about trees. I've always loved leaves and the look of forests. Several of my quilts that I think are some of my favorite quilts explore that. I find myself more and more focusing on elements of nature to be expressed somehow in my quilts. I recently made a quilt for one of my nieces that was a garden quilt and had a path going off in the distance. I've made a quilt with trees, called The Forest and The Trees. This one has a lot of leaves quilted in the background. It has the birds and the branches. I've had two quilts in the IQA Show here. They were both nature oriented. I've made a tree quilt for another niece. I find myself drawn to those subjects quite a bit lately. SP: I think that it's interesting, and a lot of other people have commented on it that you've used the woven scraps around the edge of this quilt. Do you use materials like that a lot or do you mainly stick with cotton? BB: I mainly stick with cotton. That was a new experiment for me. When I saw them and touched them, I knew I had to do something with them that could be touched. Color and texture is what turns me on about a quilt. I have done some work in silk, which is beautiful. I learned the hard way some of the lessons about silk. The first block I ever made of silk literally dissolved into a puddle of threads in my lap because I didn’t know how to use the grain to cut in the right direction. It just fell apart on me. Silk is beautiful, but I mostly deal with cottons. SP: What do you think makes a quilt appropriate for museum or a special collection? BB: I think museums serve a role to capture the major things happening at a time period. They are a historical tool. I think collecting well-known artists is an appropriate focus for museums, especially now when there is so much to choose from. SP: How do you think that quilts have special meaning for women’s history in America? BB: There’s a lot written about how quilts have reflected the times that women have lived through. For me, it’s a story of evolution and that’s what makes quilting so exciting, that it does change. It’s always been a way for women to express themselves separate from what they do everyday and to give a voice to what is inside of them. A lot of people in the past have used it to comment on history. That’s never been a big thing for me. Quilts are more emotional to me, rather than historical or documentary. I really don’t like sad quilts. I don’t like quilts that capture a sad event. Quilts should make you feel good. There are enough other ways to remember the tragic events in our life. I think that quilts are to remember the happy things and to bring joy to the people that see them. I’m not personally one to use them to document my times. I’m using them as an expression. SP: Is there anything else you’d like to add to your story before we conclude? What do you think someone viewing the quilt you brought today might conclude about you? BB: On the surface level, they would see what a lot of people see when they first meet me, that I’m kind of meticulous and I pay a lot of attention to detail. I think that if they had never met me, they might say some things that would be different. They don’t know me at all, but they would look at this quilt and they would say, 'That person is adventurous. That person has a lot of passion and joy for color and living things. That person takes chances.' People that meet me on a different level, in a different context, might not ever say that, because I think that I am usually thought of as a pretty quiet and reserved person. Yet those things are inside. People that know me a long time know they’re there, but quilting gives me a way to express those things. I think that a really healthy thing that other quilters can do with their work, is let it show what they know is inside but may not be so obvious. SP: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BB: For me, it’s been finding my own voice and my own style. There is so much diversity in quilting. You go to a major show like this and you’re overwhelmed with the talent that you see. You think you can never do it. I hear so many people walking the show saying 'Well I’m not going to make another quilt again. I could never be this good.' But there’s some artist in everybody. If you quilt everyday, you get a daily dose of beauty and it can’t help but let you free yourself to take more chances. I think that’s what pulls people more than anything, is letting themselves take chances with their work, not knowing where it’s going to end up. They may feel like they are uncomfortable or don’t have a sense of style. I struggle with that. I’m going to try to focus on smaller pieces and let them grow a little bit more on their own and a little bit less under the control of my brain. I admire organic design and nature designs and I think nature is a pretty strong force, a pretty strong power. You can’t control it. Maybe opening yourself up by tackling smaller things and letting them tell you what they want to be. It’s a challenge to find your own voice and to feel like you can do it. SP: I’d like to thank Barbara for allowing me to interview her today for the Quilters’ S.O.S. Save Our Stories. Our interview concluded at 4:27 pm. </transcript><transcript_alt></transcript_alt><rights>2015 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved.</rights><fmt>audio</fmt><usage></usage><userestrict>0</userestrict><xmllocation></xmllocation><xmlfilename></xmlfilename><collection_link></collection_link><series_link></series_link><translate>0</translate></record></root> Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Lisa Ellis Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound **This transcript was created by QSOS volunteers and was reviewed and, in some cases, edited by the interviewee. It may not exactly match the audio recording. For citations and interview quotations, please refer to the audio-recorded interview.** <strong>This transcript was created by QSOS volunteers and was reviewed and, in some cases, edited by the interviewee. It may not exactly match the audio recording. For citations and interview quotations, please refer to the audio-recorded interview.</strong><br />Shelly Pagliali (SP): Barbara, will you tell me about the quilt you brought today? Barbara Barrett (BB): I call this quilt 'Sing a New Song'. It features a large bird in the center that happened by accident. A few years ago, I thought I wanted to make a New York beauty quilt. I got started on all of the arcs that takes and soon decided that I really didn't want to finish that. They sat around for a while on the table and one day they started to look like feathers to me. I put them up on the design wall and a bird came out. I decided he was pretty enough to pretty much stand on his own with a few friends and a little suggestion of nature. The border is interesting. It's made of scraps from a weaver from Taos, New Mexico. She makes garments and sells her scrap bags here at festival. I picked up a couple last year and turned them into a fringed border. It's one of my favorite parts. SP: Why did you choose to bring this quilt to the interview today? BB: This is one of the more recent ones I've made. It kind of represents the way my quilting is changing since I began. My quilting is getting to be more free in design. I think the quilt represents a joy in nature. We've recently moved to the country, so I have nature all around me. I'm more aware of it. I like that it used old things and repurposed them. That made it special for me. It also represents freedom. The bird is having a good time flying in the beautiful batik sky. SP: At what age did you start quiltmaking? BB: Seriously, about the mid 1990's. I've always sewn. I do know as a little girl, my next door neighbor friend and I one summer sewed probably about 100 yards of patchwork, maybe two feet wide. It seemed like miles of it at the time. Then I went on to other sorts of handwork. I found those recently and gave them to her for Christmas and we made a quilt out of them the next year. I didn't start really seriously quilting until about 20 years ago. SP: Did someone teach you or did you learn on your own like that? BB: I took a class. I gave myself a class for my birthday one year. It was hand piecing very traditional blocks. I came home from the class and said 'I'm not going to do this'. Then my parents came to visit once. My mom and I walked outside and it was spring. There were daffodils coming up in the yard and I looked back at the house and I said 'I could make a quilt out of that'. I went back to the shop and bought all of the fabric for that quilt. I put my house in the middle with some flower blocks around it. That was enough to get me hooked and I haven't looked back. Now it's my main passion. SP: How many hours a week do you spend on your quiltmaking? BB: Sometimes none. But a good week is when I can spend about four to five hours a day. I always do handwork at night. Every day I'm doing something, but during the day I'm at the machine or the design wall. A good day would be four to five hours. Some weeks go by where that doesn't happen. SP: Do you belong to any art groups or quilting groups? BB: I belong to the Austin [Texas] Area Quilt Guild and I have for a long time. I belong to a bee with a small group of women that meets on some frequency. For us, it's a month. I belong to the Night Bloomers Quilt Bee [Austin, Texas]. I belong to the Blockettes Quilt Bee, which is a block exchange group [ Austin, Texas]. [inaudible.] About six years ago I moved to Bastrop [Texas] from Austin [Texas]. I belong to the Loose Threads Quilt Bee [Bastrop, Texas] and to the In Stitches Bee [Bastrop, Texas]. I think that's all. SP: Do advances in – BB: - and IQA. I belong to IQA [International Quilt Association]. SP: Have advances in technology influenced your work? BB: To some extent, I've always been a gadget person. I must own about 40 rulers. I did invest in a good sewing machine. I would love to invest in something to make machine quilting better. Someday I will. That's an advancement that I haven't taken advantage of yet. On the computer, I have Electric Quilt 6 and use it sometimes for portions of the design of a quilt, and of course using the computer to communicate, for online research, and even lessons and things like that. It's been a great tool. I'm also trying new threads, which I think have been made better for quilting. SP: What do you think makes a great quilt? BB: I've thought about that one for a long time. At the basic, you have to have excellent workmanship. That's a given. And visual impact. Without that, it's not a great quilt. Beyond that, I think it needs to have a unique or fresh view. I got to thinking because music has been a big part of my life too, how you'll be in the car and hear a song and some songs you just listen to and others you start singing to. As soon as you start singing, your whole mood lifts up and you feel like you've been given a gift. Singing that song makes you joyful inside. I think a great quilt triggers a similar response in you. That's hard to quantify, but you walk by and wonder 'How did she do that? What made her think of that?' It's a fresh approach, a fresh view. Then there are things that make a great quilt to me. It always has to have wonderful color. I don't think that's necessarily true for everyone. For me, I love color. I love symmetry. I love organic things and designs, but those three are more personal. SP: Are there any artists or quiltmakers works that you are particularly drawn to or that influence you in particular? BB: I've been influenced by the artists that pioneered studies of color, like Jinny Beyer and Joen Wolfrom. [loud noise in background.] I've always admired Sally Collins' attention to detail and her precision work. I love Gabrielle Swain's organic, nature-inspired graphic themes. I love Karen Stone's precision piecing and her idea that every block should be beautiful on its own. I like folk art, so Becky Goldsmith has been an influence. Those are ones that come to mind. SP: What's your favorite – BB:- [inaudible name-Ruth McDowell?] because of her organic, nature, joyful, simple creations. Her work makes you wonder 'How'd she do that? What made her think of that?'. SP: What's your favorite technique? BB: I think people would say about me, I love precision piecing. I like folk art. I like wool appliqué. I love hand quilting. Those are my favorites. SP: Why is quiltmaking in your life? BB: The first reason is how social it is. Most of my friends are involved in quiltmaking. Not all, but most. Without those friends, my life would be a lot emptier. The social aspect of quilting and sharing it with friends is super important to me. I guess the second thing would be that it lets me be an artist, or at least be artistic. I think that's in everybody to some extent, but its hard to express with all of the pressures we have today. People don't think of themselves as artistic, and with quilting anyone can be expressive to some extent. It gives me that. SP: Are there any aspects of quilting that you don't particularly enjoy? BB: I hate to baste a quilt [laughing.] Starting a new project is hard. When I'm into it, I'm in the swing of it. Getting off the paper and into the fabric is sometimes hard. Making the commitment to the design is sometimes hard. I think part of that is being trained to visualize the entire piece. I'm trying to un-train myself, to look at individual elements and let them tell you what to do next. I enjoy quilting. Machine quilting is difficult. I'm getting better, but it's still a challenge and sometimes frustrating. But I pretty much enjoy all aspects of it, starting with buying the fabric. SP: Describe your studio or your work space. BB: I'm lucky to have my own space. It's a 20' by 20' foot room. It's got a smooth, easy to use floor. I have a fireplace at one end with two rocking chairs. I have my computer in a corner and a tv in another corner. My sewing machine is in the center with an ironing board at an L to the side. I have a large cutting table with usually too much stuff on it to cut anything out. I have a big design wall. I have a wall of plastic shelving bins that I store all of my fabric in by color. I have tall ceilings, 10'. Pretty high up above the fabric storage I have a clothes rack that runs 20' feet long. I hang my quilts on that above my fabric storage, so I can see them. There's a shelf above that. I collect wooden shelf-sitter animals of all funky types and they're sitting up there looking down at me. I have a door onto a screened in porch that looks out into the back of the property. It's very nice and I'm very lucky to have it. SP: Do you think that having the design wall helps a lot with your creative process? BB: It's absolutely essential. I use it all the time. I use it even before I've cut out the fabric to put things up to see how the colors look. I try to keep most of it available, unlike my cutting table which is almost always unavailable. I put notices along the side, but I try to keep about six by eight feet always open. I put up all of my blocks. I use it constantly. I don't know how anybody could see their project well without one. It's a simple design wall. It's not permanent. I covered two insulation boards with fleece fabric and leaned them up against the wall. It can be taken down or moved if I have to. SP: How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? BB: I think they're both wonderful. I enjoy hand quilting more than machine quilting. I think machine quilting has changed the art form on two levels. One, it has changed the type of quilting that people do and made quilting take off in a new direction, more intricate and certainly more intense and part of the design. Another thing is, it's helped people finish quilts. I hand quilt some quilts, I machine quilt some quilts, and I send some of my quilts to a good long arm quilter. There's a role for each of those in your life and it's great to have that much choice. I use what makes sense and I think without machine quilting, a lot fewer quilts would be made. It's put it into people's hands. It's made it more achievable. Because of that, there are more quilts. I think that's great. SP: Are there other quiltmakers in your family? BB: Yes, my sister quilts. My mother quilts. I'm trying to get some of my nieces to quilt. They have taken to it. One, who is an adult, makes some quilts. She has a baby so not as many. The others that are in school have all tried their hand in it from time to time. We're always trying to convert people to quilting. SP: So your habit of quilting doesn't impact your family in a negative way? BB: No. I think that for me and my husband, we each have hobbies we're very involved in. That's good in a marriage, to have individual pursuits. Then to come together at the end of the day and be able to share it. I love sharing it with my mother and sister. It's fun to get my nieces involved. It's been nothing but good, I would say. SP: Have you ever used quilting to get through a difficult time? BB: Yes I have. The first time I remember is after my younger brother died in 1998. I made quilts for his four daughters out of his t-shirts and neckties. That was very healing. They love having something of his to cuddle with. We recently had a big wildfire in Bastrop County [Texas], where I live. It took me awhile to want to sew again. But it was through deciding to sew things for other people in my community that I could enjoy sewing again. That was very healing. I think from everyone I've talked to, and me too, when a tragedy happens, it takes away your desire to quilt for a while, for whatever reason. Usually, the first steps out involve doing something for another person with your quilting. That gives you some purpose in what you're doing, while reawakening the passion you have still hidden in you for it. Then you're back in the groove and can go on from there. SP: Have you ever taken any really long breaks from your quilting? BB: No more than a few months. SP: You mentioned making things for people in your community. Was it quilts or quilted items after the fire or other projects? BB: Sometimes. Right now I'm making a quilt for a firefighter who lost his home. I'm making some placemats for the people who loaned us a place to live. SP: Do any of your quilts reflect your community or where you live? BB: Not specifically. I don't set out to make a Texas quilt. I do tend to make a lot of quilts about trees. I've always loved leaves and the look of forests. Several of my quilts that I think are some of my favorite quilts explore that. I find myself more and more focusing on elements of nature to be expressed somehow in my quilts. I recently made a quilt for one of my nieces that was a garden quilt and had a path going off in the distance. I've made a quilt with trees, called The Forest and The Trees. This one has a lot of leaves quilted in the background. It has the birds and the branches. I've had two quilts in the IQA Show here. They were both nature oriented. I've made a tree quilt for another niece. I find myself drawn to those subjects quite a bit lately. SP: I think that it's interesting, and a lot of other people have commented on it that you've used the woven scraps around the edge of this quilt. Do you use materials like that a lot or do you mainly stick with cotton? BB: I mainly stick with cotton. That was a new experiment for me. When I saw them and touched them, I knew I had to do something with them that could be touched. Color and texture is what turns me on about a quilt. I have done some work in silk, which is beautiful. I learned the hard way some of the lessons about silk. The first block I ever made of silk literally dissolved into a puddle of threads in my lap because I didn't know how to use the grain to cut in the right direction. It just fell apart on me. Silk is beautiful, but I mostly deal with cottons. SP: What do you think makes a quilt appropriate for museum or a special collection? BB: I think museums serve a role to capture the major things happening at a time period. They are a historical tool. I think collecting well-known artists is an appropriate focus for museums, especially now when there is so much to choose from. SP: How do you think that quilts have special meaning for women's history in America? BB: There's a lot written about how quilts have reflected the times that women have lived through. For me, it's a story of evolution and that's what makes quilting so exciting, that it does change. It's always been a way for women to express themselves separate from what they do everyday and to give a voice to what is inside of them. A lot of people in the past have used it to comment on history. That's never been a big thing for me. Quilts are more emotional to me, rather than historical or documentary. I really don't like sad quilts. I don't like quilts that capture a sad event. Quilts should make you feel good. There are enough other ways to remember the tragic events in our life. I think that quilts are to remember the happy things and to bring joy to the people that see them. I'm not personally one to use them to document my times. I'm using them as an expression. SP: Is there anything else you'd like to add to your story before we conclude? What do you think someone viewing the quilt you brought today might conclude about you? BB: On the surface level, they would see what a lot of people see when they first meet me, that I'm kind of meticulous and I pay a lot of attention to detail. I think that if they had never met me, they might say some things that would be different. They don't know me at all, but they would look at this quilt and they would say, 'That person is adventurous. That person has a lot of passion and joy for color and living things. That person takes chances.' People that meet me on a different level, in a different context, might not ever say that, because I think that I am usually thought of as a pretty quiet and reserved person. Yet those things are inside. People that know me a long time know they're there, but quilting gives me a way to express those things. I think that a really healthy thing that other quilters can do with their work, is let it show what they know is inside but may not be so obvious. SP: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BB: For me, it's been finding my own voice and my own style. There is so much diversity in quilting. You go to a major show like this and you're overwhelmed with the talent that you see. You think you can never do it. I hear so many people walking the show saying 'Well I'm not going to make another quilt again. I could never be this good.' But there's some artist in everybody. If you quilt everyday, you get a daily dose of beauty and it can't help but let you free yourself to take more chances. I think that's what pulls people more than anything, is letting themselves take chances with their work, not knowing where it's going to end up. They may feel like they are uncomfortable or don't have a sense of style. I struggle with that. I'm going to try to focus on smaller pieces and let them grow a little bit more on their own and a little bit less under the control of my brain. I admire organic design and nature designs and I think nature is a pretty strong force, a pretty strong power. You can't control it. Maybe opening yourself up by tackling smaller things and letting them tell you what they want to be. It's a challenge to find your own voice and to feel like you can do it. SP: I'd like to thank Barbara for allowing me to interview her today for the Quilters' S.O.S. Save Our Stories. Our interview concluded at 4:27 pm. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 4, 2011 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Melanie Grear Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context TX77010-037 Description An account of the resource Barbara Barrett is a quilter in Bastrop, Texas who began quilting in the mid 1990s. She's known how to sew since a young age, and moved to quilting when she took a class. She is an active member of many groups and guilds including the Austin Area Quilt Guild, the Night Bloomers Quilt Bee, the Blockettes Quilt Bee, Loose Threads Quilt Bee and the In Stitches Bee. She also is a member of the International Quilt Association (IQA). Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Barbara Ann Bauer Barrett Austin Area Quilt Guild Becky Goldsmith Blockettes Quilt Bee blocks design wall guilds In Stitches Bee International Quilt Association (IQA) Karen Stone Loose Threads Quilt Bee Night Bloomers Quilt Bee pictorial quilts quiltmaking classes Sally Collins social quiltmaking activities Technology in quiltmaking http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/d72b387f3163c0a7ba1e7f76fafe5ce6.jpg 2e28be45e3c0223742fb01554f2f1389 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kansas QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Barbara Brackman Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Meg Cox Transcriber Eleanor Wilkinson Interview Format audio Location The location of the interview Moda Fabrics Headquarters, Dallas, Texas Interview Indexed Specifies if OHMS index has been completed [Yes/no] Yes Interview Date 3/5/2011 OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=KS66049-001Brackman.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. <!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?--> 5 Barbara Brackman KS66049-001Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our StoriesKansas QSOSQuilt Alliancereproduction fabricsantique quiltsKansas City Star PatternsSun Sets on Sunbonnet SueBarbara BrackmanMeg Cox1:|8(10)|20(12)|39(5)|53(3)|65(10)|79(4)|93(2)|103(10)|119(10)|138(4)|153(2)|172(7)|184(6)|194(12)|210(7)|222(10)|237(5)|253(4)|264(13)|277(9)|290(13)|305(18)|325(3)|337(8)|350(15)|361(13)|374(6)|386(12)|401(7)|415(14)|433(1)|445(4)|459(12)|474(11)|487(12)|500(1)|516(5)|527(14)|541(3)|552(3)|564(4)|579(1)|597(10)|609(7)|620(12)0http://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/KS66049-001Brackman.mp3Otheraudio0 Introduction This is Meg Cox and I am doing a Quilters' S.O.S. Save our Stories interview with Barbara Brackman. We are at the Moda Fabric's Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The date is March 5, 2011 and the time is 9:32 a.m. The interviewer, Meg Cox introduces herself and shares what project is doing this interview for. The interviewer begins a discussion with Barbara Brackman.Dallas, Texas;Moda Fabric's Headquarters;Quilters's Save our Stories32.928849, -96.91425617Moda Fabric Headquartershttps://storefront.unitednotions.com/storefrontCommerce/redirect.do?page=zCompanyInfoModa Fabrics website41 Tell me about the quilt you brought in today.; I want to bring something that really created some change in my life and so I brought just a few Kansas City Star quilt patterns. They are all newsprint from the 1930's.Brackman recalls discovering Kansas City Star quilt patterns at a thrift store when she was in her twenties. She was enthralled with certain patterns and even drew sketches of the patterns; she found more at thrift and antique stores, and began organizing and categorizing them.Index Cards;Kansas City Star Quilt Patterns;Newsprint;Published work – Patterns;Thrift Store17http://quiltalliance.net/qsos-images/KS66049-001BrackmanA.jpgBarbara Brackman with Kansas City Star quilt patterns157 On making her first quilt So, what was your first quilt that you ever made?Brackman recalls approaching her grandmother about making quilts and they started quilting together. Her grandmother pretended she knew about quilting but did not really, so Barbara went to the library and learned quilting from Carrie Hall's and Rose Kretsinger’s book, “The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America.” Brackman made an eight-pointed Lone Star quilt, but made mistakes in measuring it and made six 45 degree diamonds rather than 8 sixty degree diamonds. She then talks about the techniques she used over the years and how she enjoyed it since the beginning.1930s Newspaper Clippings;45 degree diamonds;Carrie A. Hall;college;Fiber – Polyester;Lone Star - quilt pattern;New York City;Polyester double-knits;quiltmaking process;Rob Peter to Pay Paul - quilt pattern;Rotary cutter;Six-Strand Embroidery Thread;Stab Stitch;Templates;Thread;“The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America" by Carrie Hall and Rose Kretsinger (1935)17http://quiltalliance.net/qsos-images/Hall_Kretiziner_romance.jpgCarrie A. Hall and Rose G. Kretsinger, “The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America" (1935). Brackman drew inspiration from this book in making her first quilt. 350 What do you find pleasing about quiltmaking?; Well it's the fabric. It's all pattern. I just love pattern, whether it's the quilt pattern, whether it's the pattern on the fabric. Brackman recounts how she likes the patterns in quiltmaking, whether the pattern printed on the fabric or the quilt pattern itself. She is inspired by patterns and graphics that are both contemporary and antique. She is less interested in the process of sewing a quilt itself. She mentions that she puts the quilts in her house and gives them away to quilt organizations and charities. She also collects both new and quilts. Adobe Photoshop;American Quilt Study Group (AQSG);Cowboy Boots;Folk Art;Kansas;Karla Menaugh;Kentucky;Moda;Pattern;Quilt Purpose - Charity;quiltmaking process;Religious Iconography;Rotary cutter;Sewing;shrines;St. Thomas;Sunflower Pattern Co-operative;Technology in quiltmaking17https://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowerPatternCoopSunflower Patter Co-operative, Brackman’s quilt pattern company.670 Inspiration, tools, and technology When it comes to the technology, you mentioned Photoshopping and rotary cutters, what about the other things that you have in your arsenal, the tools that you use, the technology that you use, how do you design, like Corel Draw or EQ, or any of that, and what about your machine? Brackman emphasizes that she is a collector and that among the things she collects are photographs of antique quilts she finds on online auction sites. She has scanned photographs and frequently uses Photoshop. However, she also uses other programs, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher. She tells an amusing account of her effort to Photoshop Zsa Zsa Gabor’s face onto a holy card. Adobe Photoshop;auction;Digital Scanning;Gabor sisters;holy cards;Kansas Quilt Project;Microsoft Publisher;Microsoft Word;Quilt Alliance;Quilt Index;quiltmaking process;religious iconography;scan;State quilt documentation project;Technology in quiltmaking;Zsa Zsa Gabor17http://www.quiltindex.org/search_results.php?collection=Kansas%20State%20Historical%20SocietyKansas Quilt Project on the Quilt Index892 Tell me if you have ever used quilts to get through a difficult time; What makes a great quilt? Of course everyone has difficult times in their lives, so, illnesses, well, see the one, start when my mother was dying and my grandmother was there and we had something to share, whether we were actually sharing anything or not.Brackman talks about that during times of difficulty including illness, death, and divorce, she would sew. When her boyfriend was sick, she sewed paper-pieced pineapples and found it to be therapeutic. Additionally, she talks about in some length how fabric makes a great quilt.1840 Quilt;Amish Quilt;antique quilt;death;divorce;grandmother;grieving;illness;mother;Paper Piecing;Paper-Pieced Pineapples;Photoshop;Rainbow fabric print;recovery;Sewing;solid colored fabric171044 What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or a special collection; What about your personal collection? I think regionalism for the particular museum. If it's the National Museum of American History it's American. If it's the Lyon County Historical Society, it's Lyon County, Kansas. I think regionalism is very important. If someone's going to give you an English quilt that has no provenance at all that has to do with the county or the area I think the quality of the quilt, the condition, whether or not it's an unusual version of a common style, or else an uncommon style.Brackman goes over the importance of quilts’ provenance for historical society or museum collections, in relation to quilts’ regional origins or historical value. She talks about the issues of museums choosing to accession quilts; they should consider how common or uncommon a quilt is, as well as if it has a relationship to the region or relates to the mission of the museum. Additionally, Brackman talks about how both historical societies and museums handle quilt donations quite differently. For her personal collection, Brackman lives by a $60 maximum rule for quilts, while contrasting her habit of buying fabrics for more. She buys quilts for inspiration for patterns and fabric design, so she can make one herself. Brackman laments the decline of online quilt auctions.1830 Quilts;antique quilts;Charm Quilt;Chintz Quilt;De-accession;English Quilt;Fabric;Kansas Museum of History;Lyon County Historical Society (Lyon County, Kansas);museum;online auction;Provenance;quilt collector;regionalism;Smithsonian National Museum of American History;Spencer Museum of Art (University of Kansas)38.959676, -95.24460417Spencer Museum of Arthttp://collection.spencerart.ku.edu/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalSearch&amp;module=collection&amp;fulltext=quiltThe Spencer Museum of Art’s quilt holdings1331 Do you collect contemporary quilts? No, oh Lord, that would be wonderful though. I have a few contemporary quilts that I've purchased in the charity auctions and things, and I'll pay more than sixty dollars, but they fit on the wall. Brackman states that she does not collect many contemporary quilts because she lives in a small house and storage is an issue. However, she does like contemporary styles, such as Laura Wasilowski's Chicago School of Fusing. However, Brackman specializes in Civil War reproduction fabrics.Bold fabric graphics;Chicago School of Fusing;Civil War;Contemporary quilts;Fabric - Reproduction;Laura Wasilowski;Photograph collections;Quilt Purpose - Charity;Quilt Purpose - Home Decoration;reproduction quilts;Storage issues17http://artfabrik.com/thread-u-cation-thursday-herringbone/Wasilowski, Laura. “Artfabrik | Hand-Dyed Fabrics and Threads and Art Quilts by Laura Wasilowski.” Thread-U-Cation Thursday: Herringbone, October 5, 2017. http://artfabrik.com/.1433 Fascination with Civil War era quilts You mentioned the Civil War thing which you've written a lot about, is it that you're fascinated by that period historically or is it the fabric that speaks to you first and foremost?Brackman remembers she first became interested in the Civil War through living in Lawrence, Kansas, a town central to the conflict with Missourians in 1863. She looked through diaries and letters of women to get an idea of their lifestyles. From the Civil War, Brackman worked backwards to earlier time periods and expressed interest in eras that include the 1840s New England literature and the English Regency. As for her thoughts on technology used today for quilting, she thinks that people can do whatever they want to make great quilts, and does not judge quiltmaking technique.1780s England;1820s English Regency;1840s New England literature;Caryl Bryer Fallert;Civil War fashion;Civil War locations;Dewey Decimal System;Home economics;Lawrence, Kansas;machine quilting;primary sources;Quilters Newsletter Magazine;quiltmaking process;University of Kansas;Women's diaries38.959053, -95.26397517Lawrence, Kansas, Brackman's hometown and the site of the 1863 Lawrence Massacre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_massacreLawrence massacre (Civil War attack in 1863)1831 Why is quiltmaking important to your life? Social, I think if I didn't have my quilting groups I probably would have quit making quilts. I would be still making art but my life is very much built on my women friends.Brackman explains that she makes quilts to help keep a social circle and find methods to improve the quality of quilts. She belongs to three different quilting groups. Brackman mentions that they mostly do “show and tell” of their works in progress, but sometimes there is work for people to do with the quilting group. Brackman brings up that she tries to have hand sewing to do at these meetings.applique;Binding;Circle gluing;Hand applique;hand sewing;Pattern Business;Quilt fabric;quilt guild;social aspects of quiltmaking;technology in quiltmaking172014 In what ways do your quilts reflect your community. That's social life and you know my community and many of the same people I've been sewing with for, I hate to say it, almost forty years, meeting at night every other week. Brackman recounts how her quilting group had been together for decades and how they have made several group quilt projects. The quilt in particular that spoke out to her was the “Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue” quilt. The group did not like the ubiquitous Sunbonnet Sue quilt pattern depicting a featureless female character engaged in typically female activities. So they made a quilt that depicted violent deaths of Sunbonnet Sue. Although some speculated that the quilt represented the group's feminism, it actually had more to do with their “un-sentimentaility,” according to Brackman. The quilt is now in the Michigan State University Museum collection. Brackman also talks about how another group project, “Julian Flaming Furniture,” lagged on for thirty years until they finished it recently with another generation of quiltmakers participating. Brackman planned on taking it to the guild show in April and take it to some lectures on quilts. She ends by saying that she enjoys doing community projects.applique;Dada;feminism;Guild activities;Julian Flaming Furniture;Laurie Metzinger;Michigan State University Museum;Personal Blog;Quilt Index;Quilt shows/exhibitions;Sunbonnet Sue -- quilt pattern;talisman;Tom Sawyer -- quilt pattern;Walter Keane Paintings;“Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue” quilt42.731550, -84.48173717Michigan State University Museumhttp://www.museum.msu.edu/glqc/collections_2001.158.01.html“The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue,” Seamsters Union Local #500, Lawrence, Kansas, 1979, 62" x 78", Cotton, velvet, polyester batting. MSU Museum Accession 2001:158.1, Photo by Pearl Yee Wong, all rights reserved by MSU Museum.2326 What is the importance of quilts in American life? Zilch. [laughter.] You know, I'm from a social services background. I'm a liberal. There are a lot more problems in American life than quilts. Brackman thinks that even though quilts represent a much smaller role in American life than some of the big problems facing society, quilts allow others to connect people to the past. She recollects recent news involving the turmoil in Tripoli and what she would take with her if she had to leave in a hurry away from danger, since quilts are very hard to transport in life threatening conditions. Thus, Brackman has respect for quilts and does not agree with her grandmother that they are only a reflection of poverty. Brackman emphasizes how we cannot predict the future and she was quite fortunate to be as successful as she has been in the quilt business.current events;Dachshund;Family Genealogy;History;Knitting;pension;Poverty;professional quiltmaker;retirement;Tripoli, Libya172556 On her dreams for her future with quilts Oh, well, my dream with quilts. I would like to have more storage space. Brackman dreams about having more storage space for her quilts. She mentions the studio she rented and she did not like the place. So she moved her quilts to the garage, but her garage is full. If she could do it, she would buy and keep antique swatch books in a room, along with a curator to help her out. However, she stores them in the places she has available in her house and contemplates trying out drawing and painting.1835 Swatch book;Curator;Moda;Storage space;Tempura;Watercolors;Work or Studio space17http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/Barbara Brackman's blog on quiltsOral HistoryBarbara Brackman is a quilt historian who specializes in designing reproduction prints for Moda. She maintains a internet presence through her blog, where she shares her knowledge of historic fabric and quilts. In this interview, she recounts to Meg Cox how she began as a quilter by discovering historical quilt patterns. She has been inspired by Civil War era quilts in part because of the local history of her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Quiltmaking has played a significant social role in her life, and she has continued to be active in three different quilting groups, including one that has met for forty years. in addition to collecting quilts as she has room, she also collects digital images of quilts and vintage fabrics.Meg Cox (MC): This is Meg Cox and I am doing a Quilters' S.O.S. Save our Stories interview with Barbara Brackman. We are at the Moda Fabric's Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The date is March 5, 2011 and the time is 9:32 a.m. [papers shuffle.] So, Barbara, tell me about what you brought to talk about in this interview. Barbara Brackman (BB): I wanted to bring something that really has created some kind of a change in my life, and so I brought just a few Kansas City Star quilt patterns. They're old newsprint from the 1930's. Why I brought them is because I found them in a thrift store when I was probably twenty years old and I went 'Ooh, you could make a lot of different quilts if you had enough patterns.' There were probably fifty in this package and in a plastic bag. I probably paid a quarter and then I just absolutely became enthralled with them. I sorted them in all the ways you can sort things. It's like when you're a little kid and your mother says, 'Here, play with the thread.' And you sort it by color and you sort it by size. I sorted them alphabetically. I sorted them by stars. I sorted them by squares. Pretty soon I became a junkie. [MC laughs.] I had to have more patterns and so I was a thrift store and antique store haunter at that time and so I would find them occasionally, but then I realized I didn't actually have to have the pattern, I just had to have a picture of the pattern. They hadn't invented the photocopy machine so I started putting patterns on index cards and sorting them in the same way I sorted the newsprint. So it really changed my life completely. Had I not found this package of quilt patterns I might have gone on to sort completely different things. [laughter.] The problem is I am a compulsive sorter. [laughter.] MC: That's amazing. Now, were you quilting at the time? BB: Yes, but I was working full time. I taught Special Ed, well, no, I guess I was in college at that time. It was something I kept thinking, 'I'm going to have time to make these quilts in the future. I'm going to get to do that pretty soon.' So this was my file of things I would get to make in the future. MC: So, what was your first quilt that you ever made? BB: It was about that time, let me see, the first one, my mother had been ill and I was nineteen, I was in college and my grandmother came to stay with us to take care of my mother. Everyone in college had quilts, but I was from New York City and so were my mother and grandmother. We were in Kansas and we didn't have quilts in the family and my grandmother was completely confounded by this whole thing, because she was a different-cultural grandmother. So she was living with us and I said, 'We're going to make a quilt because you're a grandma and I'm a granddaughter.' [laughter.] She said, 'Okay, fine with me.' And so she pretended she knew what we were doing, but she didn't, so I got Carrie Hall's book from the library and we picked a very hard pattern called Rob Peter to pay Paul, that probably has forty pieces. She didn't know a thing. I didn't know anything about templates or making the triangles the same size and the best thing was when it came to quilting it. I read Carrie Hall's book. It said she used thread and you did a stab stitch. I used six-strand embroidery thread to quilt it and I didn't split it because my grandmother, honestly, knew nothing. And so she'd watch me and she'd kind of shake her head. She just went, 'Well, just let her do what she wants.' So the whole thing was a horrible grandmother story. [laughter.] My grandmother was a fine woman but not a seamstress. So that was the first one and then the second one, because I didn't have any advice, I did a Lone Star, [laughter.] and that was hysterical because I drafted my own pattern and I didn't realize there are sixty degree diamonds and there also the 45 degree diamonds. I made eight arms for the Lone Star and only six fit together because I'd used the wrong diamond. [laughter.] So, that was the second one and then my sister got that one and she--and, also, Carrie Hall said you use old clothes, in her book and I had a vast assortment of polyester doubleknits [laughter.] in my wardrobe, in my sister's wardrobe and in my grandmother's wardrobe, and so it was a little bit wonky and stretchy. [laughter.] And then people said, 'How did you get into the lecture business?' Someone asked me, one time, to talk about my journey in quilting and I told these stories which are semi-hysterical because they're pathetic. And so people laughed and I thought, 'Well, this is a career, too, telling the true story with a little over dramatization, about my career in quilting.' Well this went on for years and finally other people, who came from a home-ec background and a seamstress background, gave me advice. And then I fell in with, actually, really fabulous quiltmakers and they showed me how to use a rotary cutter and a ruler. Now, I did learn the template thing, but for many, many years I did all my piecing by hand, with a pencil line matching things up, sitting in airports putting little triangles together, and enjoyed that no end. I have not made all the quilts I want to make yet. I still have many patterns that are sort of in my file. I'm going to do that one next. But it all started out with these newspaper clippings that somebody cut out of the newspaper in the 1930's. MC: We see you get a lot of pleasure out of it and still do and there's more you want to make. What do you find pleasing about it, you think? BB: About making quilts, well it's the fabric. It's all pattern. I just love pattern, whether it's the quilt pattern, whether it's the pattern on the fabric. I've done research on cowboy boot patterns. For hobbies I've done vast indexes of folk art in the world. These are my entertainment. I think it's the pattern in the fabric and the pattern in the quilt and balancing them. The sewing is the minor part. I'm not a person who really enjoys sewing. I've never been too coordinated as you can see by the stories of the first quilts, and it's still sometimes a struggle to get things to lay flat and points to meet. It's the planning and the seeing how it turns out, which is always different than the plan. MC: What takes you from one to the next? Is it the research first, like your studying a certain period and you think I want to make that quilt? Or, is it a technique or what is the thing, or is it the fabric, itself? BB: A terrible thing happens to a person when their hobby becomes their job. But, it's still my hobby so I have two sets of quilts and people, when they see my own quilts, they go, 'That doesn't look like you.' Well, that doesn't look like what you think I am, but the real me, my under-graduate degree is in art education so I took a lot of studio art courses and so when I'm making something for myself I'm inspired by pattern around me. I'm inspired by graphics that are contemporary and then graphics that are antique. So, what I'm working on right now, I'm doing a lot of small things, postcards, and I'm doing a lot of visual interpretation of traditional religious iconography. I'm doing a lot of shrines for myself, Photoshopping. I do a lot of digital taking, holy cards, don't tell my grandmother, and making them specifically for quilters. So, St. Thomas is the patron saint of mathematics so I Photoshopped him with a triangle and a ruler and a rotary cutter. I just pray to him every morning that I won't make any mistakes. [laughter.] So, I try to translate those into fabric and make those into things that are maybe twelve inches square. Now, no one ever sees these because-- MC: Where are they? BB: In my house. [both speak at once, inaudible.] I put them up and then I often give them to Alliance [The Alliance for American Quilts.] or to a charitable cause like AQS [American Quilting Society.] when they have an auction. And people go, 'Oh, that doesn't look like the Barbara Brackman I would think of.' Well, that's what I make for fun. We were talking the other day about binding. I don't bind them. I mean I just zig-zag the edges so that they're very free. So then, the person who has to work for a living and loves her job 'll sit all day interpreting an antique quilt in fabrics that we've designed for Moda that are reproductions and I do a lot of interpreting the past and those are very interesting to me, but it's like I'm living two lives. It's a work job and a fun job and I think that the fun job, the night-time, day-off job has to be very different, because I don't think I could be making conventional quilts to entertain myself much, when I make quilts during the day. [unidentified person speaks inaudibly.] Or at least I'm designing quilts. MC: Do you sleep under a quilt that you-- BB: No, I don't. It's because I have a bad dog [laughter.] and I also live in a bad climate, so I sleep under a down coverlet with a very washable duvet cover so when she comes in the house muddy. I did for many years and I have quilts on the wall. I have quite a book collection, of new and old quilts, and storage is always a problem. Quilts kept on the wall mostly. MC: When you toggle back and forth when you make quilts that you make for your own pleasure, so you've also worked on a lot of books and you've done a lot of project books, so do you do the quilting for those? Or do you send those out? BB: Oh, very rarely. MC: Do you just-- BB: I can't get everything done that I would want to. I used to have quite a crew of sewers. I had a pattern company called The Sunflower Pattern Co-operative and it was co-operative in that nearly everybody in my sewing group worked for it. They designed patterns and then they also did contract sewing. But we haven't been selling patterns. My partner moved to Kentucky. My partner, Karla moved to Kentucky and so Kansas and Kentucky are too far to really continue doing business. So we half-heartedly think we're still in business. Nothing's getting done. Through Moda, if I design a quilt, then Moda contracts out the piecing and then the quilting to their contractors here. And it's always such a wonderful thing to design something and then see it finished without having to put a stitch in it. [laughter.] I love that part of it. When I do a book, I haven't done a book in a couple of years, I usually try to put one or two of my own actual quilts in there, that I have finished down to the binding and the sleeve. MC: So, you can do it all. BB: Oh, I can, not well, but I can do it all. MC: When it comes to the technology, you mentioned Photoshopping and rotary cutters, what about the other things that you have in your arsenal, the tools that you use, the technology that you use, how do you design, like Corel Draw or EQ, or any of that, and what about your machine? Do you [both speak at once, inaudible.] BB: Well, I am still a collector. That would be on my grave, obsessive-compulsive, but put it to a good cause. The computer just crashed because I had too many pictures on it, so now I'm collecting pictures. For my entertainment, I will sit for an hour and go through the auctions, look at the quilts. I have certain things I am collecting. One thing is a quilt that actually has a date on it. I have a little routine every day, looking for dated quilts on the on-line auctions. Then I save three photos, the over all, the shot of the date, so I can prove to myself that's actually the date, and then a detail to show the fabrics. And I have hundreds and hundreds of those. I save everything as large as I can, which is the cause of the recent crash, but I also have enormous files of things that amuse me, images that amuse [hisssing sound.] me, religious images, holy cards, icons, things like that. What I do is I manipulate those things and I wanted learn how to get good at Photoshop for two or three reasons. One is I would have to sew less if I could really do a convincing mock-up of a quilt, and so that was one of my early intentions. But, also, I've been scanning photographs for The Alliance, the Kansas Quilt Projects Slides, and they are thirty years old, twenty-five to thirty years old, and they have really shifted color and they've really lost a lot of color. They all shift yellow, don't they, when they, so I have to re-color and then, because they get very thin, I have to work on the contrast and so I wanted to get good at that and I put a hundred up on The Alliance's web site, the Quilt Index, but I have 12,900 to go and I want to get better [hissing sound.] because they don't look good, so I've been on hiatus from scanning. I don't want to do the actual scanning but I probably always would have to be doing the colorizing. So, I wanted to get good at that and then the idea of Photoshopping Zsa Zsa Gabor's head onto a holy card [laughter.] cracked me up. I've a very juvenile sense of humor. I'd always wanted to paint that but I couldn't paint that well [laughter.] and so I continue to amuse myself no end by manipulating photos from different genres, so I did the Gabor sisters as a three-face. Only people over a certain age know who the heck they are. Now, someone said, 'You could have picked the Kardashian sisters.' but I said, 'I don't know who they are.' [laughter.] So I have these enormous files and I'm thinking that's about the major thing I do as far as technology, right now. I do a lot of Word, do a lot of Word Publisher, but it's mostly Photoshop, and now it's to the point where I take the picture off the Index and many times quilt pictures are a slant because you're standing to the side to get the whole thing in and I know now how to square it up and flatten it out and improve it. [snapping sound.] And I look at any photograph in a magazine and I think I can make that square. I [hissing sound.] I can fix that up. So the whole world is all illusional now, to me, [laughter.] so much better than it is in real life. [laughter.] MC: That is true. In terms of the way you use quilting in your life, has quilting ever helped you get through a difficult time. Is there an emotional component? BB: Of course everyone has difficult times in their lives, so, illnesses, well, see the one, start when my mother was dying and my grandmother was there and we had something to share, whether we were actually sharing anything or not. She was just watching. But through divorces, through very bad illness and through my own illnesses, you know, when sometimes you break your ankle and they say no weight on it for six weeks. Sewing certainly gets you through those times. I find I shift in what I'm sewing because my boyfriend was very sick last year and so I found paper piecing. I did paper-pieced pineapples. That's all I did, no thinking, just sew, sew, sew, sew, sew. I started out with four inches and I went to six inches and then I went to eight inches and got better, so I didn't ever get to the twelve inches, which was good. [laughter.] I found paper piecing, which is something I always would have thought of as rather dull, you know to have it all so predictable, was very therapeutic because it didn't take any real thinking, but it occupied your mind. Definitely I think it's therapeutic as many people have said. MC: What do you think makes a great quilt? We could talk a day about that. BB: Oh, what makes a great quilt. For me personally, it's fabric. I love the graphics and I'll look at an Amish quilt and I'll go, 'Wow, that contrast is great. That design, that composition is great.' But then I just move right on because they're solids, who cares? [laughter.] We have a quilt behind us right now and I guess I'm a microscopic focuser here. I focused in on the blue and the brown fabric and thought wait a minute, what's that shift there and color and I thought was that accidental, so I could stand here all day and look at the quilt that's behind us because it's from 1840 and, in fact, that particular piece is a rainbow print, which is deliberately shaded from light to dark and from brown to blue. There I am going oh, man, I've never seen one just like that. I have a very good visual memory. I have a terrible auditory memory but an excellent visual memory. So I try to file those just like the pictures in Photoshop on my computer. I try and file that away in the blues and say now remember that. Remember how that blue absolutely turned to brown and that was not an accident. So for me a great quilt is the great fabric. MC: What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or a special collection or something like that? BB: An interesting thought. I've written some guidelines for the museums I volunteer at and I think regionalism for the particular museum. If it's a national museum of American history it's American. If it's the Lyon County Historical Society, it's Lyon County, Kansas. I think regionalism is very important. If someone's going to give you an English quilt that has no provenance at all that has to do with the county or the area I think the quality of the quilt, the condition, whether or not it's an unusual version of a common style, or else an uncommon style. That's the thing we always have to be very, in fact sometimes break people's hearts an say, 'It's a lovely yo-yo quilt, but we don't have any room for more than one in our collection and storage is a problem. So I think each museum should have a collecting focus, which they do, and that you'll take a quilt, maybe, that's in very bad condition if it has a connection to the community and a good story that will back it up. I know right now we're going through a difficult time because museums are in such bad shape for funding. When I scan every day when I'm scrolling around for quilts that are for sale, I see that they are being de-accessioned from some pretty impressive collections. It's really heartbreaking, very upsetting, but it's because I know what, if they asked me at the two museums in Kansas that I advise, what should we get rid of, we need money, we don't have storage, I would say, 'It's a pretty quilt, but it has nothing to do with Lyon County, Kansas or Lawrence, Kansas or we know nothing about it and if we sold it, it would bring a better price than one that's in worse condition that has local thing, so let's get rid of the pretty one.' Then it goes back into the community to a collector who pays a nice price and then in twenty-five years it'll go to another museum when she decides she wants to de-accession her collection. So it's a collecting focus that everyone should have, every museum should have, and then it has to be adjusted. But I know at Spencer Museum of Art [University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.] where I advise, at the Kansas Museum of History were I advise, we have two different goals. One is history and one is art. So I'll say, 'This is a fabulous story but the quilt is not a work of art, it's a common type of quilt. I think it would be better off at the history museum.' And then the other way around, this is a fabulous quilt with no provenance. I think maybe that should go over to the other museum. So, what makes a great museum quilt depends on the museum. MC: What about your personal collection? Do you have certain criteria? BB: Sixty dollars, sixty dollar criterion. [laughter.] I am a sixty-dollar quilt buyer. I have spent, I would guess I've spent up to $500 if it had great fabric. It's mainly I don't have storage. I have a one bedroom house, tiny little Victorian house and so, occasionally I will buy them on impulse if they're under sixty dollars, and then sell them for fifty, buy high, sell low is my theory. [laughter.] What I'm looking for, because I'm in the business of fabric, I'm looking for fabric. I'm looking for a charm quilt, or I'm looking for a chintz quilt that has a large piece of chintz with a whole repeat so I can copy it. MC: So it might be for inspiration for your own-- BB: Mostly for inspiration. That's the only way I can justify it. I buy a lot of fabric in isolation. I buy a lot of blocks and a lot of big repeats of chintz backs or something, [inaudible.] backs that I can then use to make fabric out of. The whole on-line auction thing has really gone down the tubes. People aren't putting stuff up any more because people aren't buying. There was a time, when I stuck to that sixty dollar rule and I could get 1830 quilts for thirty-nine dollars because sometimes they're in terrible shape. Sometimes they're downright ugly and sometimes the person is selling them, often doesn't know what they have, and they take a really terrible picture. So someone that just scrolls through and goes, 'Ooh that looks like it's from the 1950's.' Oddly I don't even want it and I'll be the only bidder. Those days are gone. Those days are gone. So I'm a very, I have to really keep it to what I can store in my house and so it's much better for me to spend my money on yardage. I'll spend a lot more on a piece of fabric than I'll spend on a quilt, which is the converse of most people. MC: Some of the quilts you make, yourself, sound like they're pretty contemporary with the Photoshop and all that, do you collect that type of quilt as well, or not so much? BB: No, oh Lord, that would be wonderful though. I have a few contemporary quilts that I've purchased in the charity auctions and things, and I'll pay more than sixty dollars, but they fit on the wall. They don't require folding up and good storage and tissue stuffing and things like that. Deciding that you're going to live small, which was sort of a political thing for me, and it's a functional thing, too. It means that you do not have storage and you cannot collect what you want, except for pictures. That's another reason why I'm so interested in pictures. MC: Of the contemporary quiltmakers, are there some that really speak to you? BB: Oh, yes. There're many contemporary quiltmakers [inaudible.] who knock me out. Laura Wasilowski, you know, the whole Chicago School of Fusing, with the idea of, just the freedom of that technique, the color that they use. Now, in my fabric business, I'm the reproduction person, so I'm stuck in natural dyes. Black cotton is not something I ever get to do because it's in the future from the Civil War, so lime green, vivid magenta, those are things that I don't ever get to do, so when I buy fabric that's what I buy. And when I look at quilts I'm saving them into an inspiration file. It'll be some of the real bright colors and the real interesting use of some of the bold graphic fabrics people are doing today. MC: You mentioned the Civil War thing which you've written a lot about, is it that you're fascinated by that period historically or is it the fabric that speaks to you first and foremost? BB: Through my life, now I have no history in my background, no history education, I've plenty of history in my background. When I started out I lived in this wonderful little town. One day I realized it was a very important place in the Civil War. I have to put this in--- Missourians came over and burned it in 1863. We're still mad. [laughter.] During the Civil War it was a very important location as to events leading up to the war and then during the war that burning of the [various unidentified noises.] town was just kind of a union rallying point. When I realized the history there I started getting interested in the Civil War because I wanted to know who owned my house. When I bought the house when I was twenty-five I could see the people who had owned it, those were names that I had heard of. So that's how I became interested in the Civil War. Since I have no real historical education, I thought I'm going to work backwards and so I have gradually been working backwards into the Civil War. I want to be able to go out onto the street and know what that street looked like in 1862 before they burned it. I feel pretty confident about that now, in that town and in Kansas I understand it very well. Then I started working backwards. So I was fascinated by the Civil War for many years and I read every woman's diary that I could find for those years and because I'm a compulsive collector I saved notebooks full of any quotes, I would write this down in longhand, any quotes they might refer to something interesting about their lives, their fight with their husband, their bad children, things we can relate to, their depressions, their illnesses, their experiences just in trying to live lives as women that were so constrained, but also about slavery, and about abolition, about political causes from the Civil War, and then any references to textiles and quilting. I got into this, really, thinking I bet these women talked about quilting. Well, they didn't that much but they do talk about fashion, especially in their letters and so I would write those things down. I have probably, well, three feet of notebooks that are full of these papers-full. That's one way I got interested in writing about the Civil War. I knew a lot more about the Civil War and how women lived through it than most formal historians do because they're not reading diaries and letters and they're not reading women's diaries and letters. That's how I got into the Civil War. Now I've been working backwards and I've got into the 1840's. So I spent years reading nothing but New England diaries and literature about the New England literati, the people that were so influential, the Hawthorn's and the Peabody's. Spent years reading them. Then I worked my way back into the 1820's which isn't got a lot of information. Then I jumped over to England and now I'm complete obsessed with the Regency period in England. [hissing sound.] I know every piece of gossip, and I tell you, you want to know gossip, you want to know some baaad lives, bad choices people made, the English Regency [laughter.] is the era. Now I'm stuck in about 1780 in England. I know a lot about, yeah it states although there certainly isn't the documentation, so I guess I have to work back until the colonial period but that looks kind of cold and bleak [laughter.] to me, and so all I can think of is Thanksgiving pictures of cold people eating. [laughter.] very, very small dishes of turkey. That's a prejudice that I want to get over so I'll have to go backwards. I live in a small town which has not a great town library, adequate, but it has a university library and they have great collections, so I'll just go through the number, the Dewey Decimal System or whatever. Some of the books I read are so obtuse they're still on the Dewey Decimal System and when I try to check them out they glare at me and go, you know, 'I have to put this in the system. Nobody's checked it out since 1948.' But we do have wonderful books so I have access to whole worlds and people say, 'You live in a little town, don't you get bored?' No, I live in Regency England right now [laughter.] and I'm never bored. MC: That's wonderful. It sort of prompted me to think about technology and the question of technology and quilts. Because you deal with all these historical quilts, you make them, you study them and you create patterns, how do you feel about the whole thing about making quilts today and hand versus machine versus long-arming and first of all how do you feel about it. And second of all, is it appropriate to use these older materials in these older quilts. Should you be sort of be making them the way they were made at the time they were made? Do you have any thoughts on that? BB: I'm a rebel. You can do whatever you want. I never give it a thought and I never have in my whole life. I started out making quilts. There were people who had, I took Home-ec for one semester, they just suggested I go into something else. [laughter.] My father didn't want me in Home-Ec. anyway. He was really supportive of me anyway, 'I think you should just take a business course. Forget that stuff.' So I just have always just have gone, 'Whatever.' It's functional, do what you want. I've documented, I worked for Quilters Newsletter [Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.] for many years and that was one of our big issues. 'Caryl Bryer Fallert won a prize with a machine-quilted quilt. You know, we have to write an editorial about it. What do you think?' Uh, well, let her do whatever she wants. So, there's just no opinion there. It just seems to me, I'm a visual person and I'm certainly not a nit-picker and people have asked me to judge contests at fairs. 'Oh, no, you don't want me judging, because I'll just go for the visuals. I will not check that binding and make sure that the batting extends to the edge.' MC: Or count the stitches. BB: Yes. I just don't care personally. People want to get into an argument about it and I'm not a very judgmental person, so I don't want anybody throwing stones at me, let me tell you that. MC: This is kind of an over-arching question. Why is quiltmaking important to your life? BB: Why is quiltmaking important to my life? That's a very good question. Social, I think if I didn't have my quilting groups I probably would have quit making quilts. I would be still making art but my life is very much built on my women friends. I have three quilting groups that I belong to, so Wednesday begins a grueling couple of days, Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, three different groups. Now some of them only meet every other week, but what that grew out of, as I say earlier, we used to have a pattern business, these same people and so it was our meetings. It was our business meetings and we'd be sewing and we'd be working on projects together. Then as the business sort of faded away it just became social and we invited more people. As more people retired from their other businesses, we invited other people in. So I always have to have hand sewing for those things. I always have to have something I can be doing by hand and there's prep-work weekend for that grueling Wednesday-Thursday schedule. Then because they're so interested in quilting, many of them, we keep up on the tools and the equipment. We're constantly trying to find things that are going to make our lives easier, better, and of course, the fabric. I can always bring in something or other, something that I'm working on and that keeps everybody talking about fabric. I think it really is mostly social that keeps me in there. I know I would always be doing something artistic, but it's strange how the computer, using the computer graphics, has really replaced a lot of the creativity needs in my life. There's problems with that in that I don't get up and pretty soon, every day, I have to quit because I've stared at it for six hours and you've got to change your eye focus. Time to walk the dog. I think it's mostly social right now. MC: So, these groups that you're in, do you sew when you're there. Is it mostly show-and-tell, is it mostly social-- BB: It's all of those things. Show-and-tell, it's eating, it's champagne. Champagne for breakfast. I have to be busy, keep busy, and many of them do. One friend never does any prep-work and always comes in and says, 'Does anyone have anything for me to do?' So I like to even keep her busy. She's a great binder. If you get it pre-sewn, she'll bind it. She's a circle gluer. [hissing sound.] If she would do her own prep-work she could have made twenty quilts in the past couple of years, but she just can't sit there without having something to do. That's the way I am, too, so I do a lot of hand appliqué right now. We're always looking for the never-ending appliqué because then you won't have to do much prep and it's a tragedy after three years when it's done. [hissing sound, laughter.] MC: In what ways do your quilts reflect your community. BB: Well, that's social life and you know my community and many of the same people I've been sewing with for, I hate to say it, almost forty years, meeting at night every other week. We started out, years ago, the first group, and we made several group quilts, the first that really sticks in my mind is our Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue quilt, which is in the Quilt Index, in which we killed her. We hated her. We hated her because we're anti-sentimentalists. We are just not amused by big-eyed children, unless they're real children. We lived in an era of Walter Keane paintings and Sunbonnet Sue just fit right in there. Everybody was gaga over her at our guild meetings so my friend Laurie Metzinger said at one time she'd like to see that little girl dead. [laughter.] So I took her and I drew her and I pushed her over on her side and I put a big rock on her chest and Laurie laughed so hard, this was during a guild meeting that we almost got thrown out. [laughter.] So we just took some Sunbonnet Sue patterns and we turned them over and we turned them on their face, turned them on their head, dropped things on them. That quilt entertained us no end. We got many people to work on it. Then we did a second one and then we said, 'All right, people are starting to attach meaning to this. They're starting to say that we were feminists, which we were, but that we were making this because we [laughter.] were feminist and we wanted to show that Sunbonnet Sue in her traditional role. We weren't thinking that. We were trying to kill her, squash her, flatten her out. It was anti-sentiment. So my friend, Nadra, says, 'Well, maybe should do a quilt that nobody can find any meaning in it at all.' This was in 1975, maybe '80. So she said, 'Every day I drive by a store, in Olathe, Kansas, called the Julian Flaming Furniture. It's been driving me crazy. What do you think they have in there?' Apparently Julian Flaming was someone's name. So then the idea was to imagine what was inside the Julian Flaming Furniture store. That's meaningless. It's total Dada. [laughter.] So we started that thirty years ago and it lagged, but about six months ago I got the blocks out and I said, 'We're finishing this thing, because thirty years is too long.' So here's what I've been working on night and day for the past six months, is trying to get people who were seven years old when we started it the first time, to make a few blocks. They had some things they wanted to set on fire [hissing.] and then we got it to the quilter. It just came back from the quilter last Wednesday. It's beautiful and I wanted to bring it. I thought that could be a good talismanic object, but I knew that my friend, Georgeanne, who never has anything to do it, so I would present it in the proper Tom Sawyer pattern, and she'd say, 'I'll take it. I'll bind it. I'll bring it back.' So she's got it right now. So this is a thirty-year project, so that's the way my quilts reflect my community. The ones that I'm working on as my art is that it's Tom Sawyerism. I try to get everybody involved. MC: Where will that quilt go. BB: Well, I don't know. You're thinking which museum discipline. Now that MSU, Michigan State University does have our first Sunbonnet Sue quilt, now we thought this was so amusing thirty years ago. So now that I can look on the web, you type Flaming Furniture. [laughter.] Every twenty-year old who's got his apartment and a six-pack of beer has poured gasoline on his couch and set it on fire. I've taken a picture of him, sitting there, drinking a beer. That's exactly the same sense of humor. [laughter.] I don't know, it's adolescent and it's like putting Zsa Zsa Gabor, of course, on a holy card. It's adolescent humor. So where would it go. I don't know. It's not even back from the quilter. Once it's back we hope to show it in our guild show this April and then we will undoubtedly will drag it around for a while some people are still out there giving lectures and, of course, I'll put it on my blog. Probably, since they're all invigorated after finishing a thirty-year project, someone will get another idea next week. 'Well, you know, we could do that one we talked about years ago.' I do love community working and I love art group projects. They said, 'We got it out, you know, and I put it together with scraps of stuff we had left from other projects.' They said, 'Did it turn out the way you thought?' and I said, 'No, I really hoped I could make it pretty.' [laughter.] But it's a lot of furnitures, overstuffed furniture with little appliqué flames coming out of it. There's just nothing you can do. [laughter.] It's got an Eames chair and someone did the kitchen sink. There's some very nice things in it. I think it's just downright ugly. Actually it's a concept. [sharp rattle.] We'll see what people can make of this and say, 'Now these women are deeply worried about fire insurance.' [laughter.] It's totally meaningless. MC: I can't wait to see it. What is the importance of quilts in American life? BB: Zilch. [laughter.] You know, I'm from a social services background. I'm a liberal. There are a lot more problems in American life than quilts. I do think the quilts are a touchstone to our ancestors and I am a historian. I'm a family genealogist. I love the way they connect us to the past. It's a luxury to be able to have that kind of touch with the past, to be able to have the money as a nation to save them in museum collections, to have the luxury as women and men to make them, to indulge ones selves in buying that much fabric and putting that much work into something, a handmade object. That's the importance of it, is that it reflects a lot, but I don't know, I'm a myth buster. It's something I can't say, but I can do it. They will come and go, as my grandmother always said, 'We had some of those, but when we had some money we got rid of them.' That attitude's going to come back. We have no family quilts at all and she said, 'As soon as we got two nickels to rub together we went out of the handmade blanket business, Barbara.' So, I think they have importance as to what they mean and how they reflect our ability to appreciate them. When you read world news, you know, and people are leaving countries because, it always breaks my heart and I know if you are collectors you people have to leave Tripoli, you can take what's on your back and one armful. You don't have room for that quilt or anything else that's important to you. So, I always think 'Well, if I had to get out what would I'd take, I guess the dachshund, the fat dachshund that would fill up my arms and I would like to have the hard drive but it's going to have to go, so very little gets to go. So I do think that we are in a unique position and that we are now able to reflect back on all that and to not have the attitude my grandmother has that a handmade blanket is a reflection of poverty. We have the respect for them. MC: So it sounds like you're saying you think that the ebb and flow of quilting, that it's going to run down again, we're going to go through those sallow periods again? BB: It must be inevitable. I don't know. As when my aunt said, and I had an abundance of aunts and when I quit teaching, that reliable job with a pension they kept telling me about, and I said, 'Oh, I'm in the quilt business now, I just go around and lecture.' And they said, 'Oh, you better have a fall-back idea.' I've never needed the fall-back idea but I think we can't predict the future. There was a period about ten years ago everyone was going into knitting, [laughter.] but knitting, there's just so many handmade sweaters a small child can have. [laughter.] And so grandmas, quit mothers, they did it, so I just don't know. I think people will always be doing something creative but what that will be, I can't predict the future. I'm very pleased that it's been going on, I've been in this business for thirty years. That's a luxury, too. I've been able to support myself really well for thirty years. Ebb and flow, I'm a historian. MC: It's not going to ebb in your life, though, for you. BB: No, because I'm retired. I just got my first social security check. MC: So that means more quilting, more-- BB: Well, more time to Photoshop I fear. MC: Well, to wrap up, in terms of your journeys with quilts and your discovery with quilts, what would your dream be, for your next-- BB: Oh, well, my dream with quilts. I would like to have more storage space. That is my [laughter.] eternal, you know, if you live in a small house you look at those people who have those little aluminum barns in their backyard and you go, 'Man, I could fill one of those with something. I wouldn't put the quilts out there, but if I put, like the pantry out there, [laughter.] I could put shelves in the pantry. I could put quilts in there. So my dream would be to have more storage space. I have had a [laughter.] a studio down town which I rented with friends and that's where we kept things for years. We lost our lease. The parking was horrible, the stairs were terrible and so I remodeled my garage to do that, but the garage is full, totally full. That studio was totally full, so more room for a better collection. Recently Moda sent me to look at a beautiful swatch book from 1835 and I thought if I were the richest woman in the world I would buy swatch books and I would have a room to keep them in and a curator to take care of them and I would come in every day and she would, with white gloves, turn the pages for me. [laughter.] What do you think of that one? So that would be my ideal. The realities are, if I had them I'd drop them and the dog would [inaudible.]. I'm very bad. It's not a museum at my house so I really don't want to have those kind of valuable things. I do love the access to them. As far as making quilts, I have time to make quilts. I have time. I have two studios, one in the house, one bedroom, the only bedroom in the house. I'm sleeping in the living room, abandon the dining room because who has people over any more. So that's the living room or the giant TV room and so I have an inside studio and then an outside studio and the outside one tends to be more storage for the swatches that I do have and a lot of the quilts. I do have the time to make the quilts. People say you're going to retire. What are you going to do? I hope to paint and draw more. They're messy. One of the reasons I got into quilting, I think, when I was just out of art school, was you can pick up a quilt and sew. You can't pick up an oil painting. You have to have the outfit on to do the oil painting. You have to have the big area and so I don't think I'll ever oil paint again but I'd love to go back to more watercolor and tempera and things like that. MC: Thank you so much for letting us do this and talk to you and absolutely fascinating and truly fun, so this concludes the interview with Barbara Brackman and the time is now 10:18 a.m. Thank you. 2017 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved.audio0http://quiltalliance.net/cms/http://quiltalliance.net/cms/collections/show/34 Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Kay Schroeder Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound **This transcript was created by QSOS volunteers and was reviewed and, in some cases, edited by the interviewee. It may not exactly match the audio recording. For citations and interview quotations, please refer to the audio-recorded interview.** Meg Cox (MC): This is Meg Cox and I am doing a Quilters' S.O.S. Save our Stories interview with Barbara Brackman. We are at the Moda Fabric's Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The date is March 5, 2011 and the time is 9:32 a.m. [papers shuffle.] So, Barbara, tell me about what you brought to talk about in this interview. Barbara Brackman (BB): I wanted to bring something that really has created some kind of a change in my life, and so I brought just a few Kansas City Star quilt patterns. They're old newsprint from the 1930's. Why I brought them is because I found them in a thrift store when I was probably twenty years old and I went 'Ooh, you could make a lot of different quilts if you had enough patterns.' There were probably fifty in this package and in a plastic bag. I probably paid a quarter and then I just absolutely became enthralled with them. I sorted them in all the ways you can sort things. It's like when you're a little kid and your mother says, 'Here, play with the thread.' And you sort it by color and you sort it by size. I sorted them alphabetically. I sorted them by stars. I sorted them by squares. Pretty soon I became a junkie. [MC laughs.] I had to have more patterns and so I was a thrift store and antique store haunter at that time and so I would find them occasionally, but then I realized I didn't actually have to have the pattern, I just had to have a picture of the pattern. They hadn't invented the photocopy machine so I started putting patterns on index cards and sorting them in the same way I sorted the newsprint. So it really changed my life completely. Had I not found this package of quilt patterns I might have gone on to sort completely different things. [laughter.] The problem is I am a compulsive sorter. [laughter.] MC: That's amazing. Now, were you quilting at the time? BB: Yes, but I was working full time. I taught Special Ed, well, no, I guess I was in college at that time. It was something I kept thinking, 'I'm going to have time to make these quilts in the future. I'm going to get to do that pretty soon.' So this was my file of things I would get to make in the future. MC: So, what was your first quilt that you ever made? BB: It was about that time, let me see, the first one, my mother had been ill and I was nineteen, I was in college and my grandmother came to stay with us to take care of my mother. Everyone in college had quilts, but I was from New York City and so were my mother and grandmother. We were in Kansas and we didn't have quilts in the family and my grandmother was completely confounded by this whole thing, because she was a different-cultural grandmother. So she was living with us and I said, 'We're going to make a quilt because you're a grandma and I'm a granddaughter.' [laughter.] She said, 'Okay, fine with me.' And so she pretended she knew what we were doing, but she didn't, so I got Carrie Hall's book from the library and we picked a very hard pattern called Rob Peter to pay Paul, that probably has forty pieces. She didn't know a thing. I didn't know anything about templates or making the triangles the same size and the best thing was when it came to quilting it. I read Carrie Hall's book. It said she used thread and you did a stab stitch. I used six-strand embroidery thread to quilt it and I didn't split it because my grandmother, honestly, knew nothing. And so she'd watch me and she'd kind of shake her head. She just went, 'Well, just let her do what she wants.' So the whole thing was a horrible grandmother story. [laughter.] My grandmother was a fine woman but not a seamstress. So that was the first one and then the second one, because I didn't have any advice, I did a Lone Star, [laughter.] and that was hysterical because I drafted my own pattern and I didn't realize there are sixty degree diamonds and there also the 45 degree diamonds. I made eight arms for the Lone Star and only six fit together because I'd used the wrong diamond. [laughter.] So, that was the second one and then my sister got that one and she--and, also, Carrie Hall said you use old clothes, in her book and I had a vast assortment of polyester doubleknits [laughter.] in my wardrobe, in my sister's wardrobe and in my grandmother's wardrobe, and so it was a little bit wonky and stretchy. [laughter.] And then people said, 'How did you get into the lecture business?' Someone asked me, one time, to talk about my journey in quilting and I told these stories which are semi-hysterical because they're pathetic. And so people laughed and I thought, 'Well, this is a career, too, telling the true story with a little over dramatization, about my career in quilting.' Well this went on for years and finally other people, who came from a home-ec background and a seamstress background, gave me advice. And then I fell in with, actually, really fabulous quiltmakers and they showed me how to use a rotary cutter and a ruler. Now, I did learn the template thing, but for many, many years I did all my piecing by hand, with a pencil line matching things up, sitting in airports putting little triangles together, and enjoyed that no end. I have not made all the quilts I want to make yet. I still have many patterns that are sort of in my file. I'm going to do that one next. But it all started out with these newspaper clippings that somebody cut out of the newspaper in the 1930's. MC: We see you get a lot of pleasure out of it and still do and there's more you want to make. What do you find pleasing about it, you think? BB: About making quilts, well it's the fabric. It's all pattern. I just love pattern, whether it's the quilt pattern, whether it's the pattern on the fabric. I've done research on cowboy boot patterns. For hobbies I've done vast indexes of folk art in the world. These are my entertainment. I think it's the pattern in the fabric and the pattern in the quilt and balancing them. The sewing is the minor part. I'm not a person who really enjoys sewing. I've never been too coordinated as you can see by the stories of the first quilts, and it's still sometimes a struggle to get things to lay flat and points to meet. It's the planning and the seeing how it turns out, which is always different than the plan. MC: What takes you from one to the next? Is it the research first, like your studying a certain period and you think I want to make that quilt? Or, is it a technique or what is the thing, or is it the fabric, itself? BB: A terrible thing happens to a person when their hobby becomes their job. But, it's still my hobby so I have two sets of quilts and people, when they see my own quilts, they go, 'That doesn't look like you.' Well, that doesn't look like what you think I am, but the real me, my under-graduate degree is in art education so I took a lot of studio art courses and so when I'm making something for myself I'm inspired by pattern around me. I'm inspired by graphics that are contemporary and then graphics that are antique. So, what I'm working on right now, I'm doing a lot of small things, postcards, and I'm doing a lot of visual interpretation of traditional religious iconography. I'm doing a lot of shrines for myself, Photoshopping. I do a lot of digital taking, holy cards, don't tell my grandmother, and making them specifically for quilters. So, St. Thomas is the patron saint of mathematics so I Photoshopped him with a triangle and a ruler and a rotary cutter. I just pray to him every morning that I won't make any mistakes. [laughter.] So, I try to translate those into fabric and make those into things that are maybe twelve inches square. Now, no one ever sees these because-- MC: Where are they? BB: In my house. [both speak at once, inaudible.] I put them up and then I often give them to Alliance [The Alliance for American Quilts.] or to a charitable cause like AQS [American Quilting Society.] when they have an auction. And people go, 'Oh, that doesn't look like the Barbara Brackman I would think of.' Well, that's what I make for fun. We were talking the other day about binding. I don't bind them. I mean I just zig-zag the edges so that they're very free. So then, the person who has to work for a living and loves her job 'll sit all day interpreting an antique quilt in fabrics that we've designed for Moda that are reproductions and I do a lot of interpreting the past and those are very interesting to me, but it's like I'm living two lives. It's a work job and a fun job and I think that the fun job, the night-time, day-off job has to be very different, because I don't think I could be making conventional quilts to entertain myself much, when I make quilts during the day. [unidentified person speaks inaudibly.] Or at least I'm designing quilts. MC: Do you sleep under a quilt that you-- BB: No, I don't. It's because I have a bad dog [laughter.] and I also live in a bad climate, so I sleep under a down coverlet with a very washable duvet cover so when she comes in the house muddy. I did for many years and I have quilts on the wall. I have quite a book collection, of new and old quilts, and storage is always a problem. Quilts kept on the wall mostly. MC: When you toggle back and forth when you make quilts that you make for your own pleasure, so you've also worked on a lot of books and you've done a lot of project books, so do you do the quilting for those? Or do you send those out? BB: Oh, very rarely. MC: Do you just-- BB: I can't get everything done that I would want to. I used to have quite a crew of sewers. I had a pattern company called The Sunflower Pattern Co-operative and it was co-operative in that nearly everybody in my sewing group worked for it. They designed patterns and then they also did contract sewing. But we haven't been selling patterns. My partner moved to Kentucky. My partner, Karla moved to Kentucky and so Kansas and Kentucky are too far to really continue doing business. So we half-heartedly think we're still in business. Nothing's getting done. Through Moda, if I design a quilt, then Moda contracts out the piecing and then the quilting to their contractors here. And it's always such a wonderful thing to design something and then see it finished without having to put a stitch in it. [laughter.] I love that part of it. When I do a book, I haven't done a book in a couple of years, I usually try to put one or two of my own actual quilts in there, that I have finished down to the binding and the sleeve. MC: So, you can do it all. BB: Oh, I can, not well, but I can do it all. MC: When it comes to the technology, you mentioned Photoshopping and rotary cutters, what about the other things that you have in your arsenal, the tools that you use, the technology that you use, how do you design, like Corel Draw or EQ, or any of that, and what about your machine? Do you [both speak at once, inaudible.] BB: Well, I am still a collector. That would be on my grave, obsessive-compulsive, but put it to a good cause. The computer just crashed because I had too many pictures on it, so now I'm collecting pictures. For my entertainment, I will sit for an hour and go through the auctions, look at the quilts. I have certain things I am collecting. One thing is a quilt that actually has a date on it. I have a little routine every day, looking for dated quilts on the on-line auctions. Then I save three photos, the over all, the shot of the date, so I can prove to myself that's actually the date, and then a detail to show the fabrics. And I have hundreds and hundreds of those. I save everything as large as I can, which is the cause of the recent crash, but I also have enormous files of things that amuse me, images that amuse [hisssing sound.] me, religious images, holy cards, icons, things like that. What I do is I manipulate those things and I wanted learn how to get good at Photoshop for two or three reasons. One is I would have to sew less if I could really do a convincing mock-up of a quilt, and so that was one of my early intentions. But, also, I've been scanning photographs for The Alliance, the Kansas Quilt Projects Slides, and they are thirty years old, twenty-five to thirty years old, and they have really shifted color and they've really lost a lot of color. They all shift yellow, don't they, when they, so I have to re-color and then, because they get very thin, I have to work on the contrast and so I wanted to get good at that and I put a hundred up on The Alliance's web site, the Quilt Index, but I have 12,900 to go and I want to get better [hissing sound.] because they don't look good, so I've been on hiatus from scanning. I don't want to do the actual scanning but I probably always would have to be doing the colorizing. So, I wanted to get good at that and then the idea of Photoshopping Zsa Zsa Gabor's head onto a holy card [laughter.] cracked me up. I've a very juvenile sense of humor. I'd always wanted to paint that but I couldn't paint that well [laughter.] and so I continue to amuse myself no end by manipulating photos from different genres, so I did the Gabor sisters as a three-face. Only people over a certain age know who the heck they are. Now, someone said, 'You could have picked the Kardashian sisters.' but I said, 'I don't know who they are.' [laughter.] So I have these enormous files and I'm thinking that's about the major thing I do as far as technology, right now. I do a lot of Word, do a lot of Word Publisher, but it's mostly Photoshop, and now it's to the point where I take the picture off the Index and many times quilt pictures are a slant because you're standing to the side to get the whole thing in and I know now how to square it up and flatten it out and improve it. [snapping sound.] And I look at any photograph in a magazine and I think I can make that square. I [hissing sound.] I can fix that up. So the whole world is all illusional now, to me, [laughter.] so much better than it is in real life. [laughter.] MC: That is true. In terms of the way you use quilting in your life, has quilting ever helped you get through a difficult time. Is there an emotional component? BB: Of course everyone has difficult times in their lives, so, illnesses, well, see the one, start when my mother was dying and my grandmother was there and we had something to share, whether we were actually sharing anything or not. She was just watching. But through divorces, through very bad illness and through my own illnesses, you know, when sometimes you break your ankle and they say no weight on it for six weeks. Sewing certainly gets you through those times. I find I shift in what I'm sewing because my boyfriend was very sick last year and so I found paper piecing. I did paper-pieced pineapples. That's all I did, no thinking, just sew, sew, sew, sew, sew. I started out with four inches and I went to six inches and then I went to eight inches and got better, so I didn't ever get to the twelve inches, which was good. [laughter.] I found paper piecing, which is something I always would have thought of as rather dull, you know to have it all so predictable, was very therapeutic because it didn't take any real thinking, but it occupied your mind. Definitely I think it's therapeutic as many people have said. MC: What do you think makes a great quilt? We could talk a day about that. BB: Oh, what makes a great quilt. For me personally, it's fabric. I love the graphics and I'll look at an Amish quilt and I'll go, 'Wow, that contrast is great. That design, that composition is great.' But then I just move right on because they're solids, who cares? [laughter.] We have a quilt behind us right now and I guess I'm a microscopic focuser here. I focused in on the blue and the brown fabric and thought wait a minute, what's that shift there and color and I thought was that accidental, so I could stand here all day and look at the quilt that's behind us because it's from 1840 and, in fact, that particular piece is a rainbow print, which is deliberately shaded from light to dark and from brown to blue. There I am going oh, man, I've never seen one just like that. I have a very good visual memory. I have a terrible auditory memory but an excellent visual memory. So I try to file those just like the pictures in Photoshop on my computer. I try and file that away in the blues and say now remember that. Remember how that blue absolutely turned to brown and that was not an accident. So for me a great quilt is the great fabric. MC: What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or a special collection or something like that? BB: An interesting thought. I've written some guidelines for the museums I volunteer at and I think regionalism for the particular museum. If it's a national museum of American history it's American. If it's the Lyon County Historical Society, it's Lyon County, Kansas. I think regionalism is very important. If someone's going to give you an English quilt that has no provenance at all that has to do with the county or the area I think the quality of the quilt, the condition, whether or not it's an unusual version of a common style, or else an uncommon style. That's the thing we always have to be very, in fact sometimes break people's hearts an say, 'It's a lovely yo-yo quilt, but we don't have any room for more than one in our collection and storage is a problem. So I think each museum should have a collecting focus, which they do, and that you'll take a quilt, maybe, that's in very bad condition if it has a connection to the community and a good story that will back it up. I know right now we're going through a difficult time because museums are in such bad shape for funding. When I scan every day when I'm scrolling around for quilts that are for sale, I see that they are being de-accessioned from some pretty impressive collections. It's really heartbreaking, very upsetting, but it's because I know what, if they asked me at the two museums in Kansas that I advise, what should we get rid of, we need money, we don't have storage, I would say, 'It's a pretty quilt, but it has nothing to do with Lyon County, Kansas or Lawrence, Kansas or we know nothing about it and if we sold it, it would bring a better price than one that's in worse condition that has local thing, so let's get rid of the pretty one.' Then it goes back into the community to a collector who pays a nice price and then in twenty-five years it'll go to another museum when she decides she wants to de-accession her collection. So it's a collecting focus that everyone should have, every museum should have, and then it has to be adjusted. But I know at Spencer Museum of Art [University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.] where I advise, at the Kansas Museum of History were I advise, we have two different goals. One is history and one is art. So I'll say, 'This is a fabulous story but the quilt is not a work of art, it's a common type of quilt. I think it would be better off at the history museum.' And then the other way around, this is a fabulous quilt with no provenance. I think maybe that should go over to the other museum. So, what makes a great museum quilt depends on the museum. MC: What about your personal collection? Do you have certain criteria? BB: Sixty dollars, sixty dollar criterion. [laughter.] I am a sixty-dollar quilt buyer. I have spent, I would guess I've spent up to $500 if it had great fabric. It's mainly I don't have storage. I have a one bedroom house, tiny little Victorian house and so, occasionally I will buy them on impulse if they're under sixty dollars, and then sell them for fifty, buy high, sell low is my theory. [laughter.] What I'm looking for, because I'm in the business of fabric, I'm looking for fabric. I'm looking for a charm quilt, or I'm looking for a chintz quilt that has a large piece of chintz with a whole repeat so I can copy it. MC: So it might be for inspiration for your own-- BB: Mostly for inspiration. That's the only way I can justify it. I buy a lot of fabric in isolation. I buy a lot of blocks and a lot of big repeats of chintz backs or something, [inaudible.] backs that I can then use to make fabric out of. The whole on-line auction thing has really gone down the tubes. People aren't putting stuff up any more because people aren't buying. There was a time, when I stuck to that sixty dollar rule and I could get 1830 quilts for thirty-nine dollars because sometimes they're in terrible shape. Sometimes they're downright ugly and sometimes the person is selling them, often doesn't know what they have, and they take a really terrible picture. So someone that just scrolls through and goes, 'Ooh that looks like it's from the 1950's.' Oddly I don't even want it and I'll be the only bidder. Those days are gone. Those days are gone. So I'm a very, I have to really keep it to what I can store in my house and so it's much better for me to spend my money on yardage. I'll spend a lot more on a piece of fabric than I'll spend on a quilt, which is the converse of most people. MC: Some of the quilts you make, yourself, sound like they're pretty contemporary with the Photoshop and all that, do you collect that type of quilt as well, or not so much? BB: No, oh Lord, that would be wonderful though. I have a few contemporary quilts that I've purchased in the charity auctions and things, and I'll pay more than sixty dollars, but they fit on the wall. They don't require folding up and good storage and tissue stuffing and things like that. Deciding that you're going to live small, which was sort of a political thing for me, and it's a functional thing, too. It means that you do not have storage and you cannot collect what you want, except for pictures. That's another reason why I'm so interested in pictures. MC: Of the contemporary quiltmakers, are there some that really speak to you? BB: Oh, yes. There're many contemporary quiltmakers [inaudible.] who knock me out. Laura Wasilowski, you know, the whole Chicago School of Fusing, with the idea of, just the freedom of that technique, the color that they use. Now, in my fabric business, I'm the reproduction person, so I'm stuck in natural dyes. Black cotton is not something I ever get to do because it's in the future from the Civil War, so lime green, vivid magenta, those are things that I don't ever get to do, so when I buy fabric that's what I buy. And when I look at quilts I'm saving them into an inspiration file. It'll be some of the real bright colors and the real interesting use of some of the bold graphic fabrics people are doing today. MC: You mentioned the Civil War thing which you've written a lot about, is it that you're fascinated by that period historically or is it the fabric that speaks to you first and foremost? BB: Through my life, now I have no history in my background, no history education, I've plenty of history in my background. When I started out I lived in this wonderful little town. One day I realized it was a very important place in the Civil War. I have to put this in--- Missourians came over and burned it in 1863. We're still mad. [laughter.] During the Civil War it was a very important location as to events leading up to the war and then during the war that burning of the [various unidentified noises.] town was just kind of a union rallying point. When I realized the history there I started getting interested in the Civil War because I wanted to know who owned my house. When I bought the house when I was twenty-five I could see the people who had owned it, those were names that I had heard of. So that's how I became interested in the Civil War. Since I have no real historical education, I thought I'm going to work backwards and so I have gradually been working backwards into the Civil War. I want to be able to go out onto the street and know what that street looked like in 1862 before they burned it. I feel pretty confident about that now, in that town and in Kansas I understand it very well. Then I started working backwards. So I was fascinated by the Civil War for many years and I read every woman's diary that I could find for those years and because I'm a compulsive collector I saved notebooks full of any quotes, I would write this down in longhand, any quotes they might refer to something interesting about their lives, their fight with their husband, their bad children, things we can relate to, their depressions, their illnesses, their experiences just in trying to live lives as women that were so constrained, but also about slavery, and about abolition, about political causes from the Civil War, and then any references to textiles and quilting. I got into this, really, thinking I bet these women talked about quilting. Well, they didn't that much but they do talk about fashion, especially in their letters and so I would write those things down. I have probably, well, three feet of notebooks that are full of these papers-full. That's one way I got interested in writing about the Civil War. I knew a lot more about the Civil War and how women lived through it than most formal historians do because they're not reading diaries and letters and they're not reading women's diaries and letters. That's how I got into the Civil War. Now I've been working backwards and I've got into the 1840's. So I spent years reading nothing but New England diaries and literature about the New England literati, the people that were so influential, the Hawthorn's and the Peabody's. Spent years reading them. Then I worked my way back into the 1820's which isn't got a lot of information. Then I jumped over to England and now I'm complete obsessed with the Regency period in England. [hissing sound.] I know every piece of gossip, and I tell you, you want to know gossip, you want to know some baaad lives, bad choices people made, the English Regency [laughter.] is the era. Now I'm stuck in about 1780 in England. I know a lot about, yeah it states although there certainly isn't the documentation, so I guess I have to work back until the colonial period but that looks kind of cold and bleak [laughter.] to me, and so all I can think of is Thanksgiving pictures of cold people eating. [laughter.] very, very small dishes of turkey. That's a prejudice that I want to get over so I'll have to go backwards. I live in a small town which has not a great town library, adequate, but it has a university library and they have great collections, so I'll just go through the number, the Dewey Decimal System or whatever. Some of the books I read are so obtuse they're still on the Dewey Decimal System and when I try to check them out they glare at me and go, you know, 'I have to put this in the system. Nobody's checked it out since 1948.' But we do have wonderful books so I have access to whole worlds and people say, 'You live in a little town, don't you get bored?' No, I live in Regency England right now [laughter.] and I'm never bored. MC: That's wonderful. It sort of prompted me to think about technology and the question of technology and quilts. Because you deal with all these historical quilts, you make them, you study them and you create patterns, how do you feel about the whole thing about making quilts today and hand versus machine versus long-arming and first of all how do you feel about it. And second of all, is it appropriate to use these older materials in these older quilts. Should you be sort of be making them the way they were made at the time they were made? Do you have any thoughts on that? BB: I'm a rebel. You can do whatever you want. I never give it a thought and I never have in my whole life. I started out making quilts. There were people who had, I took Home-ec for one semester, they just suggested I go into something else. [laughter.] My father didn't want me in Home-Ec. anyway. He was really supportive of me anyway, 'I think you should just take a business course. Forget that stuff.' So I just have always just have gone, 'Whatever.' It's functional, do what you want. I've documented, I worked for Quilters Newsletter [Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.] for many years and that was one of our big issues. 'Caryl Bryer Fallert won a prize with a machine-quilted quilt. You know, we have to write an editorial about it. What do you think?' Uh, well, let her do whatever she wants. So, there's just no opinion there. It just seems to me, I'm a visual person and I'm certainly not a nit-picker and people have asked me to judge contests at fairs. 'Oh, no, you don't want me judging, because I'll just go for the visuals. I will not check that binding and make sure that the batting extends to the edge.' MC: Or count the stitches. BB: Yes. I just don't care personally. People want to get into an argument about it and I'm not a very judgmental person, so I don't want anybody throwing stones at me, let me tell you that. MC: This is kind of an over-arching question. Why is quiltmaking important to your life? BB: Why is quiltmaking important to my life? That's a very good question. Social, I think if I didn't have my quilting groups I probably would have quit making quilts. I would be still making art but my life is very much built on my women friends. I have three quilting groups that I belong to, so Wednesday begins a grueling couple of days, Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday night, Thursday morning, three different groups. Now some of them only meet every other week, but what that grew out of, as I say earlier, we used to have a pattern business, these same people and so it was our meetings. It was our business meetings and we'd be sewing and we'd be working on projects together. Then as the business sort of faded away it just became social and we invited more people. As more people retired from their other businesses, we invited other people in. So I always have to have hand sewing for those things. I always have to have something I can be doing by hand and there's prep-work weekend for that grueling Wednesday-Thursday schedule. Then because they're so interested in quilting, many of them, we keep up on the tools and the equipment. We're constantly trying to find things that are going to make our lives easier, better, and of course, the fabric. I can always bring in something or other, something that I'm working on and that keeps everybody talking about fabric. I think it really is mostly social that keeps me in there. I know I would always be doing something artistic, but it's strange how the computer, using the computer graphics, has really replaced a lot of the creativity needs in my life. There's problems with that in that I don't get up and pretty soon, every day, I have to quit because I've stared at it for six hours and you've got to change your eye focus. Time to walk the dog. I think it's mostly social right now. MC: So, these groups that you're in, do you sew when you're there. Is it mostly show-and-tell, is it mostly social-- BB: It's all of those things. Show-and-tell, it's eating, it's champagne. Champagne for breakfast. I have to be busy, keep busy, and many of them do. One friend never does any prep-work and always comes in and says, 'Does anyone have anything for me to do?' So I like to even keep her busy. She's a great binder. If you get it pre-sewn, she'll bind it. She's a circle gluer. [hissing sound.] If she would do her own prep-work she could have made twenty quilts in the past couple of years, but she just can't sit there without having something to do. That's the way I am, too, so I do a lot of hand appliqué right now. We're always looking for the never-ending appliqué because then you won't have to do much prep and it's a tragedy after three years when it's done. [hissing sound, laughter.] MC: In what ways do your quilts reflect your community. BB: Well, that's social life and you know my community and many of the same people I've been sewing with for, I hate to say it, almost forty years, meeting at night every other week. We started out, years ago, the first group, and we made several group quilts, the first that really sticks in my mind is our Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue quilt, which is in the Quilt Index, in which we killed her. We hated her. We hated her because we’re anti-sentimentalists. We are just not amused by big-eyed children, unless they're real children. We lived in an era of Walter Keane paintings and Sunbonnet Sue just fit right in there. Everybody was gaga over her at our guild meetings so my friend Laurie Metzinger said at one time she'd like to see that little girl dead. [laughter.] So I took her and I drew her and I pushed her over on her side and I put a big rock on her chest and Laurie laughed so hard, this was during a guild meeting that we almost got thrown out. [laughter.] So we just took some Sunbonnet Sue patterns and we turned them over and we turned them on their face, turned them on their head, dropped things on them. That quilt entertained us no end. We got many people to work on it. Then we did a second one and then we said, 'All right, people are starting to attach meaning to this. They're starting to say that we were feminists, which we were, but that we were making this because we [laughter.] were feminist and we wanted to show that Sunbonnet Sue in her traditional role. We weren't thinking that. We were trying to kill her, squash her, flatten her out. It was anti-sentiment. So my friend, Nadra, says, 'Well, maybe should do a quilt that nobody can find any meaning in it at all.' This was in 1975, maybe '80. So she said, 'Every day I drive by a store, in Olathe, Kansas, called the Julian Flaming Furniture. It's been driving me crazy. What do you think they have in there?' Apparently Julian Flaming was someone's name. So then the idea was to imagine what was inside the Julian Flaming Furniture store. That's meaningless. It's total Dada. [laughter.] So we started that thirty years ago and it lagged, but about six months ago I got the blocks out and I said, 'We're finishing this thing, because thirty years is too long.' So here's what I've been working on night and day for the past six months, is trying to get people who were seven years old when we started it the first time, to make a few blocks. They had some things they wanted to set on fire [hissing.] and then we got it to the quilter. It just came back from the quilter last Wednesday. It's beautiful and I wanted to bring it. I thought that could be a good talismanic object, but I knew that my friend, Georgeanne, who never has anything to do it, so I would present it in the proper Tom Sawyer pattern, and she'd say, 'I'll take it. I'll bind it. I'll bring it back.' So she's got it right now. So this is a thirty-year project, so that's the way my quilts reflect my community. The ones that I'm working on as my art is that it's Tom Sawyerism. I try to get everybody involved. MC: Where will that quilt go. BB: Well, I don't know. You're thinking which museum discipline. Now that MSU, Michigan State University does have our first Sunbonnet Sue quilt, now we thought this was so amusing thirty years ago. So now that I can look on the web, you type Flaming Furniture. [laughter.] Every twenty-year old who's got his apartment and a six-pack of beer has poured gasoline on his couch and set it on fire. I've taken a picture of him, sitting there, drinking a beer. That's exactly the same sense of humor. [laughter.] I don't know, it's adolescent and it's like putting Zsa Zsa Gabor, of course, on a holy card. It's adolescent humor. So where would it go. I don't know. It's not even back from the quilter. Once it's back we hope to show it in our guild show this April and then we will undoubtedly will drag it around for a while some people are still out there giving lectures and, of course, I'll put it on my blog. Probably, since they're all invigorated after finishing a thirty-year project, someone will get another idea next week. 'Well, you know, we could do that one we talked about years ago.' I do love community working and I love art group projects. They said, 'We got it out, you know, and I put it together with scraps of stuff we had left from other projects.' They said, 'Did it turn out the way you thought?' and I said, 'No, I really hoped I could make it pretty.' [laughter.] But it's a lot of furnitures, overstuffed furniture with little appliqué flames coming out of it. There's just nothing you can do. [laughter.] It's got an Eames chair and someone did the kitchen sink. There's some very nice things in it. I think it's just downright ugly. Actually it's a concept. [sharp rattle.] We'll see what people can make of this and say, 'Now these women are deeply worried about fire insurance.' [laughter.] It's totally meaningless. MC: I can't wait to see it. What is the importance of quilts in American life? BB: Zilch. [laughter.] You know, I'm from a social services background. I'm a liberal. There are a lot more problems in American life than quilts. I do think the quilts are a touchstone to our ancestors and I am a historian. I'm a family genealogist. I love the way they connect us to the past. It's a luxury to be able to have that kind of touch with the past, to be able to have the money as a nation to save them in museum collections, to have the luxury as women and men to make them, to indulge ones selves in buying that much fabric and putting that much work into something, a handmade object. That's the importance of it, is that it reflects a lot, but I don't know, I'm a myth buster. It's something I can't say, but I can do it. They will come and go, as my grandmother always said, 'We had some of those, but when we had some money we got rid of them.' That attitude's going to come back. We have no family quilts at all and she said, 'As soon as we got two nickels to rub together we went out of the handmade blanket business, Barbara.' So, I think they have importance as to what they mean and how they reflect our ability to appreciate them. When you read world news, you know, and people are leaving countries because, it always breaks my heart and I know if you are collectors you people have to leave Tripoli, you can take what's on your back and one armful. You don't have room for that quilt or anything else that's important to you. So, I always think 'Well, if I had to get out what would I'd take, I guess the dachshund, the fat dachshund that would fill up my arms and I would like to have the hard drive but it's going to have to go, so very little gets to go. So I do think that we are in a unique position and that we are now able to reflect back on all that and to not have the attitude my grandmother has that a handmade blanket is a reflection of poverty. We have the respect for them. MC: So it sounds like you're saying you think that the ebb and flow of quilting, that it's going to run down again, we're going to go through those sallow periods again? BB: It must be inevitable. I don't know. As when my aunt said, and I had an abundance of aunts and when I quit teaching, that reliable job with a pension they kept telling me about, and I said, 'Oh, I'm in the quilt business now, I just go around and lecture.' And they said, 'Oh, you better have a fall-back idea.' I've never needed the fall-back idea but I think we can't predict the future. There was a period about ten years ago everyone was going into knitting, [laughter.] but knitting, there's just so many handmade sweaters a small child can have. [laughter.] And so grandmas, quit mothers, they did it, so I just don't know. I think people will always be doing something creative but what that will be, I can't predict the future. I'm very pleased that it's been going on, I've been in this business for thirty years. That's a luxury, too. I've been able to support myself really well for thirty years. Ebb and flow, I'm a historian. MC: It's not going to ebb in your life, though, for you. BB: No, because I'm retired. I just got my first social security check. MC: So that means more quilting, more-- BB: Well, more time to Photoshop I fear. MC: Well, to wrap up, in terms of your journeys with quilts and your discovery with quilts, what would your dream be, for your next-- BB: Oh, well, my dream with quilts. I would like to have more storage space. That is my [laughter.] eternal, you know, if you live in a small house you look at those people who have those little aluminum barns in their backyard and you go, 'Man, I could fill one of those with something. I wouldn't put the quilts out there, but if I put, like the pantry out there, [laughter.] I could put shelves in the pantry. I could put quilts in there. So my dream would be to have more storage space. I have had a [laughter.] a studio down town which I rented with friends and that's where we kept things for years. We lost our lease. The parking was horrible, the stairs were terrible and so I remodeled my garage to do that, but the garage is full, totally full. That studio was totally full, so more room for a better collection. Recently Moda sent me to look at a beautiful swatch book from 1835 and I thought if I were the richest woman in the world I would buy swatch books and I would have a room to keep them in and a curator to take care of them and I would come in every day and she would, with white gloves, turn the pages for me. [laughter.] What do you think of that one? So that would be my ideal. The realities are, if I had them I'd drop them and the dog would [inaudible.]. I'm very bad. It's not a museum at my house so I really don't want to have those kind of valuable things. I do love the access to them. As far as making quilts, I have time to make quilts. I have time. I have two studios, one in the house, one bedroom, the only bedroom in the house. I'm sleeping in the living room, abandon the dining room because who has people over any more. So that's the living room or the giant TV room and so I have an inside studio and then an outside studio and the outside one tends to be more storage for the swatches that I do have and a lot of the quilts. I do have the time to make the quilts. People say you're going to retire. What are you going to do? I hope to paint and draw more. They're messy. One of the reasons I got into quilting, I think, when I was just out of art school, was you can pick up a quilt and sew. You can't pick up an oil painting. You have to have the outfit on to do the oil painting. You have to have the big area and so I don't think I'll ever oil paint again but I'd love to go back to more watercolor and tempera and things like that. MC: Thank you so much for letting us do this and talk to you and absolutely fascinating and truly fun, so this concludes the interview with Barbara Brackman and the time is now 10:18 a.m. Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KS66049-001 Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Barbara Brackman is a quilt historian who specializes in designing reproduction prints for Moda. She maintains a internet presence through <a href="http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/" title="Barbara Brackman's Material Culture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">her blog</a>, where she shares her knowledge of historic fabric and quilts. In this interview, she recounts to Meg Cox how she began as a quilter by discovering historical quilt patterns. She has been inspired by Civil War era quilts in part because of the local history of her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas.&nbsp; Quiltmaking has played a significant social role in her life, and she has continued to be active in three different quilting groups, including one that has met for forty years. in addition to collecting quilts as she has room, she also collects digital images of quilts and vintage fabrics. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Barbara Brackman Civil War Cowboy Boot patterns Hand applique Hand Sewing Kansas City Star Patterns legend Photoshop Quilt history quilt revival reproduction fabric Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue quilt http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/477b56a3d338d1a9a4b6567bfe979bc4.jpg 31e4f7b9eaff452e1af5f23d13278733 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/1e5cb7e94966923bb0ccbe8d6a350f7d.jpg dc21eb3a54ec77c62946e9b3094601d7 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/a6c3a01654540a22abc7b2a74a951f5d.jpg 96988af643261860339150c755af757c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Quilt Festival QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Suzanna Hardabeck Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Barbara Oliver Hartman OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=TX77010-021Hartman.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.1 Barbara Oliver Hartman TX77010-021Hartman Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The International Quilt Festival QSOS Quilt Alliance Barbara Oliver Hartman Suzanna Hardabeck 1:|13(2)|26(11)|36(5)|48(13)|61(2)|74(14)|82(12)|92(12)|103(16)|113(9)|123(4)|135(1)|144(9)|155(2)|170(7)|178(12)|187(4)|205(2)|215(7)|229(4)|242(3)|251(12)|273(14)|291(1)|300(2)|311(6)|320(12)|328(5)|340(3)|352(4)|360(6)|372(10)|383(5)|400(18) 0 http://quiltalliance.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/TX77010-021Hartman.mp3 Other audio 0 Interview Introduction Okay this is Suzanne Hardebeck and today's date is November the third, and it is 4:08 and I'm conducting an interview with Barbara Oliver Hartman for Quilters' S.O.S. Save Our Stories a project of the Alliance for American Quilts. Barbara and I are at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. The introduction to the QSOS interview between interviewer Suzanne Hardebeck and interviewee Barbara Oliver Hartman at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas International Quilt Festival 29.752, -95.357 17 George R. Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida de las Americas Houston, Texas, USA 77010 32 Tell me about the quilt you brought in today. ; Barbara, will you tell me about the quilt you brought today? Hartman discusses the quilt that she started in 1992, but finished in 2008. The series uses small scraps of fabric left from other projects. She notes that her first quilt in this series was juried into the prestigious exhibition Quilt National in 1993. This one is owned by the corporation behind the International Quilt Festival, Quilts, Inc. quilt national ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-021_hartman_01.jpg Barbara Oliver Hartman with her quilt, “Autumn Leaves.” 99 How many hours a week do you quilt? ; That's really a good question. I am in my studio probably ten to twelve hours a day. Hartman works in her studio for three to five hours a day, but she gets distracted frequently. She also describes her color preferences for her quilts. She uses earth tones, including what she calls autumn colors. color ; Time management ; Work or Studio space 17 181 Do you use a design wall? If so, in what way/how does that enhance your creative process? If not, how do you go about designing your quilts? ; Hartman discusses how she uses her design Design process ; Design Wall 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-021_hartman_05.jpg photograph of one of Barbara Oliver Hartman's quilts that uses autumn and earthly colors 248 Have advances in technology influenced your work? If so, how? ; : It really hasn't affected how I do this quilt. I have many, I have many styles that I work in and one of them does use technology. I do some designing on the computer, especially with very intricate pieced quilts, when I do those, but with this particular style of quilts, it's pretty much I have to sort of be designing and sewing and taking care of all the technical aspects all at the same time while I'm working on the piece. 17 344 Tell me about an amusing experience that has occurred from your quiltmaking? ; Oh okay, well I do have a funny story about this particular style, because what I'm doing is I'm using a free motion zigzag stitch and because these are teeny weenie little pieces, I have to get my fingers very close to the darning foot. Hartman discusses a funny story about an experience with a zigzag stitch Benima sewing machine ; darning foot ; Home sewing machine ; quilting injury ; zigzag stick 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-021_hartman_01.jpg Hartman standing next to her autumn quilt 531 What makes a quilt artistically powerful? ; What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful as you work on your quilts? Hartman says that she does not know exactly what makes a quilt powerful, and she is always happy with her results. 17 http://www.barbaraoliverhartman.com/ Barbara Oliver Hartman's official website 593 Which artists have influenced you? ; Oh, I am very taken with, you know I love Picasso, I love Impressionism, I love Post-Impressionism, a very abstract, this is the most realistic type of thing that I do by far. Hartman talks about the influences of Post-Impressionism artists like Picasso and Monet Claude Monet ; Impressionism ; influences ; Pablo Picasso ; Paul Klee ; Post-Impressionism ; Wassily Kandinsky 17 784 How does quiltmaking impact your family? ; No they aren't. My kids are all artistic, and they're, they love what I do, my husband loves what I do, but they don't do it. One of my daughters is an artist, I mean, she has a real job but she really has a, an artistic bent. Hartman talks about her family in relation to her quilt making. She says that her daughter and brother-in-law are both artistic. artistic bent ; craft fairs ; Quilt National ; Yuma, Arizona 17 952 What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? ; We have far more opportunities now. Hartman discuses the fact that quilt makers have far more opportunities today compared to 25 years ago. opportunities 17 1129 What special meaning does this quilt have for you? ; Is there anything you want to share about that quilt that I didn't specifically ask you of, of Autumn leaves? Hartman designed this specific quilt for the Husqvama exhibit and she had not seen it in a long time. collection ; Husqvarna ; size 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/qsos_TX77010-021_hartman_03.jpg Picture of the Hartman's Autumn Leaves quilt 1206 What aspects of quiltmaking do you not enjoy? ; Tell me if you have ever used quilts to get through a difficult time? ; Is there any specific part of quiltmaking that you don't like? Hartman talks about her love and hate relationship with quilting. It helped get her through her sister's cancer, but she overdid it and now is physically unable to quilt at the same level that she could before because of carpel tunnel syndrome applique ; carpel tunnel syndrome ; handquilting ; pieced quilts ; thread embellishment 17 1513 Handwork on Quilts How close do you make your stitches when you hand stitch? Hartman talks about her love for hand quilting and how it makes her feel. Embroidery ; guilting 17 1996 Interview Conclusion Okay well I'd like to thank Barbara for allowing me to interview her today for Quilters' S.O.S. Save Our Stories oral history project. Our interview is now concluded at 4:42. 17 Oral History Suzanne Hardebeck (SH): Are we ready? Barbara Oliver Hartman (BOH): Here&#039 ; s the quilt if you want to ask any. SH: Okay. Okay this is Suzanne Hardebeck and today&#039 ; s date is November the third, and it is 4:08 and I&#039 ; m conducting an interview with Barbara Oliver Hartman for Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. Save Our Stories a project of the Alliance for American Quilts. Barbara and I are at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. Barbara, will you tell me about the quilt you brought today? BOH: This quilt is one in a series of quilts that I&#039 ; ve done, been doing for, since 1992. This particular quilt was quilted, was finished in 2008. It is a series that uses every single tiny little piece left from all of my other projects. It&#039 ; s truly a green quilt. I started doing them, sort of by accident, like I say in 1992, and the first one that I made in this series was accepted into Quilt National in 1993. SH: Do you have any specific plans for this, additional plans for this quilt? BOH: This quilt is owned by Quilts, Inc. SH: Okay. About how many hours a week do you end up quilting? BOH: That&#039 ; s really a good question. I am in my studio probably ten to twelve hours a day. I used to actually be productive most of that time but now I&#039 ; m slowing down, I get distracted by many things, and I still think that I probably work three to five hours a day as an average on actually making quilts. SH: Do you have a favorite color or theme? BOH: My main theme is I am a very earthy girl, and I like autumn colors, I wear autumn colors, I like to sew with them, I just really gravitate toward earth tone and muddy colors. Although, I have some projects that I do in others but for the most part, you&#039 ; re going to see a lot of greens, golds, browns, khaki, those yucky green colors that most people don&#039 ; t like to use [laughs.] all of the earth tones, yeah, that&#039 ; s me. SH: I noticed you have a design wall, on this particular kind of quilt, are you using it or are you just improvising? BOH: That is a great point because it&#039 ; s the only type of quilt that I make where I can&#039 ; t use a design wall. What I do is I&#039 ; ll make a very, very crude drawing sketch of where I want to put the ground, the sky, the trees, and sometimes that changes midstream, but because I&#039 ; m working with these teeny weenie little pieces, I call them slivers and bits, and because I&#039 ; m using these little teeny weenie pieces, I can only work on an area about six inches in diameter on my sewing machine at a time. What I have to do is sew until I get them sort of fastened down, and then when I get a few areas finished, I, then I put it up on the design wall to see where I am with it, but it&#039 ; s a really difficult to pre-design using this style that I&#039 ; m using. SH: Has technology affected the way you do this quilt? BOH: It really hasn&#039 ; t affected how I do this quilt. I have many, I have many styles that I work in and one of them does use technology. I do some designing on the computer, especially with very intricate pieced quilts, when I do those, but with this particular style of quilts, it&#039 ; s pretty much I have to sort of be designing and sewing and taking care of all the technical aspects all at the same time while I&#039 ; m working on the piece. SH: Do you teach this method? BOH: Yes. I just started, I actually had not, I&#039 ; d been teaching a lot of other different kinds of things for many years, and a couple of years ago I did develop a class and a PowerPoint lecture where I showed the different steps of the process, and I just came back about a month ago from Fargo, North Dakota and I was teaching the class and some of the students came up with some really neat things, it was very, very fun. I have been teaching at some lately, but that&#039 ; s kind of new to my teaching, teaching list. SH: Do you have any amusing experiences that you&#039 ; d like to share with us, either from your sewing and creating or from your classes? BOH: Oh okay, well I do have a funny story about this particular style, because what I&#039 ; m doing is I&#039 ; m using a free motion zigzag stitch and because these are teeny weenie little pieces, I have to get my fingers very close to the darning foot and I&#039 ; m using a little metal, I&#039 ; m using my Bernina and I&#039 ; m using a little metal open toe darning foot that is not designed to do with a zigzag and I routinely sew my finger. Now, the first worst time that I did it, and I mean I&#039 ; ve been sewing since I was five years old, I&#039 ; ve never sewed my finger, I&#039 ; ve been quilting for thirty years, and I&#039 ; ve never sewed my finger, so and it actually might have been on this quilt, that I have my studio at home is set up, I have a room, and I have my sewing machine, it faces a television set, and right to my left is my computer, so I&#039 ; m like in a cockpit when I&#039 ; m sewing. I&#039 ; m terrible, I&#039 ; m a notorious multitasker and I shouldn&#039 ; t be doing it, so sometimes I&#039 ; ll be watching TV sewing and on the computer, all at the same time, sometimes talking on the phone too, and so one day I was just, I don&#039 ; t know what happened, and I sewed my finger. The first time I ever did and it went through the nail, and so my husband heard me, my studio&#039 ; s upstairs and so my husband heard me yell and he runs to the bottoms of the stairs, he says, &quot ; You okay?&quot ; and I walk out, broke the, sewed right through my nail, it broke the needle of course, I walked to the top of the stairs and I&#039 ; m really getting faint, and he looks at me and he seen me sort of bobbing, he says, &quot ; You better sit down and not fall down these stairs,&quot ; [laughs.] but it was really bad, but since that time, in the last few years, it is just fairly common that I&#039 ; ll catch just the, on my left hand index finger, I&#039 ; ll catch a little bit of the skin or the fat on that finger right beside my nail. I&#039 ; ve never sewn through the nail again and I don&#039 ; t even flinch anymore, it just happens, it you know, it&#039 ; s like no big deal now, but yes that&#039 ; s, and my husband likes the tell that story, &quot ; Yeah you should have seen, if she wouldn&#039 ; t watch TV and sew at the same time, she wouldn&#039 ; t have that problem,&quot ; because of course he&#039 ; s a guy and he only does one thing at a time [laughs.] SH: What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful as you work on your quilts? BOH: You know, I never think about that, that way. I just do what I do and I&#039 ; m just always delighted and surprised if something turns out nicely and I don&#039 ; t, I know when I see somebody else&#039 ; s quilt and artistically it&#039 ; s you know, it just has a powerful, it, either the color or the design or whatever combination you know, that you, that makes that happen but I don&#039 ; t, you know that just never, I just go into my studio and make stuff and whatever I feel like doing that day, I do, and if, and I&#039 ; m just always kind of happy if it turns out. SH: What artists have affected you and your work do you think? BOH: Oh, I am very taken with, you know I love Picasso, I love impressionism, I love post impressionism, a very abstract, this is the most realistic type of thing that I do by far, just about everything else is very, far more abstract than this, so this is a, kind of my impressionistic series that I&#039 ; m doing. The more, the more of those I do, I&#039 ; m constantly refining the technique and it&#039 ; s just given more of the abstract impressionism look to them, and you know, I love Picasso, Monet, Klee, and Kandinsky those are absolutely my favorite artists. SH: Were you trained as an artist? BOH: No I wasn&#039 ; t, but I came, my mother was a dressmaker and literally from the time I was five years old I sat at the sewing machine. My mother made squaw dresses back in the 50s and she had a business and she had ladies that sewed for her and she made them for stores and custom work for people, I lived in Arizona, was raised there. We had, I had the fabric guy came, the zipper guy came, the thread you know, the trim, all of the different things she used so I was around it all my life, hated anything to do with sewing because I had to do it, and anything my mother wanted me to do I didn&#039 ; t want to do, but I&#039 ; ve always sewed. My grandmother in Texas made quilts, so we would go in the summers and visit her and she always had the quilt on the, she had to quilt that came down from the ceiling you know, at night then you&#039 ; d roll it back up when they would go to bed, and she quilted out of necessity. My mother was very proud of the fact that she did not quilt, because she was prosperous enough to buy the blankets, coming as a child of the depression, so she didn&#039 ; t see much value in what my grandmother did, and my grandmother made all the clothes too, but she also made the quilts from the used clothing because it was a necessity, you know she had to do that. My mother, so it kind of skipped a generation there, and I was in the thirties before I just, I always had a sewing machine, I would sew for my daughters a little bit when they were young, but so I just sort of took it up as a little hobby [laughs.] about thirty years ago and it&#039 ; s just totally taken over our whole family&#039 ; s lives ever since. SH: Is the rest of your family involved in your art business? BOH: No they aren&#039 ; t. My kids are all artistic, and they&#039 ; re, they love what I do, my husband loves what I do, but they don&#039 ; t do it. One of my daughters is an artist, I mean, she has a real job but she really has a, an artistic bent. She is very, a creative thinker, and you know, but none of them are, but my brother-in-law is an artist, he has a PhD in art ; my husband&#039 ; s brother was a potter for thirty-five years, he raised his family doing arts and crafts fairs making pots. So we&#039 ; ve had a lot of artists in the family. It&#039 ; s like we have artists, and then everyone else that appreciates them. This quilt here got rejected from I.Q.A. this year, just for your information. SH: [laughs.] BOH: That was okay, this is the first one I did that got accepted into Quilt National in 1992, so this is, that&#039 ; s how much that technique has progressed. Of course people on this recording aren&#039 ; t going to know what we&#039 ; re looking at. We&#039 ; re going through some of my pictures on my computer. SH: You mentioned being from Arizona, and I know it was Yuma [Arizona.], how does that affect your color use and your quilt style? BOH: I think it&#039 ; s had a pretty profound influence. I tend to really like the desert, I like stark and simple things, simple shapes, I keep it kind of simple, I think the color palettes that I use a lot of the browns and golds and greens and that type of thing, I don&#039 ; t think of it. I think a lot of my shapes are also sometimes I recognize kind of the Native American influences and the Mexican influences because Yuma [Arizona.] is on the border and it also has three Indian reservations. That was always something that we saw a lot of. I have a picture here of Yuma [Arizona.], I don&#039 ; t know if I have it on here. SH: What do you think the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today is? BOH: We have far more opportunities now. Twenty-five years ago when a group of us in Dallas [Texas.] tried to get our quilts shown outside of a quilt show, we would go to maybe our local art center, or you know small museum area or even galleries, and almost get laughed out of the place with out quilts. Now, I think we have a lot of opportunity. I think that the challenges are the same as in every endeavor in society today that everybody&#039 ; s looking for instant gratification. I think the challenges are probably our own making because we, you know, there&#039 ; s sometimes you don&#039 ; t want to pay your dues and do the work, and want instant gratification, but for the most part, oh this is what I was going to show you. This is the latest my little grandson, he turned nine, I told him he could sew for the first time, so about a month and a half ago I just cut a bunch of strips for him and he sewed that. SH: Fantastic. BOH: You were asking about the family, so that&#039 ; s what, so my family, so here I&#039 ; ve got a little grandson that&#039 ; s very proud of his little project. SH: Well it&#039 ; s very nice. BOH: My little, my little ginger boy, so, anyway. SH: We have a budding male artist in the family here? BOH: Yes, and he is so proud of it, you know, and he just, because he and one other grandson who&#039 ; s grown now, he was about nine when he was very taken with it, and the thing with the boys that are very mechanical, because see it&#039 ; s equipment to them, you know they&#039 ; re wanting to work the machinery, and this can, and they were both like really into Legos and building the little things that had mechanical parts and all that. The other grandkids weren&#039 ; t into that so, but these two boys, the older grandson and this one, they just have been into it, but both of them have brothers who could care less about it, so, you know, it&#039 ; s just getting them at the right point, but oh he loved that. He loved making that quilt. SH: Is there anything you want to share about that quilt that I didn&#039 ; t specifically ask you of, of autumn leaves? BOH: No, not really. I made that, that was the only one in the series that I actually made for a specific reason and it was for the Husqvarna exhibit that year, when they used to have the Husqvarna, and they had to be made to a certain size, and that was the fifty-one by fifty-one and they traveled for a couple of years, and they could be for sale or not and I was just very fortunate that Carrie and Nancy wanted it for their collection and quilt seeing. It will be I guess in a permanent collection in the museum and so it was, so this is the first time I&#039 ; ve seen it in a long, long time. SH: Does it bring back special memories? BOH: Yes, and it was fun to do, and I was, I mean I was very pleased with it and then when it was sold, I was just ecstatic by who bought it, you know, it was very gratifying. SH: Is there any specific part of quiltmaking that you don&#039 ; t like? BOH: You know, I love all of it sometimes, and I hate all of it sometimes [laughs.] there&#039 ; s really not much I don&#039 ; t like. For many years, probably the first twenty years that I was seriously quilting, my very favorite part of the handquilting. I would sit and handquilt, I could handquilt through anything. Twelve years ago my sister died, she had been sick for many years, you know two or three years really in bad shape, she had cancer, she had melanoma, and I would spend a lot of time with her in the day and I would come home and I would just, my therapy was sitting and handquilting. Well unfortunately, I overdid it, and so now I have carpel tunnel really bad, and so I try to have a quilt on my frame all the time, where if I were seriously quilting a quilt right now, I could maybe handquilt two hours a day, without it making my hands go to sleep at night, and you know be miserable. That was probably the most single, most gratifying part of the quilting process for a long, long time and then I finally had to accept that I couldn&#039 ; t do that anymore. I do different kinds of quilts on not this particular type of quilt with the little pieces, but most of the other quilts that I do, my pieced quilts, my other appliqué quilts, even though I am doing most of the work by machine, I will come back in and do some big stitches or some thread embellishment by hand and it just kind of makes me feel good to have a little bit of that hand work in the quilts. SH: Do you do paper piecing or do just-- BOH: I do a lot of paper piecing, I do a lot of, I know its foundation piecing, I don&#039 ; t do it on paper anymore, I learned that lesson [laughs.] I got tired of pulling paper off, but many of my large quilts, my major pieces, have been paper pieced. SH: Well then do you draw the-- BOH: Like okay, here, well this is-- SH: On foundation or yourself or-- BOH: Yes, okay. Here&#039 ; s an example. This was a quilt that I designed on the computer, this is foundation pieced. SH: Okay. BOH: Curved foundation pieced, so I do it on fabric rather than paper, so then I don&#039 ; t have to tare, so I&#039 ; ve got that extra layer of stability in the quilt, makes them flatter, nicer, and you can do a lot of things with it. SH: What do you use for your foundation? BOH: Muslin, I just use muslin. SH: Do you use a particular type of quilt program or do you just-- BOH: No, it&#039 ; s a drawing program. I use either Illustrator or CorelDRAW ; see I have lots of different kinds. SH: Yeah. Then do you after you draw it on the computer then do you pin it out? BOH: Yeah, what I have to do is if I draw it on the computer, then I have to bring it up to full-size, so if it&#039 ; s, generally what I&#039 ; ll do is I&#039 ; ll take it, I have two ways of enlarging that patterns, one is I&#039 ; ll take it to Kinkos and blow it up as big as I can, that&#039 ; s what I did on most of my star quilts that are foundation pieced, and the other method that I&#039 ; ve started doing some is, another method that I&#039 ; ve started doing some is using my projector, my digital projector, because if I have the image on my computer, then I can just plug my digital, I can throw it onto my design wall and I can trace it. I have to one way or another, I have to come up with a full-size pattern and than that have to be traced off onto the pieces, so then I have to figure out how to put it together. Sometimes I design things where I could not figure out how to make them, so I would have to abandon those. This was a quilt, of course we can&#039 ; t see it, but it&#039 ; s a picture of a face, this is called Stages and it&#039 ; s the stages of grief, and this is the quilt that I would come home and sew on when my sister was dying. Let&#039 ; s see, it&#039 ; s got a heart, tears, a lightening bolt with some shock and so anyway, that&#039 ; s that. SH: How close do you make your stitches when you hand stitch? BOH: This particular, a lot of the quilts, and most of the ones that I do where I&#039 ; m using big stitches, I will do like every other row will be very hot, fine, hand stitching and I&#039 ; m a really good handquilter, and then I&#039 ; ll come back in with the embroidery floss and do the big stitches and I kind of intermingle them because I love the, I love texture on the surface of quilts, that&#039 ; s just, you know just an added thing that I like to do [inaudible.] but see here&#039 ; s like a little pieced quilt here but I&#039 ; ll come back in because it&#039 ; s all machine done, but it made me feel better to put some little hand stitches in there, so I will do that routinely. SH: Very nice. [inaudible.] Okay. I&#039 ; m running out here. Anything that I didn&#039 ; t ask you that you want to answer? BOH: Well the main thing is, I just, oh I love to tell everybody that I love what I do. I&#039 ; ve been so lucky that I have been afforded the chance to not have to make a living at it, or I would&#039 ; ve starved to death [laughs.] and my husband totally supports what I do, he thinks he&#039 ; s supporting a non-profit organization [laughs.] Although I do sell some work [laughs.] [microphone fell off.] I do sell some. I need to plus that back in. I know this little, this needs to come out a little further, just not very, yeah, there we go. Anyway, and my husband loves what I do and he&#039 ; s afforded me the opportunity to do it and he loves my quilt friends. The best friends I have had as an adult and I joined the Dallas [Texas.] guild in 1983 and most of the friends I&#039 ; ve made as an adult are quilt friends, quilt and art friends, and they all have come from quilting, being part of a guild, being part of a group, helping organize shows, and it&#039 ; s just added to the, I mean quilting has added so much to the quality of my life, my kids&#039 ; lives, my family&#039 ; s life, I just feel lucky everyday. It&#039 ; s like a gift ; I mean I really truly was given a gift. SH: Do you mainly use cotton or do you use silk and linen or? BOH: Okay, this is all cotton except I do have some silk thread here in this particular one. For the most part I&#039 ; m using cotton, I&#039 ; m pretty picky about my threads, my materials, and that&#039 ; s another thing that I learned the hard way over the years when you&#039 ; re self taught. I have learned the hard way, do not skimp on your materials, use high quality thread, fabric, equipment, because the only thing that you&#039 ; re doing is the only thing that is non renewable source is your time [laughs.] and when you waste, not using the best product and you know materials that you can afford, I&#039 ; ve been lucky to be able to afford a lot, you know the nice things. I have friends that, you know, might not be able to have all of that, but I try to make everything in as high of quality in the products that I use when I&#039 ; m putting in to something, batting, backing, everything, I try to. SH: Do you use cotton batting or wool batting? BOH: I use, I don&#039 ; t use wool, I use all cotton and I just always say, &quot ; There&#039 ; s no wool in my house,&quot ; [laughs.] my husband might have a couple of wool suits. I just, I love cotton, I don&#039 ; t use any poly-cotton blends at all, I&#039 ; ve have very bad luck with those, so I use, I just use all cotton products for the most part. If I, I&#039 ; m not opposed to, many of my friends really love the wool bats, and I know they are very high quality, it&#039 ; s just, I have gotten into that, and I&#039 ; m very happy with the cotton battings that I&#039 ; m using. I will use a little bit of silk. I have, I love that hundred weight silk thread and I have used it on the surface to do some design work on some quilts. So I will use some silk thread, but mostly, and sometimes in the bobbins I&#039 ; ll use some bottom line that has polyester in it, you know, especially if I&#039 ; m doing those landscapes where I&#039 ; m filling five bobbins at a time, and I need a really fine thread so I don&#039 ; t have to change the bobbins so much [laughs.] but for the most part I&#039 ; m using cotton. SH: Do you use any certain kind of needles or just the eighty weight or the-- BOH: No, I on the needles I use a seventy, the 70s instead of the 80s and I always use sharp, I never use universal, I always use the sharp needle, whether I&#039 ; m doing the seventy or the eighty size needle and I never, I rarely ever use the ninety. I use very fine threads, I like sixty weight, fifty weight thread and I like the hundred weight silk thread and I just, my machines and myself, I just like the way the finer threads kind of sink in to the kind of projects that I work on, and so I use a smaller needle. If I&#039 ; m using a monofilament, a real fine monofilament, invisible thread on some projects, and the hundred weight silk, I will actually use a sixty needle in my machine, a sixty sharp, but those microfiber, sharp, 70s, that&#039 ; s pretty much my preferred needle. I buy them in bulk because I do sew my finger and break them from time to time. SH: I was looking here for silk and I didn&#039 ; t find any, what brand do you use? BOH: It&#039 ; s a Diane Gaudynski has that line of hundred weight, I think both, Yli and Superior have the hundred weight silk thread, I do believe. Diane Gaudynski has a line and she uses that a lot in her very fine machine quilting, which is the best on the planet, the best quilting on the planet, and she&#039 ; s the one that kind of clued me in on using the smaller needles too on the finer threads so they&#039 ; re, it&#039 ; s available, but you just have to look. SH: Okay. BOH: And it&#039 ; s expensive, but. SH: We&#039 ; re running toward the end of the interview. Anything else that you want to cover that we haven&#039 ; t covered? BOH: Not that I can think of, I&#039 ; ve told you everything I know in thirty minutes. SH: [laughs.] Okay well I&#039 ; d like to thank Barbara for allowing me to interview her today for Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. Save Our Stories oral history project. Our interview is now concluded at 4:42. BOH: Oh here this was a neat quilt. This was a computer design and it was on the cover of that tumbling block book that A.Q.S. did, and so what I did is I drew up a whole block, a whole page of tumbling blocks, and then I swirled them, and made a sphere out of it and then I figured out how to real easily, I did Lisa&#039 ; s quilt in like three weeks, and it&#039 ; s big. See each one of these is a row, so I just did sew flip, sew flip, sew flip, light, medium, dark all the way down and sewed them together, it was very cool ; but that was a technology thing, so we&#039 ; re through with that now. SH: How do we turn them off? BOH: There&#039 ; s probably an off button. That it right there? Stop, maybe where it says-- 2015 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 http://quiltalliance.net Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Susan Quinn Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context TX77010-021Hartman Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Barbara Oliver Hartman Description An account of the resource Barbara Oliver Hartman shares her quilt, 'Autumn Leaves', which took more than 15 years to complete. http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/cd827c0b6d88680b153eb36ac4ac298f.jpg 9c6d0e2b1d8be7dfa7e3976447c35590 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/0a08ee24b1fd4af131888b97cac29943.jpg 23808ad431eb51f94c3284ad80ce3817 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/0261d28569efae69fbe61cbffe9bc80b.jpg f3c37448732cda8a8d80689a2c2963ef http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/42b1833bba7c73f338b55f2b6d7cc3e9.jpg 29591be9f8b0e9ac58b38d791ca0b78a Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Barbara Schneider OHMS Object https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=IL60098-001.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.4 Interview with Barbara Schneider IL60098-001 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The Illinois QSOS Quilt Alliance Barbara Schneider Karen Musgrave 0 https://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/IL60098-001 Schneider.mp3 Other audio Oral History Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I&#039 ; m doing a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Barbara Schneider. Today&#039 ; s date is November 4, 2008. It is now 10:40 in the morning. This is being done as a demonstration interview in front of the North Suburban NeedleArts Guild. Barbara I want to thank you for doing this interview with me. Please tell me about the piece that you brought, which is titled &quot ; A Ring of Days.&quot ; Barbara Schneider (BS): &quot ; A Ring of Days&quot ; [clears throat.] is a piece that I did when I first started to get into quilting. I had taken the traditional quilting classes and had done some sample pieces. At the time I was working as an executive for a publisher and I had a really busy life and my husband was ill. He was diagnosed with cancer and I felt like I didn&#039 ; t have time to do quilting in the real sense of sitting down and doing projects. I had seen an article by Nancy Halpren in Threads in which she wrote about doing a visual journal. That really struck a cord with me - that I could come home at the end of the day and just do one simple thing. So I set a goal for myself to do that with a template for the shapes and the things that I wanted to accomplish by doing it. I wanted to really be more observant each day of what was happening in my environment and to do something creative each day even if it was just go down and make my sketch. It would be an opportunity to learn new techniques on a very small basis instead of thinking I had to do a much bigger project to accomplish that. I had a notebook that I just carried with me that I could record things about what I might do if I couldn&#039 ; t get to it that day. It started March 1, 1997 and ended February 28, 1998. I pretty much finished in that time. I had no actual idea about what it was going to become, a &quot ; Ring of Days&quot ; . I just kept making those pieces day after day after day. After a while I developed a few templates. I did a lot of travel for my work so I made a travel template. Can I walk over there? The microphone will pick up what I say? KM: Um, hum. [KM and BS leave the table and walk over the to &quot ; A Ring of Days.&quot ; ] BS: [laughs.] Whenever I had travel I used this template that was pointing north, south, east, west. I ended up doing it so I could gain a little bit of time. There were some other format kinds of things - I always did the full moon each month. I would do it a piece based on myths like the strawberry moon or the harvest moon. Some pieces are about events. Actually it was like the only year I can remember in my life in any detail because I can say [pointing to one block.] &#039 ; Oh, that is when my daughter Ellen [Schneider.] graduated from college. So it tends to be events, observations, trying new techniques. I had the book &quot ; Jacket Jazz&quot ; [author Judy Murrah.] and I tried a lot of the fabric manipulation in it. Many pieces were about nature which is one of the things I learned toward the end of the year. Probably half of them had flowers or leaves or water or things like that. Working on the pieces really helped me to feel like I was making some amount of progress in my quilting life, in my artist&#039 ; s life. One of the great findings at the end of this was that there was next to nothing about the career [audience laughs.] that I had been pursuing for twenty-five years. That fact came together with a number of other things going on in my life and I decided that it was time to move on. At the end of &#039 ; 97, I retired from publishing and moved into a different role as a consultant. So that was really an observation that came out of this as well. The final format of &quot ; A Ring of Days&quot ; developed over time. Once I had all the blocks I had to figure out a way to put them all together. I tried out a number of things and ended up finally creating strips - one per month. Then the next step was how to join all the strips. I tried a number of things - continuous loops that you could hang on a rod or could be sewn together. And one of the ideas I had was to create a giant windsock or a Japanese Boys Day banner and it all just started to come together at that point. I had to figure out the structure and how long was it really going to be [sixteen feet.] and whether that would be manageable. Actually a little side note is that when you are using a little plastic template to cut your pieces - after three hundred and sixty-five times it tends to get a little smaller [laughs.] and then you see that the earlier 31 day strips are longer than the later 31 day strips. A story that goes along with &quot ; A Ring of Days&quot ; , and the reason I decided to bring this piece for the interview, is not only about the fact that it had such an influence on my life at that point but also that it was the first piece that I ever entered into an exhibit. I was attending IQI [Illinois Quilters, Inc.] at that time and the first time I ever heard about Fine Art of Fiber [a joint show with IQI, North Shore Weavers and the North Suburban NeedleArts Guild that is held at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.] I submitted this piece to display at Fine Art of Fiber in 1998. I had never sent anything to an exhibit before that. I packed up the piece and I sent it to Robbi Eklow [then President of IQI.] who gets the box and says, &#039 ; Why did you send me this?&#039 ; &#039 ; It is for the show.&#039 ; And she said, &#039 ; Oh, you just submit the forms.&#039 ; I didn&#039 ; t even know at the time that you only submit the forms [audience laughs.] I just sent her the whole thing. [audience laughs.] I do remember it hanging in the middle of the gallery space at the Fine Art of Fiber. I see some heads going up and down out there in the audience. It was quite an experience to actually have something out in public and since then I have done a lot of other exhibits. Doing this piece got me to start creating my own work and it became much less traditional, much more contemporary. I realized that that whole nature base is really important to me. The daily-ness factor sort of went away for a long time and then last year at the beginning of 2007--is it okay to segway into this? [KM nods.] The beginning of 2007 was the end of a long, sad period in my life. My husband had died. I had sold our house. I had moved. I was still consulting and on the road and again I felt like it I needed to make some change. One of the things that had helped me through his illness was that I could create my work and make the bad stuff disappear for awhile. During the two years between the time he died and the beginning of 2007 I had no interest in doing any artwork. I just couldn&#039 ; t get going on anything. So I thought it was 2007 [10 years after &quot ; A Ring of Days.&quot ; ] and maybe if I revisited the idea of just doing a daily piece with different perimeters that I could begin to work again. And it worked. I have some samples of what came out of the 2007 version. It is the same idea just a different format. That is the history of this quilt. KM: How do you use this piece? Does it hang in your house, does it? BS: It used to hang in my living when I had a bigger house. It doesn&#039 ; t anymore. It hasn&#039 ; t been out. [laughs.] Where do I keep it? Rolled up in a bag in my quilt storage area. KM: What are your plans for it? BS: It was fun to have it out this last week because I was looking at it again and revisiting some of the days. I didn&#039 ; t know what you would ask so I was trying to get prepared [audience laughs.] to speak about specific blocks or anything. I don&#039 ; t have any plans. It would be great if it could hang again some day some where, but I don&#039 ; t have the space for it and because it is tied to a timeframe I don&#039 ; t think it has application to any kind of exhibit situation. I guess down the road I hope that my daughters [Ellen Schneider and Rachel Bachman.] would want it. Maybe they each will take a month or two. [audience laughs.] Or share it back and forth. KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. BS: Current or past? Whatever. KM: Whatever. BS: Whatever. My college degree is in visual design and I worked in educational publishing as a book designer. I also created artist books and hand made paper. I came to the quilting wanting to do more stitching on my paper. I then went off on a bit of a right turn into quilting and and learning how to work with the fabrics and surface design techniques. From there it has continued to evolve. I really love making the fabric and I do a lot of art cloth and one of a kind pieces. I love exploring new techniques and my work has gradually become more sculptural. I like shaping fabric back into physical forms after I&#039 ; ve done things to it. I think I am on a journey and will end up back at painting and papermaking again some day. That is okay because I think each thing influences the other. KM: Tell me about your studio. Describe it. BS: My studio is in the walkout basement of my home. I have a sewing room toward one end that has big windows looking out into west facing yard. Then I have my office area which I would love [now that I&#039 ; m not really consulting in the business world anymore.] to expand other things into that area. I have a wet studio area. It is really just an unfinished part of the basement with a big four by eight foot table with drawers for storage and lots of shelves. I said I&#039 ; m never carrying those five gallon buckets of dyes through my house again so I put a washer and dryer down in the studio. It has made a huge difference to me to just have that right there. I would like more flat space so I could work on two things at a time but it is great to have what I have. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? BS: I have a great affinity for Japanese arts and crafts, particularly the Boro or Wabi-Sabi kinds of things. I&#039 ; m drawn to that esthetic. I like that you incorporate things that are old, worn out and reused into the art. I am drawn to very simple, monochromatic pieces, abstract pieces. KM: Tell me why belonging to the guild is important. BS: Because we get to share things with one another and have wonderful lectures and workshops. As an example, two years ago about half the teachers that were teaching at the Surface Design Association conference were teachers that we had here. We have the opportunity to study with really fine people right here and that is a wonderful thing. We have the opportunity to participate in the Fine Art of Fiber. KM: What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful? BS: [long pause.] Let&#039 ; s come back to that one. I want to think about that one. KM: What advice would you offer someone starting out? BS: Just do it. Don&#039 ; t be afraid to play with things. I find that mostly the things that don&#039 ; t work, that are mistakes on the first, second or third tries often lead to ideas that are better and more powerful. I don&#039 ; t try to plan too much in my head about what the final result is going to be because it just becomes too overwhelming. Just do something that you can wrap your head around for today and then tomorrow do it again or take it a step further. KM: Why is quiltmaking important to you? BS: It feeds me. If it wasn&#039 ; t quilting, it would be surface design and if it wasn&#039 ; t that it would be papermaking. It&#039 ; s all about the making of something, of taking ideas and making something with them. For me, it is much more about the process than the result. By the time I finish a piece and it goes off somewhere I&#039 ; m pretty much disinterested in it. The ideas that have come out of that move me somewhere else. So I think it is a vehicle. KM: Do you work on more than one thing at a time? BS: Yes I do, because I think you need time to let ideas gestate and maybe go in another direction. I usually have things that are just starting to be ideas, others are part way and some are getting to the finished point. I also find that physically it works better for me to switch around I can&#039 ; t sew anymore hour upon hour, I need to go and do something else. KM: Is there any aspects of quiltmaking that you don&#039 ; t enjoy? BS: Sewing. [audience laughs.] I know it sounds strange-why are you doing this? I know the sewing is needed to complete the piece but I like the creation of the idea, the creation of the cloth, the assembly of it all. By the time I get to sewing I would love to have someone else just do it. KM: How do you want to be remembered? BS: [long pause.] Um, um. [audience laughs.] That is one that I&#039 ; ve never given a thought to. [long pause.] That is really hard to answer. I mean I don&#039 ; t know where I&#039 ; m going from here but if I had to say in terms of the current work, it would be the series that are based on reflections. They incorporate for me the making of the cloth, the Japanese esthetics, the idea of what the mind sees as you look deeper and deeper. Looking below the surface. That may not be the answer I would give you if I had to think about this for fifteen, twenty minutes but for right now in front of a hundred people [audience laughs.] who are right there. [audience laughs.] KM: Is there anything else that you would like to add before we conclude? BS: [pause.] I would say, I will set up the 2007 version on the paper over there. KM: How are the 2007 pieces different? [coughs.] BS: They are a daily exercise [KM coughs.] but the format is very different. There is a book for each month with a page for each day. Again it was the idea of capturing the daily-ness of it, the discipline of actually sitting down and making a piece each day. This time I used photography because I love to be out there with my camera. Each page incorporates something said about that day and I chose the long skinny format because it is a Japanese style shape. Also because such a long skinny shape forces you to think about the imagery differently than if it was in a nice neat rectangle. I wanted to really learn Photoshop and I needed a reason to do it and I really did learn Photoshop. Again, I did not know that the book format would be the way it turned out. I was just making a sheet per day and printing them out. There are twelve books and for display purposes they can fan out all around and you can see all thirty-one pages in a circle. The twelve circles go back again to the ring but in a totally different way. This process got me going again in the studio. I did lots of work last year. I don&#039 ; t think I would recommend doing something that intensive every year because it takes time --if you want to make it into a finished thing it takes a fair amount of time and effort but the idea of just going down and doing something every day I think is perfectly good. I took a class with Elizabeth Busch and she starts every day with an index card that she draws or paints on. If I can&#039 ; t do anything else, I go down and I start the index cards and the next thing is I&#039 ; m working and that is what I think really matters and the whole thing is doing the work. KM: Do you plan to do another year? BS: Maybe in 2017. [audience laughs.] I started up again in 2008 and I thought I would do postcards, like each week be a theme and do a set of postcards and then I would have them for various purposes. It didn&#039 ; t work for me. I did five months. I was trying to go back through all of these photos I had and sort of force it and that didn&#039 ; t work. It has to do more with that whole daily-ness thing for me. People could use a whole other format. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BS: So many choices, so much to see visually. I think it is sometimes hard to narrow your focus because you want to try this and you want to try that and you want to do everything. I find that if I start to take every workshop and learn every new technique I get very scattered and don&#039 ; t accomplish anything. I don&#039 ; t know if that is true for other people, but I think that it is a challenge. The second challenge on a professional level is that textiles are still not viewed as relevant or as &quot ; good &quot ; an art as painting and other forms of art. I think that is still a big hurdle to overcome. KM: I want to thank you for. BS: You are welcome. KM: Doing this interview with me. We are now going to conclude and it is 11:06. 2020 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=IL60098-001.xml IL60098-001.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context IL60098-001 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Barbara Schneider http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/dc44c24a7a3bde405c904a0c3baa3777.jpg 9cc7c07cd34c5605ef3b348c77bbd5ff Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alzheimers Forgetting Piece by Piece QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Becky Goldsmith OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=AFPBP-03Goldsmith.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.2 QSOS Interview with Becky Goldsmith AFPBP-03 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories Alzheimers Forgetting Piece by Piece QSOS Quilt Alliance Becky Goldsmith Karen Musgrave 1:|13(5)|21(5)|32(17) 0 http://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/AFPBP-03-Goldsmith.mp3 Other audio 2 Introduction This is Karen Musgrave and I am doing a QSOS Quilters Save Our Stories interview 17 30 Goldsmith's &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; quilt Becky has a quilt called &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; Goldsmith talks about the design behind her &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; quilt which was created for Ami Simm's Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece exhibit. Her design began with a &quot ; perfect&quot ; and colorful center with the stitching, piecing and applique becoming more ragged towards the edges of the quilt. Alzheimer's disease ; Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece ; applique ; Art quilts ; children ; Design process ; Design Wall ; Fabric - Geometric ; Modern quiltmaking ; Quilt design ; Quilt Purpose - Artistic expression ; Quilt Purpose - Comfort ; Quilt Purpose - Disease/illness ; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quiltmaking style ; stitching 17 557 Goldsmith's interest in quiltmaking So tell me about your interest in quiltmaking Goldsmith explains how she came into quiltmaking and its importance to her life now. She began by making her sons comforters for their beds when they were very young and now does it because she finds the designing and stitching to be relaxing work. applique ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; children ; Children's quilts ; Design process ; Hand applique ; Quilt Purpose - Artistic expression ; Quilt Purpose - Bedcovering ; Quilt Purpose - Personal enjoyment ; Quilt Purpose - Therapy ; quiltmaking process ; Time management 17 704 Goldsmith's business Piece O' Cake Designs Oh, I guess I should ask you about Piece O' Cake Designs Goldsmith talks about her business Piece O' Cake Designs which has published more than 30 books and hundreds of patterns along with partner Linda Jenkins. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Design process ; Fabric/Quilt shops ; Female quiltmakers ; friendships through quilting ; Published work - Patterns ; Published work - Quilts ; quilt design ; quilt shop ; Small Business 17 https://www.pieceocake.com/ Becky Goldsmith's Piece O' Cake Designs website 841 Art and quilt group membership So do you belong to any art or quilt groups now? Goldsmith talks briefly about her quilt group and guild membership. She explains that she travels and visits groups around the country at least once a month. Art quiltmaking ; Dallas Quilt Guild ; Quilt guild ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; quilting communities ; Teaching quiltmaking 17 977 Goldsmith's artistic identity/ challenges that quilters face Do you think of yourself more of an artist or quiltmaker or a business person Goldsmith speaks to how she identifies within the quilting community ; she hopes that her work lives on and is shared as a part of her legacy. She also addresses how not having enough time is probably the largest issue that quilters face. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; challenges within the quilting community ; Published work - Patterns ; quilt patterns ; Quilt Purpose - Personal enjoyment ; Quilt Purpose - Personal income ; Small business ; Time management 17 1097 Personal significance of quiltmaking/studio space Why is quiltmaking important to you? Goldsmith speaks to why quiltmaking is important to her and how it has impacted her family. She remarks how her sons grew up with it and both them and their wives appreciate Goldsmith's art. Her husband is also very proud of her work, she explains. She also speaks briefly about her studio which is a part of her home. children ; Design Wall ; Fabric - Print ; fabric selection ; Fabric stash ; Quiltmaking for family ; Work or Studio space 17 1339 Inspirational artwork and quilters So whose works are you drawn to and why? Goldsmith and Musgrave talk about Nancy Crow and Ruth McDowell's quilts and overall design habits. Goldsmith is drawn to McDowell's work especially because of her tendency to have colorful, balanced and symmetrical designs. Antique quilts ; Art quilts ; Fabric - Geometric ; Learning quiltmaking ; Nancy Crow ; quiltmaking classes ; Quiltmaking inspiration ; Ruth B. McDowell ; Teaching quiltmaking 17 1595 Components of a &quot ; great quilt&quot ; / advice for new quilters What do you think makes a great quilt? Goldsmith addresses what, in her opinion, makes a &quot ; great quilt&quot ; which includes the artwork's ability to hold your attention after you've stopped looking at it. The advice she offers for new quilters is to work hard and not to give up when the work becomes difficult. art quilts ; Learning quiltmaking ; Quilt memory ; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt Purpose - Personal enjoyment ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 1712 The best and worst parts of quiltmaking Is there anything that you don't like about quiltmaking? Goldsmith talks about her favorite and least favorite parts of quiltmaking. She dislikes the responsibility and accuracy that comes with calculating yardage for quilt patterns in her books but enjoys the hand applique and sewing she gets to do with the craft. She also talks about long arm quilting, which is a machine she would have herself if she had room for it. calculating yardage ; Hand applique ; Home sewing machine ; Long arm quilters ; Long arm quilting ; Long arm quilting machine ; Machine quilting ; Published work - Patterns 17 1901 Most important quilts that Goldsmith has made/ home decoration and use Tell me about the appraisal process for &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; Goldsmith begins by talking about the appraisal for her &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; quilt for the Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece show. She then lists some of her favorite quilts and patterns that she has made in her career. Goldsmith also mentions some of the quilts that she has in her home for decoration, and that because of her pets she does not sleep with any of her own quilts. &quot ; Quilter's Newsletter Magazine&quot ; ; Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece ; Ami Simms ; appraisal ; Design Wall ; everyday use ; grandchildren ; Published work - Patterns ; Published work - Quilts ; Quilt Purpose - Home decoration ; Selling quilts ; Work or Studio space 17 2182 Traveling for quilt shows/ current projects Is there, um, I always give people an opportunity to, is there anything else you'd want to share Goldsmith begins by speaking about the burden and benefits from traveling as often as she does for quilt shows and group meetings. Although she enjoys being at home, she acknowledges that she has made friends all over the country and internationally because of the quilt work she does. On top of that, she briefly mentions the new book of patterns that she is working on putting together. applique ; Friendships through quilting ; Published work - Patterns ; Published work - Quilts ; Quilt Purpose - Personal income ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Traveling for quilt shows 17 Oral History Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I am doing a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview Becky Goldsmith. Becky is in Sherman, Texas and I&#039 ; m in Naperville, Illinois, so we are conducting this interview by telephone. Today&#039 ; s date is February 29, 2008. It is 2:08 in the afternoon. We are doing a special Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories based on the Alzheimer&#039 ; s: Forgetting Piece by Piece Exhibit and Becky has a quilt called &quot ; Trying to Hold On.&quot ; Thank you for doing this with me, and tell me about &quot ; Trying to Hold On.&quot ; Becky Goldsmith (BG): When Ami asked me to take part in this exhibit and I said yes, it was not really because Alzheimer&#039 ; s runs in my family but it was because it is a disease that really scares me. Just because you may or may not have it in your family, it doesn&#039 ; t necessarily mean you won&#039 ; t get it. But anyway, the way I approached the quilt was if I had Alzheimer&#039 ; s, I wondered if I would stop quilting, and I decided that no, even if I had the disease I probably would keep on quilting, but I knew that over time as the disease ran its course it would take its toll on my skills. So I made the center of the quilt as perfect as I could and then as you move out from the middle the workmanship deteriorates, the color choices deteriorate, until you get out to the border and where it would be a typical vine and leaf border in appliqué, it is completely random and the pieces are not coherent. They are cut by scissors and just stitched down with heavy black thread. It goes from perfect in the center to completely, completely not perfect at the outer edges. I used pretty happy colors, the pinks and the light colors, pink and greens and there are some other things going on, and it is funny because when people see the quilt they don&#039 ; t see the imperfections. I had this reaction, I would hold it up to people and they would say that is great, but I don&#039 ; t see what is wrong with it, and it is because the perfect part, the dead center middle perfect part is the part of the quilt that is the most different and it tends to draw the eye. I think it has turned out to be a really good metaphor for Alzheimer&#039 ; s and for what I would hope if I had Alzheimer&#039 ; s. I would hope that people would remember me for who I was perhaps at my best rather than who I was after the disease had taken its toll. Does that make sense? KM: Yes it does. BG: There you go. KM: Is this quilt typical of your style? BG: Yes and no. Color wise it is very typical of the color pallet that I work with. I tend to use clear colors versus muddy colors. The appliqué block, certainly the one at the center is very typical of the kinds of, the kind of appliqué blocks that both my partner, Linda Jenkins and I do inside Piece O&#039 ; Cake Designs. We do many patterns that draw from traditional sources that have a little bit more of a contemporary twist. It has had an impact on, this particular quilt has had an impact on what I have done since I made it in that before this quilt, I still like balance and I still like symmetry, but I was really seriously into balance and symmetry. Since I made this quilt, I have a lot more fun letting go of some of that in doing things that are just a little bit quirkier and maybe less perfect. KM: Was it difficult to do it so imperfectly? BG: Yes. Yes it was actually. Especially in the appliqué because I&#039 ; m very used to doing invisible stitches and turning the edges under as smoothly as I possibly can. Working on the Alzheimer&#039 ; s quilt, especially out from the center, and the center is a very small part of the quilt, so working on the parts that were less than perfect required me to let go of a lot and work in a different way, and it was funny because a quilt about losing mental function. I could feel synapses forming in my brain forcing myself to work in a different way. It was really an interesting experience. KM: What do you plan to do with this quilt? BG: Well, my younger son has claimed this quilt. It is really funny. He does not like many of the quilts I have made, I don&#039 ; t know--too floral for him or something. But Jeff is the mathematician, he is working on a graduate degree right now at John Hopkins and this is the quilt that, as I was working on it and it was up on the design wall, he claimed it and after it was finished, he still claimed it. He wanted it. He will get it too ; I&#039 ; m going to give it to him. He and his fiancée, my almost daughter-in-law, Celia, they both really likes this. KM: Did he tell you why he really likes it? BG: I think Celia likes it as much because of the colors as anything. She really likes things that are pink. But I think Jeff likes it because it is sort of balanced asymmetry. It is floral without being sweet. It is a little bit edgier than many of the quilts that I have made, and all of those things really appeal to him. KM: It has been mentioned as a favorite by a lot of people in the interviews that I have done. BG: Really? KM: Yes, are you surprised by that? BG: Well, I&#039 ; m happy to hear that. I don&#039 ; t know if it might be because it is not overtly depressing to look at, and let&#039 ; s face it, Alzheimer&#039 ; s is depressing and many of the quilts express that in a vivid sort of way. So it may be that people like it as much because it lightens the mood just a little bit and I&#039 ; m happy with that, because I look at the body of the work that I have done, and I don&#039 ; t make depressing quilts. I can&#039 ; t seem to make myself make depressing quilts. I&#039 ; m not really a very depressive sort of person. [laughs.] I am happy to hear that, I&#039 ; m happy to hear that people like it. KM: Have you seen the exhibit? BG: I have not had an opportunity to walk through the exhibit. I have gone through the DVD, and I have certainly looked through the book, and this is an exhibit that I really, really would like an opportunity to walk through and I hope I get the opportunity before it finishes its run. KM: I hope so too. BG: I really hope I do. KM: You mentioned the DVD or the CD that is on this, and we had to read our artist statement, tell me about that experience for you. BG: It was, it was, this was actually the easiest artist statement I have ever had to write. In general, I&#039 ; m not that keen on artist statements because I think the work should either stand on its own or not, but this is a quilt that surprised me in that people didn&#039 ; t get it right off the bat. But the explanation fits nicely with the quilt, and so explaining it verbally or in the written word. I didn&#039 ; t mind it. I enjoyed being able to explain it and not try to come up with some weird fluffy artist reason for why I did it. [laughs.] So many of those artist statements, they drive me crazy. Not only to write them and then to read them. KM: I agree. BG: [laughs.] KM: I often go, ha. BG: It is like give me a break. [laughs.] What can I say, this one was easy. KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. BG: Actually I like to make quilts because it keeps me sane. I don&#039 ; t make quilts for the finished product. I never really have beyond the very first ones that I made for my kids beds. I make quilts because I enjoy the process of designing them, both the drawing, the choosing of the fabrics, and the working with color. I like the process of hand appliqué. That is what I do in the evening, as I sew I can feel my blood pressure go down, so I do it for the work part. The finished product is a happy by product of what I do, and at this point, I&#039 ; m really happy that both of my sons and their wife and fiancée, they want pretty much everything that I kick out. I know the quilts have a place to go and [laughs.] so I can keep making them and not worry about the closets exploding. KM: When did you start making quilts? BG: Let&#039 ; s see, I&#039 ; m fifty-two now, and I started making quilts, lets see my youngest is twenty-three, twenty-two years ago. Twenty-two years ago, yah about twenty-two years ago when Jeff was trying to crawl out of his crib and I thought he would kill himself. We bought these bunk beds and they didn&#039 ; t come with comforters and I had to make something because we were too broke to go out and buy anything, and so I made quilts. That is how I got started, from an article in the newspaper. KM: How many hours a week do you quilt? BG: If that includes actually working on all parts of the manuscripts and the drawings and everything else, if it goes into everything it takes in getting a project into print and publication, I would guess sixty to eighty hours a week. It is pretty much all day and all evening. If it is just actually the sewing part, maybe half that. KM: I guess I should ask you about Piece O&#039 ; Cake Designs, so that people can have context to all of this. Tell me about Piece O&#039 ; Cake. BG: My business partner, Linda Jenkins and I were friends for eight years before we started the business. We both used to live in Tulsa, we were members of the same guild there, and when her husband retired and they moved to Colorado and my husband got a job at Austin College, which is in Sherman, Texas. That was when we started the business. We started small with just two or three patterns, and over the years, (I think maybe it has been almost fourteen years now) over the years we have published, I don&#039 ; t know, we self published a bunch of the books and now we are with C&amp ; T Publishing, I guess we have a total of twenty-three or twenty-four books, and god knows how many patterns. I really don&#039 ; t, in the hundreds of patterns. As I said, we self published for a number of years, and then moved to C&amp ; T when the, just the shear volume of handling all that inventory got to be too much. The way it works, because Linda and I live in different states and have since we started the business, anything that is pertaining to the inventory goes to Linda, so anything that, anything that has to be warehoused or shipped or any of that, employees, money that is all Linda. Anything that is related to the drafting of the patterns and the writing of the manuscript, writing instructions, ad layout when we were still self published, that sort of thing that is mine, because my background is more in graphics. That doesn&#039 ; t mean that I&#039 ; m the creative one and she is not, it means that I can draw and so when I&#039 ; m drawing for myself it is pretty easy, but when I&#039 ; m drawing for Linda--over the years we have worked out how it is she needs to tell me what she wants me to draw and then I draw it and she makes it. We each make our own quilts, but most people can&#039 ; t really tell them apart. KM: Do you belong to any art or quilt groups now? BG: I&#039 ; m a member of the Dallas Guild, but I&#039 ; m far enough away that I rarely get to go to the meetings. I&#039 ; m a member of the local guild, but I&#039 ; m on the road so much that, there again, I rarely get to go to the meetings. I feel like I&#039 ; m a guild member kind of universally though because I travel and teach at a minimum at one guild meeting every month, and guild meetings, let me tell you, they are the same every where you go. I do go to a lot of different guilds. Where I am in Texas, there is not a lot of opportunities to be a member of other art groups, although there is the critics group that I&#039 ; ve just joined and I&#039 ; m looking forward to going to my first meeting in April. KM: Tell me about that. BG: It is kind of a low profile group with a series of other artists, and to be honest I haven&#039 ; t been to the meeting yet, but I think it is mostly fiber artists and the group contacts a person who is qualified in some art realm to come and everybody gets to bring one piece and the critic critiques the piece and then you get feedback from the group, so it is not necessarily a pat on your back kind of group, I have a feeling if they have bad things to say you will hear that too, they just do it, you benefit sometimes more from--well you need actual criticism, so it is the good and the bad, and I&#039 ; m looking forward to it. KM: What made you decide to join the group? BG: I was invited to join the group. KM: Why did you accept? BG: Why did I accept, because the person who invited me. Since this person is pretty low profile I&#039 ; m not going to mention names, but the person who invited me, I thought ‘damn I think I will do this.&#039 ; [laughs.] This person who said it had helped her a lot and she is an individual that I didn&#039 ; t think needed any help to begin with. [laughs.] I think this will be good for me. KM: Do you think of yourself more as an artist, or a quiltmaker, or a business person, or do you really make a distinction? BG: I don&#039 ; t make a distinction really. I like to hope that the body of work that eventually will be left behind is remembered and used as a resource for quilters who come after. That would be really, really nice if the patterns have life, life beyond just me. I&#039 ; m a little bit hopeful, because people use our patterns. It is really, really nice. I don&#039 ; t know about other people who write patterns and publish their work, but I&#039 ; m always happy to see when people use what Linda and I have done and make it their own, make changes to it, but still acknowledge that we are the source. It means that they like what we do well enough to use it themselves and that is good. They use it themselves successfully. People have success with our patterns and that makes me very happy. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BG: Time. Today I would have to say time. There are so many things in every individual&#039 ; s life that make it difficult to find the time to spend doing whatever it is that particular person enjoys doing, and for most quilters it is finding the time to quilt. You can get by with less money, you can get by with a lot of things, but time is the big one. You can&#039 ; t hardly get by without time. KM: Why is quiltmaking important to you? BG: I think it is because I like to hold fabric. It is what I do. I could possibly work in paint or collage or paper or something else, but the fabric itself--I think it is the tactile quality of the fabric. I really enjoy holding it. I like working with my hands and I&#039 ; ve come lately to understand that working with prints, colored prints is fundamentally different from working with paint. Paint is--you paint with blue you are painting with blue, you are not, like, painting with blue polka dots, and I enjoy working with the patterns, the individual texture in addition to the color. I find all of that pretty challenging and that is what I enjoy. I enjoy that part. KM: Describe your studio. BG: My studio is nine feet wide and about fourteen or fifteen feet long. It used to be a porch on the house and whoever had the house before us converted it. So where the patio doors used to be opens on to the living room. That opens directly into the studio and then across that nine foot width you can walk out into the back yard through a door, so that is across one narrow width of the studio. And then down the length wise length at one end is my design wall, closer to the living room, and at the other end is the doorway to our bedroom so my studio is actually part of the big traffic pattern in the house and I like it, I like that. It means it is a common area of the house. I don&#039 ; t like working off by myself and it puts the design wall in easy view of pretty much of anybody who comes and goes and I find that people like that, they like to see what I&#039 ; m working on and they comment on it and that is good too. My fabric is in the closet in one of the bedrooms and my books are in the dining room. KM: Are you neat when you create? BG: Pretty much. We don&#039 ; t have that big of a house, we don&#039 ; t even have an eighteen hundred square foot house and because my studio is in such a visible area of the house, I can&#039 ; t let it get too crazy. It is not perfect, but there is an order to the chaos. I think better when it is not complete chaos around me and stuff. I can&#039 ; t deal with stuff piled up on the floor and everywhere, I just can&#039 ; t go there. I can&#039 ; t think, so it is moderately tidy. KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking? BG: They are all happy. My husband brags on it. He really enjoys telling people what I do and both of my sons, they grew up with me quilting and so I don&#039 ; t know that they could image it any other way. They are both now out of college and they have their own families and now they enjoy it because they are benefiting from it. My daughter-in-law, she really loves it. The quilt I made for her is called &quot ; Lorna&#039 ; s Vine&quot ; , her name is Lorna and it was on the cover of one of our books and it makes her happy. And Celia is very pleased as well, my almost daughter-in-law. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? BG: It has been a series of people over the years, but I have to say that probably I&#039 ; m drawn more to quilts that have been made anonymously by people in the past. Very quirky antique quilts are the things I find myself going back to and inspired by the most. The quilts that are not quite perfect that were made with the fabrics at hand and that were obviously drawn from somebody&#039 ; s very vivid imagination, I enjoy those a lot, a whole lot. Nancy Crow, I&#039 ; ve always enjoyed looking at Nancy Crow&#039 ; s work, and Ruth McDowell. I really like Ruth&#039 ; s work as well. KM: They are very different. Nancy Crow and Ruth McDowell. BG: Yes and no. KM: Alright then tell me the differences and the similarities. BG: I think that they are based, they both, I know Ruth has an engineering background so what she does in her quilts makes a lot of sense if you know that. I don&#039 ; t know about Nancy Crow, but there is a balance to her work that suggests an analytical mind. KM: I would agree with you, I would agree that both have that analytical mind. BG: It is evident in what they do in different ways. I enjoy it. I enjoy the way they both use color. I really enjoy the way that Ruth uses the texture of the fabric. In fact, I&#039 ; m taking the first class I&#039 ; ve taken in fifteen years. Since we started Piece O&#039 ; Cake, I have not taken classes because I think it is, it is just weird when you are still publishing to take classes, but I&#039 ; m going to take a class with Ruth next month, and I&#039 ; m really looking forward to it. KM: Which one of her classes are you taking? BG: It is kind of a thing she teaches. She has a five day workshop, at an Empty Spools Seminar. I have heard so much about how good she is in the classroom and I want to experience it while she is still doing it. I have a feeling that I can learn from her and it is not so much the technique, because her book is very clear as far as how she technically does what she does, it is more the playing with the fabrics that I&#039 ; m looking forward to. And I hope I have my pattern done so I can actually play with the fabric when I&#039 ; m in class. KM: Let&#039 ; s touch on Alzheimer&#039 ; s: Forgetting Piece by Piece Exhibit, do you have any favorites within the exhibit. Any quilt that or quilts that have caught your eye. BG: No, I sort of, I viewed this thing as a whole--I really do and as a whole, it is so powerful. I think that if I have, when I get a chance to walk by and actually see the quilts in person, it would be easier to pick a favorite. KM: They are very different in person than they are in the book or on the CD. BG: When you look at something in a shiny format it changes it. You know what I mean? Pages are glossy and the computer screen it is glossy, it changes the whole thing. KM: I would agree with you. I would encourage people to go and see the exhibit because it is very, very different, although it is difficult. BG: I have never been where it is. KM: I do hope you get a chance. BG: I do too. KM: What do you think makes a great quilt? BG: Varies from person to person, because what I think might be a great quilt, someone else would not. I suppose a quilt that makes you actually stop and look and continue looking. Then maybe walk back and look at it some more, and then you think about it at night when you are sleeping. They are not always the quilts that you like the best that make you do that. The ones that stick with you for one reason or another I would consider great quilts, and the ones that have affected me that way are completely varied. It is not ever any one genre or color and it changes too. As I get older and my tastes change, I find this changes too. KM: What advice would you offer someone starting out? BG: Work hard. [laughs.] Work really hard. It depends on when you say starting out, starting out as a quilter, that would be do what you enjoy and learn your craft. Someone starting out in the business, you work really hard and know your craft and never think you know everything because you can learn something new every single day. Be willing to learn from your mistakes and admit it and move on. KM: Is there anything that you don&#039 ; t like about quiltmaking? BG: I do not like calculating yardage. But I do it. There is always a lot riding on it, it is not like you are just calculating yardage for yourself and if you mess up you have only messed up for yourself. When you calculate those kinds of numbers, yardage, instructions and all that and it is going into print, if you mess up it messes up more than just you, so there is a lot of responsibility there. Plus it is not that much fun to calculate yardage and that sort of thing. But there again, it has to be done. KM: What do you find most pleasing about quiltmaking? BG: I like the hand sewing part. That is the part that pleases me the most. KM: Do you hand quilt? BG: I hand appliqué, but I machine quilt. KM: That is what I thought. BG: I tolerate the machine quilting. I don&#039 ; t love it, but I don&#039 ; t hate it either, it is not my favorite thing. KM: What do you think about longarm quilting and that whole phenomenon? BG: If I had room for one I might want one, but I don&#039 ; t so I don&#039 ; t even have to worry about that. The thing about longarm quilting is that when someone lets go of a quilt and hands it over to another individual to quilt it, they need to understand that the quilting can really change the quilt. I think the quilter, people give credit to their longarmer, but there are a lot of places where the longarm quilting is more important than the quilt top itself or better than the quilt top. I don&#039 ; t know, it just seems to me like you are handing over a lot when you just hand it over and let somebody else quilt it. The day will come, I feel certain, when physically I will be one of those people who has to hand my quilt over and you just live with that decision, but I would encourage people while they are physically able to quilt their own quilts to think twice before just churning out the tops and letting somebody else quilt them, because the quilting is too integral part of the quilt to just let go of. KM: That is part of a life. BG: Yah, it is. If you intend to claim this quilt as your own, then just handing it over to somebody else to quilt, it is not really, its not part of the deal. [laughs.] It is not. If it is yours, you need to do both parts. KM: Tell me about the appraisal process for &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; . Ami required each of us to get an appraisal before it went on the road. BG: Yah. I sent mine off and it got appraised and my younger son is going to own this quilt and he was very happy. [laughs.] It appraised a little higher than I thought it would. I have not sold many of my quilts. I hope at some point to sell more of them, but I think this one appraised at $3,600 and I thought that was pretty good. KM: It is thirty-six by thirty-six inches. BG: That quilt has had an effect on the quilts I have made since then. In that respect, when I look at this quilt, of the quilts I have made over the years, this one would rank right up there with one of the important ones I have done personally, that I think is important. It may not be what other people think is one of the important ones I have done, but I do, I would rank it right up there in the top five of the quilts I have made. KM: That is just because of the experience? BG: Yah, and I don&#039 ; t know that the affect it had on me would have that much bearing on the value of the piece itself, but I place some value on that. KM: What some other, you said the top five, what are some of the other ones on your top five list? BG: &quot ; Simply Delicious&quot ; would be one. That was the very first, very successful pieced background I had ever done behind a quilt and that became a signature look for Linda and I. It is relatively common now, but it wasn&#039 ; t when that quilt was made. &quot ; Stars in the Garden&quot ; would be another one. &quot ; Everyday Best&quot ; is one from one of the newer books ; I think that is a big one. KM: Why is it a big one? BG: That is one that I just really like the way it turned out. Color-wise it is pretty complex. The way the color and pattern all went together, there are lots and lots of dots, and it is very circular design and it took a while to figure out how to put the pieces together so that it turned out the way it did. I know, because I saw it in pieces that it could have gone south really quickly. This one was on the cover of Quilters&#039 ; Newsletter. It&#039 ; s still one of my personal favorites. Funny enough--sometimes I think about putting it in the top five and sometimes I don&#039 ; t but &quot ; Welcome to the North Pole&quot ; , that is the book that we did with Martingale, I think that is the book that is one that has been in print the longest, and it would be funny that that might be the book that people remember us more for than anything else. That would be kind of funny. KM: It is interesting. BG: It is kind of quirky, whimsical, cute. It is a nice piece. KM: Are quilts hanging on your walls? BG: Only a few, mostly when I&#039 ; m done with them I&#039 ; m done with them. I&#039 ; ve got &quot ; Empress Feathers&quot ; , a great big princess feather, that hangs in the dining room. I&#039 ; ve got one hanging in the pink bedroom where my fabric lives. I want to hang the &quot ; Stars in the Garden&quot ; , the big pink quilt there, but until the grandkids get old enough that I can trust them with something like that on the wall within reach. I&#039 ; ve got &quot ; Flowering Vines&quot ; up there and then &quot ; Everyday Best&quot ; hangs in my bedroom. Plus whatever is on the design wall, so there is always something up on that. KM: Do you sleep under a quilt? BG: One from Crate and Barrel. [laughs.] I&#039 ; ve got cats. I&#039 ; m not going to put a quilt I made on the bed because the cats would tear it up, or at least get it all hairy and dirty and I don&#039 ; t have to worry about the Crate and Barrel quilt. KM: Is there, I always give people an opportunity, is there anything else you want to share, either about the exhibit or anything? BG: I don&#039 ; t think so. Don&#039 ; t eat airline food, bad idea. [BG had just returned from Australia and was recovering from food poisoning from the airline food.] KM: Do you like traveling? BG: Yes and no. I really like being home, but travel can be interesting. I wouldn&#039 ; t have gone to Australia if it had not been for traveling for the job. There are a lot of people that I have met and places I&#039 ; ve seen that I would not otherwise have gotten to do. So yah I enjoy the traveling. I do really like being home as well though. KM: How much do you travel? BG: On average, one to two weeks out of every month. Like this month I was gone two weeks and I will be gone two weeks in March, but then I&#039 ; ve got some months off, so it balances out. KM: What are you working on right now? BG: We are working on a book that is, that actually grew out of the &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; quilt. It is one of the things that I got interested in was the use of lines. That is one of the topics that came up when I thought of the &quot ; Trying to Hold On&quot ; quilt. If you draw, let&#039 ; s say you draw with pencil, if you are using a very sharp hard lead you make one kind of line, and if you are using a softer blunter lead, you make a completely different kind of line. It is the line work in drawing that is so expressive and so interesting, and I got to thinking in quilts, we don&#039 ; t have that same kind of capacity to do line work. You can do raw edge and you can do some other things but that is different. When you sew fabric together you get a harder line, so it is learning how to play with the line quality. What I decided was that so often we rely on rulers and it is that ruler-cut, straight hard line that reads one way and a line that is more freely cut, without a ruler, reads a different way. And so in these quilts, certainly in the backgrounds and even on the outer edges, no rulers have touched them so it is much freer line work in those areas and then as far as the appliqué goes. We have been playing with less precise placement, less precise balance. They are balanced ; the symmetry is maybe a little edger. It is fun. Anyway the tentative title is &quot ; Breaking the Rules&quot ; , so we will see, but I&#039 ; m working on the manuscript for that right now. KM: How very interesting. It sounds like it was influenced by &quot ; Trying to Hold On.&quot ; BG: Exactly. That was the beginning of this, so when I said that this quilt marked a real break in the quilts that I have been making, it did. I mean, I have spent the last year and a half on these quilts. KM: I want to thank you for taking time out and doing this interview with me. BG: I&#039 ; m happy to have done this. I appreciate being asked. 2017 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 http://quiltalliance.net Interview Format audio Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Del Thomas Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Becky Goldsmith Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AFPBP-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Description An account of the resource Becky Goldsmith talks about getting started making quilts and how it's grown into a quilting business, and offers advice for new quilters. http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/692958d7c06848b033a9eba028bfbe07.jpg ae049c1540eee64e010e36d34881d01c Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Beth Burke OHMS Object https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=OH43068-004.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.4 Interview with Beth Burke OH43068-004 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The Sacred Threads QSOS Quilt Alliance Beth Burke Karen Musgrave 0 https://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/OH43068-004 Burke.mp3 Other audio Oral History Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I&#039 ; m conducting a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Beth Burke. Beth is in Hixson, Tennessee, and I&#039 ; m in Naperville, Illinois, so we are conducting this interview over the telephone. Today&#039 ; s date is March 23, 2009. It is now 9:09, lots of 9&#039 ; s today, in the morning and Beth thank you so much for taking time to do this interview with me. Beth Burke (BB): Sure. KM: Please tell me about your quilt &quot ; Red Alert.&quot ; BB: &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; was part of the Sacred Threads exhibit in 2007 in their show. That was the second time [actually third time] that I had entered Sacred Threads. The people that started it are just so spirit centered I guess you would say and I was drawn to enter the first time because it was shortly after my mother had died and I wanted to make a quilt in tribute to her and Sacred Threads is the kind of a show where you can do those spiritual kinds of expression that maybe aren&#039 ; t appreciated in a mainstream commercial type quilt show and maybe not an art show unless you have some body of work that goes that way. I did a quilt for my mother the first year that they had Sacred Threads and then &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; --they kind of expanded their focus. At first they were focusing on grief, spirituality, and healing and then they kind of expanded that to include joy. &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; was a really joyful quilt for me to make. I came to it with just no real expectations but I went into the sewing room and it came out very quickly. It was just a joyful thing to make and was a real departure for me from some of the earlier things that I had done. It is a three-dimensional red poppy. I love poppies and I had them in my garden when I lived in Ohio and I was always just, the color and so forth just drew me and I wanted to recreate that somehow in the fabric. When I did &quot ; Red Alert,&quot ; it just happened so quickly, it was just very joyful so it was easy to make a statement about it to enter it in the show and then they accepted it and also they invited me to show it with some of their other Sacred Threads sub-exhibits that they did. I can&#039 ; t remember where all it might have traveled, but it has been shown in a couple of places. It still probably is my favorite quilt that I&#039 ; ve ever made and I have it at home here and enjoy it every day. KM: Where do you have it hanging? BB: In the entry way to the master bedroom, which you can see it from the living room as well. It is something that I can see from a lot of different views [laughs.]. KM: One of the things that is important in entering Sacred Threads is the Artist Statement. Tell me about your experiences writing your Artist Statements. BB: I have a writing background. I was a journalism major in college so I think that&#039 ; s possibly what gets me into some of these shows because I do have an easier time writing than sometimes [laughs.] what the quilt merits. I can jazz it up to make it sound like more than it is maybe, I don&#039 ; t know. I had one instance of that with a quilt that I showed at the Allentown Art Museum [Allentown, Pennsylvania.]. It was for, I want to say for a retrospective, but it was, the quilt was in progress when I found out about the show and I was able to make the statement fit the show more than the quilt might have originally if that makes any sense. I do like to write Artist Statements. KM: You&#039 ; ve had four quilts in Sacred Threads. BB: Yes, that first one that was my tribute to my mother and that was very easy to write about because it was so dear to my heart and so recent and that was a Healing Quilt, and then the &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; and that same show I had one that pertained to my editing work that I do. I&#039 ; m a freelance editor and that one was kind of just a shaped thing, I don&#039 ; t know how to explain it, but it reminded me of a page in a book where I had made numerous edits and so that was in that same show with &quot ; Red Alert,&quot ; and then the show in-between there I had one, and that one was spiritually inspired as well. It was kind of a shadowy figure of a dove that I could envision on a piece of hand dyed fabric and I tried very hard to stitch that into the fabric so that you could see it, but it just reminded me of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration that sometimes comes when I am working. I try to focus my work from a God-centered perspective because I know anything that I do is from God, it is not like I was, I created this talent so when I do my work I try to focus on where it&#039 ; s coming from and put that into the fabric. That worked for that particular piece. KM: &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; is 29 ½ inches by 22 inches. Is that a typical size for you? BB: I actually thought I was working very large when I did that [KM laughs.] and then when I got it in the show and saw it with other things, it was like &#039 ; that is puny!&#039 ; Some people work so big. I haven&#039 ; t been able to stretch myself much bigger than that. KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. BB: I started out, it would be 17 years ago, and the reason I can pinpoint it so easily is because the first quilt that I made was when I was pregnant with my son and I have sewn since I was about seven years old but when I was pregnant I decided I needed a baby quilt and so I think I got a McCall&#039 ; s pattern or something like that and started putting together a quilt and I kind of liked doing that and when we moved to a different house that had a room where I could set up for sewing I started making quilts in earnest and just have enjoyed it ever since. I felt like at some point that I had found a hobby that was one that I could have a passion about. KM: How many hours a week do you quilt? BB: Not as many as I would like to. I have to fit it in between a lot of other things, but I do try to get in there, even if it is just for short bursts, you know 15 or 20 minutes at a time and do something. A lot of times it&#039 ; s just touching the fabric and enjoying the textures and the colors. KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking? BB: I think they are really appreciative of it. My husband [Rich.] is always very complimentary on things and I&#039 ; ve been able to give family members quilts. My daughter [Meghann.] kind of orders them up when she changes her décor, &#039 ; Mom, now I need one in these colors.&#039 ; My brother and sister-in-law--I gave them a quilt that I had made a few years back and my brother was so surprised. He said, &#039 ; Why are you giving me this?&#039 ; [laughs.] And I said, &#039 ; Well because you need one of my quilts.&#039 ; I guess they use that on their bed all the time. I&#039 ; ve given my nieces quilts when they graduated from high school and great-nieces quilts for them to cuddle with and then I made little ones for their doll babies too. My son has two or three--ne for in front of the TV and one for on his bed and so I think that everyone has enjoyed the quilts. KM: Do you sleep under a quilt? BB: Pardon? KM: Do you sleep under a quilt? BB: Yes I do. I made a really neat kind of a watercolor quilt for our bed and it&#039 ; s on there in the colder months. It gets pretty warm here near Chattanooga so I take that off in the summer but then I have made a lightweight one that doesn&#039 ; t have any batting in it that I put on the bed in the summer. KM: Tell me about your creative process. BB: [laughs.] Sometimes I am creative [laughs.], sometimes I just work by [inaudible.]. I&#039 ; m inspired by texture and color, would be the two things that I think draw me to textile work. I just love the feel of fabric and the vibrant colors. I&#039 ; m not much of a pastel person. I will see something sometimes in nature that inspires me and like the poppy in &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; it is just like I want to capture that somehow. Other times it might be some other quilter&#039 ; s work that I think, &#039 ; Oh that would be nice in a different color or something like that.&#039 ; I started out really with all the traditional work in quilting, as far as I learned to hand quilt, although I don&#039 ; t do that, I tend to do everything by machine mostly because I want to finish it in my lifetime. I enjoy hand quilting, it is very relaxing and I like that it harkens back to the tradition of quilting, I like that things are based on that but I like to do them in more of the modern style. I&#039 ; m not sure where I&#039 ; m going with this. I forget where we were headed with this. KM: Your creative process. BB: The creative process. KM: Do you sketch things out before you do them? BB: Yes, I do. I keep a little sketchbook and I might put patterns in there that I&#039 ; ve run across. One funny place where I always seem to find inspiration is if I&#039 ; m sitting in church and someone has an interesting pattern in their clothing sitting in front of me I have to make a little sketch of it so I remember. I have a couple of sketchbooks going all the time and have those things to refer back to. Often times, it is just a matter of going in there and starting to pull fabrics or something will remind me of a certain fabric that I know that I have in my stash and I will pull that and then I will find something else that will go with it. Sometimes it&#039 ; s a matter of looking at, well say decorating magazines and they are showing new color combinations for the season and I think, &#039 ; oh I have fabrics in those colors&#039 ; and I will go in and pull all of the fabrics in all of those colors, line them up and see what pops out and maybe find some kind of a traditional pattern that I would like to make a bed quilt and other times it is more of the art quilting. I go back and forth between traditional and art quilting and I don&#039 ; t really know what it is that makes me jump from one to the other, or why things inspire me one way and some another, but I like both the tradition and the art quilt aspect. KM: Do you work on more than one thing at a time or one thing at a time? BB: I usually have several things going and many, many UFOs [unfinished objects.] as we like to call them in the quilting world. I have project boxes and project piles and [laughs.], but I find that I get distracted easily if I have too many things going so I do try to focus on one or two things at once. For instance, I just finished piecing a quilt but I have another one that is sitting there with pieces spread around that I&#039 ; m stitching on still so there are two things going at once. KM: Describe your studio. BB: It should have been a bedroom in our house and I have wire frame basket drawers stacked. I have each one is devoted to a color, that is how I&#039 ; ve got things broken down for the fabric. I can see all of those fabrics when I&#039 ; m sitting and working. I have my sewing machine set up on our first dining room table and there is a closet in there where I stuff all the batting and the other supplies. It is a nice size room and I finally have room to spread out. I was in the corner of the laundry room of our last house, so this is quite a step up for me. KM: Do you have a design wall? BB: No I don&#039 ; t. I [laughs.] I don&#039 ; t really work that way and I don&#039 ; t know why, I mean everyone that I ever read about does any kind of serious quilting has a design wall but I guess that is not the way I visualize. KM: Is there any aspects of quiltmaking that you don&#039 ; t enjoy? BB: Not really. Like I said, I really like the tradition of quiltmaking and I would do more that was the old fashion way if I had more time probably. I&#039 ; ve studied whole cloth quilting, I love that tradition. Probably the one thing that I shy away from is any kind of appliqué by hand, but I still do that on the machine so it&#039 ; s not that I don&#039 ; t like the effect of it, I just don&#039 ; t like the hand work [laughs.]. KM: Have you made any more dimensional flowers after &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; ? BB: I have one started. I started a purple iris, but it hasn&#039 ; t come along as quickly as the &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; one did and it hasn&#039 ; t been a struggle, but I don&#039 ; t think I&#039 ; ve given it the attention that I need to make it come to fruition. KM: You mentioned doing things old fashion, what is your favorite techniques and materials? BB: I like just free form kinds of things. Things that don&#039 ; t require a pattern would be probably what I have the most fun with. I&#039 ; m kind of a rebel in that if I see something I don&#039 ; t want to make it the exact same way so I figure out how to do it my own way and so in that respect that&#039 ; s where I jump off from the tradition because I don&#039 ; t follow a pattern. Just anything that&#039 ; s kind of, like I said, free form I guess would be the best way to describe it. I really like Margaret Miller is one quiltmaker I&#039 ; ve admired because she doesn&#039 ; t give you a pattern per say, but she gives you technique and so everything that you create from any of her examples is unique but it still follows her kind of technique which is to cut in kind of a free form way and sew together in kind of a free form way. KM: Since you mentioned Margaret Miller, whose works are you drawn to and why? BB: I like hers. I think Caryl [Bryer.] Fallert did a lot for bringing the art quilt to the forefront. She kind of paved the way I think in that regard. Velda Newman does some beautiful work with the nature things, realistic I guess is how you describe it. Then there is an artist and her name is escaping me, [M. Joan Lintault.] but she does this wonderful thing where she cuts holes in the cloth and the first time I saw one I was fascinated by how she could possibly do that. It is odd things like that that kind of intrigue me. It is always the technique, you know &#039 ; how did they do that?&#039 ; KM: What advice would you offer someone starting out? BB: I had a woman approach me at church recently who asked about quilting. She knows how to sew, which that would probably be the first thing I would tell someone, get a basic sewing instruction under your belt just so that you are comfortable with the machine. Then I gave her some quilt magazines and said &#039 ; find something in her that appeals to you and go for it&#039 ; . It doesn&#039 ; t have to be a complicated process. If you can stitch even if you can&#039 ; t stitch by machine I suppose you could do it by hand. I&#039 ; ve not pieced a quilt by hand before but certainly you can finish one by hand. I would say just cutting and start sewing. [laughs.] KM: Do you belong to any art or quilt groups? BB: I have a membership in the Studio Art Quilt Associates. I&#039 ; ve followed their work on the website and so forth. I don&#039 ; t participate too much. It was actually &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; that I showed at the Nashville AQS [American Quilters Society.] Show a couple of years ago [with a SAQA exhibit.], but they don&#039 ; t have too much local activity going on. I have in the past belonged to the [American.] Quilt Study Group, again because I&#039 ; m interested in the whole history of textiles and quilting and that was interesting because they do so much with the history of quilting. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BB: Anymore it&#039 ; s going to be the price of quilting because the price of fabric just keeps going up I think. I don&#039 ; t see, it kind of had resurgence after the bicentennial and I kind of expected it to die down at some point but I don&#039 ; t know--it seems very vibrant at least in this area. There&#039 ; s two shops and one would be more traditional and one would be more artsy and both of them seem to be doing great. Every time that I&#039 ; ve been in either one there are people in there doing things. I don&#039 ; t know. It doesn&#039 ; t seem to be like losing its allure at least locally here. KM: Do you think of yourself more as an artist or a quiltmaker or do you even make the distinction? BB: I don&#039 ; t really make the distinction because I do have a foot in both camps and like I said I go back and forth pretty regularly. Sometimes I just feel like piecing a traditional bed quilt is comfortable, relaxing, all that my mind can get around at times and other times I&#039 ; m just energized to the point that I want to be in there doing the free form cutting and sewing and creating something that is more of a wall hanging kind of artsy statement. I&#039 ; m a little bit of both and maybe a little bit of neither. [laughs.] KM: Why is quiltmaking important to you? BB: It is an outlet for creativity and it&#039 ; s also a good time for me to sit and ponder. When I&#039 ; m doing the more rote stitching, I&#039 ; m usually just thinking or not thinking, just letting my mind wander. It&#039 ; s an outlet for me. It&#039 ; s what I do to relax and have something tangible to show for my free time rather than just sitting in front of the TV or whatever. KM: How do you want to be remembered? BB: That is a tough one. I don&#039 ; t know how to answer that. [laughs.] [pause.] KM: What makes a quilt artistically powerful? BB: Probably color, composition, what someone brings to it that they&#039 ; ve been able to translate into the fabric, the story behind it. Often times that tells a lot more than what you just see. Going back to Sacred Threads, when you go through that exhibit certainly there are things that are powerful in just the viewing of them, but it is reading those stories behind them that really brings it home for you, just makes it more powerful that way. KM: Do you plan to continue entering quilts into Sacred Threads? BB: Yes, I didn&#039 ; t make the deadline this year. I had some ideas of a direction that I wanted to go but it just didn&#039 ; t gel for me in time but yes that&#039 ; s one venue that I really do enjoy entering because it&#039 ; s just a quality show. KM: How is Sacred Threads different? BB: It allows self-expression and then the way that they show the quilts is just so, it is hard to explain. When you go to a commercial quilt show it is often quilt after quilt after quilt, it&#039 ; s invigorating in the color and so forth usually but Sacred Threads they just do so much more to show the quilts in a unique light and they off set everything with floral arrangements and fountains and the lighting is just perfect and they do all this in, where it has been in the past was like a school gymnasium and it is just amazing how they transform that into this wonderful atmosphere. It&#039 ; s an experience and you come out of there with kind of like a &quot ; wow factor.&quot ; KM: I understand that each quilt has a book that comes with it where people write comments. BB: Oh yes. KM: What kind of comments did you get on &quot ; Red Alert&quot ; ? BB: People thought that it was a joyful kind of quilt and that it made them happy. I think it was probably kind of a nice contrast as some of the quilts came with a little bit more somber story maybe, which you would encounter there at Sacred Threads. I was really gratified to see that people did enjoy seeing it and maybe caught a little bit of my joy in creating it when they saw it. KM: Do you enter quilts in other shows? BB: I have entered some in the past. When I lived in Ohio, there was a couple of local smaller shows and they were the kind that were where you would enter them and they would be judged and ribbons awarded, that kind of thing. That&#039 ; s another reason I guess I like Sacred Threads. It is not a judgmental kind of show. They jury the quilts in, but that is more for their content I think than anything but they are not judged once they are hanging. KM: How have advances in technology influenced your work? BB: I like to try out all the new gadgets that come along. When somebody is showing something new I am one of the first to at least give it a try but I don&#039 ; t know that I necessarily embrace every new technique or new gadget either. I certainly like that we have sewing machines that [laughs.] we can use because I probably would have made maybe two quilts in my lifetime if I had to do everything by hand. KM: What are your favorite gadgets? BB: Certainly the rotary cutter is a whole lot better than having to use scissors to cut everything. All the different sized acrylic rulers are really helpful and the one that I probably use the most is the seam ripper. [both laugh.]. KM: A lot of un-sewing? BB: Although that is with the pieced and traditional things where I&#039 ; m actually trying to fit something. When I get going on the free form things I don&#039 ; t worry about it, I just stitch over things for the most part. KM: Tell me more about your machine quilting. BB: I took a class one year at Quilt Surface Design Symposium which they have every year in Columbus, Ohio, and at that class I learned how to do the free motion quilting and that opened up a whole new avenue for finishing quilts. I didn&#039 ; t feel like I had to follow so much the traditional piecing and quilt-in-the-ditch type of thing. I went from that kind of to heavy duty thread work. I made a quilt that I overstitched the edges on a flower form trying to make it look like it was shaded and shadowed. I don&#039 ; t know if I accomplished that so much but I remember I entered that into one of these judged shows and the judges who were more versed in judging traditional quilts actually laughed at it when they looked at it because they couldn&#039 ; t figure out what I was trying to do [laughs.] and now I&#039 ; m thinking I may have the last laugh because I see that same technique on so many of these art quilts now, I think, &#039 ; Well you know that was just my way of getting into that whole kind of style and they just weren&#039 ; t familiar with it&#039 ; , but I do like thread work. I have a huge box of thread that if I needed to find my way home [laughs.] out of the forest I could string thread for miles. KM: Do you miss living in Ohio? BB: No I don&#039 ; t. I hated the snow and ice and having to be inside for months on end and not being able to plan anything because you didn&#039 ; t know if you were going to be hit with a snowstorm. I just love it in southeastern Tennessee. KM: How does the quiltmaking differ between when you lived in Ohio and where you are in Tennessee? What are the differences? What are the similarities too? BB: I don&#039 ; t really notice that much in the way of differences. I think quilters are quilters wherever you go and I guess the people that I&#039 ; ve been around who are quilters share a lot of the same traits and you&#039 ; ve got your traditional ones and you&#039 ; ve got your artsy ones and I knew some of each both places. I would say that they are pretty much similar. KM: Is there anything that you would like to share that we haven&#039 ; t touched upon before we conclude? BB: I do know that some of what I think probably is my, where I get this drive to sew or make quilts is possibly in my genes because my great-grandfather was a tailor and I found this out after I&#039 ; d been quilting for several years and my aunt told me that and I thought, &#039 ; Well gee, maybe it is something that is kind of an inherited thing to want to sew.&#039 ; KM: I want to thank you for taking time out of your morning to share with me. We are going to conclude our interview at 9:51. 2020 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=OH43068-004.xml OH43068-004.xml Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Charlotte Enfield Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context OH43068-004 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Beth Burke zzz http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/07cd3079afdcc02e64772b70ab815a7d.jpg 7692aac841f633c9b435c3fbfb5e72b6 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/397b676aeff306cf2e46b05fe4bd4674.jpg 7496fcbbd1f5d1726e4735a8fa00ea43 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Art Quilts at the Sedgwick QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Amy Tetlow Smith Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Bette Uscott-Woolsey OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0260_qsosart0018_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Painters Painting Acrylic paints Techniques Surface art Gee's Bend Quiltmakers Fabric Appreciation Acceptance Attitudes Art quilts Fabric art OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.2 2019oh0260_qsosart0018 Interview with Bette Uscott-Woolsey, April 3, 2004 2019oh0260_qsosart0018 qsosart Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: Art Quilts at the Sedgwick Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Arts and crafts. Quilting. Quilts in art Quilts. Quilts--Design. Families. Painters Painting Acrylic paints Techniques Surface art Gee's Bend Quiltmakers Fabric Appreciation Acceptance Attitudes Art quilts Fabric art Bette Uscott-Woolsey Amy Tetlow Smith 2019oh0260_qsosart0018_uscott-woolsey_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0260_qsosart0018_uscott-woolsey_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 2 Unique techniques she uses to make surface art quilts This is Amy Tetlow Smith. Bette Uscott-Woolsey is introduced. She talks about the quilt she brought with her to the interview, which she says is part of a 14-part series. She discusses her unique technique for creating art by combining both fabric and acrylic paint. She talks about the colors, materials, and sizes in her art. Acrylic paints ; Asymmetrical ; Batting/wadding ; Blocks ; Color palettes ; Colors ; Designs ; Fabric ; Fiber - Silk ; Mounting ; Painters ; Painting ; Paintings ; Piecing ; Quilts ; Series ; Sets ; Sizes ; Special meaning ; Stitching ; Strips ; Surface art ; Techniques ; Unique ; Uses Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 455 Her beginning in surface art Okay, um, how long have you been doing this type of surface art? Uscott-Woolsey talks about how she began working in surface art, partially due to health issues which prevented her from hand embroidering. Butterflies ; Dyes ; Fabrics ; Hand embroidery ; Hand stitching ; Health issues ; Horizontal ; Painting ; Sewing ; Sizes ; Surface art ; Techniques ; Tendonitis ; Vertical Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 750 Inspiration for her art So where does your infor--your inspiration come from? Uscott-Woolsey talks about some of the artists she admires and other art that inspires her own art. Abstract art ; Artists ; Choices ; Colors ; Expressionists ; Gee's Bend Art Show ; Gee's Bend Quiltmakers ; Gee's Bend quilts ; Inspirations ; Japanese ; Joan Mitchell (Artist) ; Kimonos ; Painters ; Patterns ; Speed ; Stitching Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 873 Artists in her family Now, are there other, uh, painters or artists in your family? Uscott-Woolsey talks about her husband's college art degree. She talks about how her mother-in-law inspired her and taught her quilting skills. Art education ; Art training ; College education ; Family ; Finishing ; Husbands ; Learning ; Mother-in-law ; Respect ; Skills ; Teaching ; Traditional ; Value Arts and crafts. ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1043 Attitudes toward her blending of various artistic mediums--Part I So what do you do with most of your quilts that you make? Uscott-Woolsey talks about her future plans for her artwork. She talks about people not appreciating her unique blend of fabric and paint in her art. Acceptance ; Appreciation ; Attitudes ; Children ; Daughter-in-law ; Fabric ; Family ; Fine arts ; Friends ; Future ; Galleries ; Gallery ; Painting studios ; Practicality ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Selling ; Shows ; Skills ; Teaching ; Value Arts and crafts. ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1210 Dreams of being an artist So had you always wanted to be an artist? Uscott-Woolsey talks about whether she always wanted to be an artist, and how she was inspired by her love of dance. She talks about the influence of studying art in college during the sixties. 1960s ; Art ; Artists ; Careers ; College education ; Dance ; Dancing ; Dreams ; Jobs ; Junior high schools ; Motion ; Sixties ; Talent ; Teaching Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1319 Training to make art quilts Um, have you ever considered opening your own studio to teach people your skills? Uscott-Woolsey talks about what kinds of classes she would teach if she taught art classes. She talks about the need for training to create quality art quilts. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Designers ; Designs ; Fine arts ; Images ; Skills ; Studios ; Teaching ; Teaching quiltmaking ; Techniques ; Training Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1451 Quilting and work schedule Um, how much time do you spend a, day or during the week working on-- Uscott-Woolsey talks about how much time she devotes to her art each day and how she balances her art with her day job. Baltimore Album quilts ; Careers ; Contemporary art ; Digital ; Digitized ; Family businesses ; Hours ; Husbands ; Jobs ; Schedules ; Small businesses ; Traditional quilts ; Traditionalists ; Work Arts and crafts. ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1587 Favorite and least favorite aspects of quilting So what parts--when you, um, start to work on a piece or decide you're going to work on a piece, what parts from beginning to end are your favorite parts of putting together a work of art like this? Uscott-Woolsey describes her favorite and least favorite aspects of creating her unique art form. Art pieces ; Assembling ; Assembly ; Color palette ; Commercial fabric ; Designs ; Fast ; Layouts ; Painting ; Piecing ; Speed ; Techniques ; Tedious Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1739 Fabric sources Where do you do your fabric hunting? Uscott-Woolsey talks about her favorite places to acquire fabric and discusses the types of fabric she prefers. Artistic decisions ; Choices ; Control ; Fabric selection ; Fabric stores ; Fabric/Quilt shops ; New York ; Philadelphia (Pa.) ; Shopping for fabric ; Sources Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 1884 Attitudes toward her blending of various artistic mediums--Part II Do you think that your particular art, artwork somehow reflects this region? Uscott-Woolsey talks more about people not appreciating her unique blend of fabric and paint in her art and how she is not truly accepted by either the fine art world or the quilt world. She talks about her hopes for the future for this art form. The interview is concluded. Acceptance ; Appreciation ; Art world ; Artistic ability ; Artistic talent ; Artwork ; Attitudes ; Biases ; Blending ; Cohesion ; Different ; Fabric ; Fabric art ; Fiber artwork ; Fine arts ; Finish ; Fish out of water ; Fitting in ; Folk art ; Gee's Bend Art Show ; Gee's Bend Quiltmakers ; Gee's Bend quilts ; Gender ; Generations ; Indigenous ; Materials ; Mediums ; Men ; Nancy Crow ; Painters ; Painting ; Polished ; Polly Applebaum ; Quilt preservation ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quilters ; Regions ; Roughness ; Shapes ; Stitching ; Themes ; Traditionalists ; Women Arts and crafts. ; Quilting. ; Quilts in art ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. 17 interview Bette Uscott-Woolsey discusses her unique technique for creating art by combining both fabric and acrylic paint. She talks about some of the artists she admires and other art that inspires her own art. She discusses how she balances creating art and working her day job, her background and education in art, her family's interest in art and quilting, and her favorite and least favorite aspects of creating her unique art form. Uscott-Woolsey talks about people not appreciating her unique blend of fabric and paint in her art and how she is not truly accepted by either the fine art world or the quilt world. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0260_qsosart0018_uscott-woolsey_ohm.xml 2019oh0260_qsosart0018_uscott-woolsey_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7cs2jsjcl6h Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Le Rowell Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Bette Uscott-Woolsey discusses her unique technique for creating art by combining both fabric and acrylic paint. She talks about some of the artists she admires and other art that inspires her own art. She discusses how she balances creating art and working her day job, her background and education in art, her family's interest in art and quilting, and her favorite and least favorite aspects of creating her unique art form. Uscott-Woolsey talks about people not appreciating her unique blend of fabric and paint in her art and how she is not truly accepted by either the fine art world or the quilt world. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh0260_qsosart0018 AQATS-018 Subject The topic of the resource Arts and crafts. Quilting. Quilts in art Quilts. Quilts--Design. Families. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Bette Uscott-Woolsey Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 3, 2004 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/7098f41091a810d383df2b744eac3361.jpg 50cad5b55b885e78ac9ffcbae927511f http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/43ec02f338603df9f871ffb3adbf3664.jpg 960553e015693e1aa21e1d3f5576a372 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/dce6dea398d13a88b163848bf003412e.jpg a543131b68406e423295f0a724c49545 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barack Obama Quilt QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Betty Colburn OHMS Object https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=BOQ-023.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.4 Interview with Betty Colburn BOQ-023 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The Barack Obama Quilt QSOS Quilt Alliance Betty Colburn Karen Musgrave 0 https://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/BOQ-023 Colburn.mp3 Other audio Oral History Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I&#039 ; m conducting a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Betty Colburn. Betty is in Portland, Oregon and I am in Naperville, Illinois so we are conducting this interview over the telephone. Today&#039 ; s date is January 26, 2009. It is now 5:08 in the evening. Betty, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to do this interview with me. Betty Colburn (BC): I was delighted. KM: Please tell me about your quilt &quot ; Obama Drafted for NBA.&quot ; BC: This quilt was made particularly for an exhibit [&quot ; President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts&quot ; from February 9 to March 5, 2009 in the main gallery (King Street Gallery) of the Morris &amp ; Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.] that will be opening at Montgomery College in Washington, D.C. on February 9. It was made by a group of quilters who came together as a subgroup of the Quilt Art List and then formed their own Yahoo group. They sometimes refer to themselves as the Obama Mamas. It is people who were excited and delighted that Barack Obama was elected president. The group formed just after the election and we had, some people, had already made quilts, others were made for the occasion. Mine was made for the occasion. I began thinking about it when Sue Walen proposed the group. I had an interest in making an Obama quilt because I had made a George Bush quilt in February of &#039 ; 03, which is a bit of a different story and I may talk about that a bit later in the interview. I was ready to take that quilt off the wall at my house and was very open to replacing it with a quilt about the new president. My first thought about this quilt was that I wanted to portray the nature of the challenge that our new president was facing: these are very troubled times in terms of both at home and abroad, there are many, many problems to be dealt with at all levels of society from the individual up through the entire system and so I wanted to portray the fact that this new young president we have is facing a lot of different challenges. I already knew, through my husband, that he was a basketball player and I began thinking about how to incorporate that and it occurred to me that juggling basketballs might be a good analogy for the kinds of issues that our new president was facing. I was thinking, &#039 ; Okay, I want to do a particular kind of sort of whimsical kind of approach where it would portray the head and shoulders of our new president juggling basketballs and have the words of the title printed on the quilt itself.&#039 ; I&#039 ; ve done quilts like this before. For instance, when I broke my wrist ten years ago I did a quilt at the end of my physical therapy for my therapist called &quot ; A Hand for Lisa&quot ; It portrayed a hand holding a bunch of flowers in the center of the quilt. It was appliquéd with a pieced background. I&#039 ; ve made other quilts of that kind before. For the Obama quilt, I pieced a background of pale blue squares without a lot of contrast. The very center square was a photocopy of Barack Obama&#039 ; s head that I got from Wikipedia. They list on the site that this was a government photo that had no copyright on it so I felt free in using it in my art and so the center rectangle of the five block by five block grid in the background is his face. I then cut and fused, using Misty fuse, a suit coat and hands and the basketballs overhead. There are five basketballs and they don&#039 ; t represent any particular problems. People who saw me making the quilt would say, &#039 ; Are you going to label the basketballs with the problems?&#039 ; I chose to leave that more ambiguous. The title soon came to me as &quot ; Obama Drafted For NBA&quot ; because I know that if he were not president one of the things President Obama most like to be is a basketball player and so I asked my husband, who is an avid street ball player, to help me find an acronym for NBA that means doing a lot of different things. Twenty-four hours later he said &#039 ; National Balancing Act&#039 ; and that stuck. I put the words &#039 ; Obama Drafted for NBA&#039 ; at the top of the quilt and at the bottom it says, &#039 ; National Balancing Act.&#039 ; The border fabric is a piece of fabric that I&#039 ; ve been sitting on a long time, the copyright on the selvage said 1993. It was &#039 ; See the USA in your Chevrolet&#039 ; fabric so it has little caricatures of all the states and sometimes things that are important to them like on New York there is a Statue of Liberty and then there are some cars, kind of nineteen fifties style cars pictured around. I&#039 ; ve been sitting on that piece of fabric for a long time, like a lot of quilters do, and when I went looking for a border and back for this quilt that fabric jumped out at me so it became the border. Now the techniques that were used included fused appliqué. The fused pieces were then satin stitched around the edge to hold them in place and I did that with all of the lettering too. The quilting on the background is meant to portray the parquet floor on the arena that the Boston Celtics play in, the Boston Garden. Let me think about what else I did with this piece. It&#039 ; s wall size. It is about 28 inches by 35 inches. KM: Is that a typical size for you? BC: That&#039 ; s a typical size. Well I do a lot of bed quilts. I haven&#039 ; t done a lot of quilts in the last five years. I&#039 ; ve been doing clothing in the last five years but that is the size that historically I&#039 ; ve done a lot of wall quilts either on commission or for myself or for family or friends. It&#039 ; s a nice size for a lot of people&#039 ; s walls and you can do a lot with it in a reasonable amount of time. I&#039 ; ve made some larger quilts but when I want to submit things for competition I generally make them larger more like 60 inches by 80 inches but not really bed size but as show quilts and then those quilts once they come home from a show end up being stacked up on a bed so I&#039 ; ve kind of gotten away from doing that kind of size in recent years. KM: What are your plans for the quilt? BC: For this one? [KM um-hum.] It is actually too big to hang in the spot that would replace the George Bush quilt. I have had a few people ask about buying it. I may sell it and make a slightly smaller one. My husband would really like to have this quilt and if he comes up with a spot where he wants to hang it I probably will keep it. I don&#039 ; t know. He is rather taken with it. KM: Let&#039 ; s talk about your Bush quilt. BC: My Bush quilt. In February of &#039 ; 03, I was living in Austin, Texas where I lived for thirty-five years or so. I was very unhappy about what was going on, very frightened about the build up to the war in Iraq. It seemed inappropriate to me. It seemed a distraction from the business that I thought needed to be done and so what I thought about then was that it was a no win game and the quilt itself is called &quot ; W&#039 ; s No Win Game.&quot ; What it portrays is a tic-tac-toe game of the kind that is called the Cat&#039 ; s Game where almost all of the squares are filled. There is one square left to fill and whoever fills it nobody is going to win. It is like a hung game of tic-tac-toe and that is in the bottom two-thirds of the piece. The piece itself is shaped with a curve at the top as though it was a tombstone and it has a sign at the top that says &quot ; W&#039 ; s No Win Game&quot ; and then it has some commercial fabric appliqués. I did this one very quickly, within twenty-four hours, so it was just sort of off the top of my head. I went through my commercial fabrics that had figures on them, things leftover from making baby quilts, and cut out a car and some Monopoly fabric. The piece that says luxury tax and a cowboy boot and a Statue of Liberty and it has the cowboy boot kicking the head of the Statue of Liberty, has a gray cat which represents my cat at that time, which represents the Cat&#039 ; s Game. Some other things like that that are kind of scattered around on it that just portray that this is not where we need to be right now, lets get out of here. The back of it has a whimsical fabric that is a Day of the Dead fabric. It has a black background with white skeletons and the skeletons are all playing ball games using pumpkins as the balls so there is a tennis one and a baseball one and volleyball, they are all pumpkins that the skeletons are throwing around. At the bottom of the front of the quilt I put a dinosaur. IT is a bony dinosaurs not a caricature dinosaur, dinosaur bones and I appliquéd one of those to the bottom with the idea that there was a connection to the issue of oil and the dinosaurs and the tar pits and it just sort of seemed appropriate to have a dinosaur on it. I posted that one to the QuiltArt online exhibition called &quot ; Quilts Not War&quot ; and it had hung in my house since that time so it came down during the time that I was making this new one. KM: Have you made any other political quilts? BC: Yes [laughs.] I have. One that comes to mind is when I first made the George Bush quilt I was working part time for a large nonprofit agency in a call center. I always had small quilts in my cube and everybody at that point had American flags and Support our Troops signs and that sort of thing. When I made the Bush quilt I hung it up at the office. Everybody had always been very positive about the quilts I brought in before that. This time, within twenty-four hours my supervisor told me that they had a new policy against political statements and I had to take it down. I was not real happy about that but I took it home. That night I stayed up all night and made another quilt that, to me, had the same message but it wasn&#039 ; t obvious to the casual observer. It was a Double Nine Patch in black and white and on it in red letters it says, &#039 ; Everything is Not Black and White in the World Today.&#039 ; I left a lot of red threads hanging off of the letters, kind of like drippy blood stuff ; I&#039 ; m sure people who didn&#039 ; t ask me never knew what it meant. They let me keep that one up. KM: Good for you. BC: Yah, yah. Most of my quilts have a story. I&#039 ; m a social worker by training. I worked in mental health for twenty years and so whenever I hear something or think about something it always sort of gets a story attached to it. When I was in Texas, I was doing quilts on commission, so I would always interview them about what they wanted from the quilt and what the recipients interests were, not just colors but motifs and stories and that sort of thing and I would try to incorporate that sort of thing in whatever I did, even baby quilts. KM: Tell me some more about your interest in quiltmaking. When did you begin? BC: I really started making quilts in 1993 after we moved into a new house. I wanted a new bedspread and I didn&#039 ; t see anything out there that really grabbed me and so I decided to make one. I hadn&#039 ; t had any training in quiltmaking. I had done one quilted object before, in 1980, while I was visiting my mother along with my then two year old son. My mother and my sister, who were 1970&#039 ; s quilters, had made quilted jackets with a flip and sew technique. My Mom asked, &#039 ; Do you want to make a jacket like this?&#039 ; I said, &#039 ; Sure.&#039 ; My mother babysat my son for three days while I made the jacket. That was really the only quilting I had done up until 1993. In &#039 ; 93, I decided to make a bedspread. After I finished the first one, I told my son, who was by that time fourteen, I would make him a quilt. He and I designed a quilt for him. He is a plain and simple kind of guy so I thought of Amish stars. He wanted baseball cards on it. He chose baseball cards that he owned or were pictured in a book that he had. I photocopied the cards and set them into the center of the stars on this Amish style quilt. That quilt is the only thing I ever hand quilted and it nearly killed me. It was very hard on my hands. I&#039 ; m a machine quilter now. I probably made that quilt in 1994. In 1995, after I joined the Austin Area Quilt Guild at the urging of one of the employees of the local quilt store, I was excited that Harriett Hardgrave was coming to town to teach for the guild. On the day that Harriet was flying in, I got a call from somebody in the guild who said, &#039 ; Harriett Hardgrave, is coming in an hour and the person she was going to stay with is sick. Can you go out to the airport and pick her up and have her stay with you?&#039 ; I said, [laughs.] &#039 ; Yes.&#039 ; [laughs.] Harriett stayed with me for three or four days while she taught. I learned so much from her ; it was like a whole paradigm shift in my life as a quilter. One of the things Harriet said when she saw that Amish style quilt, was you&#039 ; ve got to double the amount of quilting you do on things [laughs.] so I actually did go back and put, not double the amount but significant amount of more hand quilting on that one and began in earnest trying to learn how to do an adequate job of machine quilting. KM: What does your family think of your quilting? BC: My husband is my best fan. He thinks it is wonderful. He falls in love with the quilts and sometimes when they go away I have to make another one for him, although we certainly have more than we could ever use here. My mother and sister quit quilting about the time I started and I think they are a little bit in awe of the fact that I&#039 ; ve stayed with it and have chosen to enter competitions with them. My daughter-in-law would rather that I make clothes. She dragged me back into making clothes about five, six years ago when she became involved with the family. She asked me to teach her to sew and her interest was definitely in clothes so I got back into doing that. Right now I&#039 ; m kind of sitting halfway in between and not sure which way I&#039 ; m going. When we moved to Portland, three years ago, I opened a business of my own doing dressmaking and alterations and I&#039 ; m finding that to be a lonely path. I belong to the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. It&#039 ; s not exactly where my heart is and I feel myself sort of going back to quilts. I think I will always kind of live on both sides. I don&#039 ; t do home décor, you know the pillow kind of stuff. [KM hums agreement.] It&#039 ; s just doesn&#039 ; t appeal to me. I don&#039 ; t like production sewing although one of the interesting things to me about quilts is that when I&#039 ; m making blocks for a quilt, I can sort of get in a zone with the production and it is satisfying. But as far as making six bridesmaids dresses. [makes dissatisfying sound.] It doesn&#039 ; t do anything for me. I think I&#039 ; ve decided at this point that I would rather do social work to make money and sew as an avocation. I&#039 ; m just sort of right in the middle of that decision process. I have been thinking about it since some time in December, so it is not very old. I&#039 ; ve tried to join guilds here. Well I joined one guild when I first got here and I never found a small group. I live in East Portland and there are only two or three members in East Portland. I use public transportation here so I really can&#039 ; t get to meetings on the West side of town efficiently. I&#039 ; m not going to join a group that takes an hour and a half on the bus to get there and an hour and a half back. I joined another guild recently and I&#039 ; m afraid I&#039 ; m kind in the same position with them. I really liked their show when I went to it. It&#039 ; s a guild that limits membership to one hundred and fifty and I had to be on a wait list to get in but once I got in I found that the people are by in large on the other side of the river from me so I&#039 ; m kind of giving them a chance to see if I can find a group that fits for me. In Austin, the guild was a really important thing for me. I like both the solitary and the social aspects of quilting. I like being a part of a small group but in general I like working alone. I guess a lot of quilters are like that. KM: Tell me about competing, entering into quilt shows. BC: When I was a kid I was in 4-H and I really enjoyed the competition. I did dress review and the cooking competitions. I hadn&#039 ; t done anything like that until I got into quilts. The first year I went to Houston for the big show was &#039 ; 96, it was like, &#039 ; Wow!&#039 ; I had no idea that this little hobby I&#039 ; ve gotten involved in is such a big thing and I was just really excited by it. I decided to try to submit things for juried shows. I always entered the local shows in Austin and got, I enjoy getting feedback from judges. I particularly like it if they give you real feedback about what they liked and didn&#039 ; t like and what can be improved. That is one of the things I like about small groups too. It is hard to find a small group where you can do real critique where nobody gets offended and people say what they think but aren&#039 ; t unkind about it. It is all in the spirit of learning. I guess it is about learning and I like seeing my stuff hanging with other neat stuff. It&#039 ; s sort of a thrill and one other thing, if I have a piece in a show I will go hang out near my piece but with my nametag covered so people don&#039 ; t immediately know who I am, and just listen to what people have to say and get involved in conversations. Sometimes I tell them who I am and sometimes I don&#039 ; t. It is another way of getting feedback about what I&#039 ; m doing. KM: Did you ever hear anything really interesting? BC: Let me think about that. It is interesting to me that some people are open to a lot of things and other people have preconceptions that keep them focused on only a certain area--some of the art quilters won&#039 ; t take a look at a traditional quilt and some of the traditional quilters don&#039 ; t think it is a quilt unless it&#039 ; s got blocks and is done in a certain way. Some people are into only hand quilting, although I think there are fewer and fewer of them. I like it when people respond to the basic design and the colors and are curious for new things and get excited about whatever they see. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? BC: Whose work? Okay, well a lot of different people, lots and lots of different people. Some of my favorite stuff right now is by my friend, Kathy York, in Austin. She does real, real neat whimsical stuff and she just keeps stretching herself. She had a piece accepted for Quilt National this year. I saw it when I was in Austin at Christmas and it just blew me away. It&#039 ; s extremely 3-D. I mean to me it takes a leap, an innovative leap that I haven&#039 ; t seen before. Basically she made all of these soft sculptures and appliquéd them onto a background and managed to quilt the thing and it is amazing. Her use of colors, she works with bright colors. I like most people who work with bright colors. I like Laura Wasilowski, Robbie oh-- KM: Eklow, Eklow. BC: Robbie Eklow. Yes, I love her stuff. Then again Kathleen McCrady in Austin does beautiful stuff and I&#039 ; m so glad she is doing shows again. For years and years she would not compete in the local show in Austin. She would occasionally put things in for display only. I&#039 ; m so glad she is back and putting it out there for competition because she does such neat stuff. Other inspirations, well in terms of learning when I was in Texas, I went to Houston International Quilt Festival every year for a full week so the classes were wonderful. I have gotten to the point where I don&#039 ; t want to bother with a half day class and a one day class is maybe, okay. I haven&#039 ; t been to many classes in a while because I can&#039 ; t afford to go to places that have two and three day classes. I miss that. Somebody else whose work I really like is Gwen Marsten. I had some of her books early on and was privileged to be in a class with her at the Empty Spools program at Asilomar, in 2000. I was already doing some informal, free piecing at that point. She really inspires me. KM: What advice would you offer someone starting out? BC: Practice, practice, practice. Don&#039 ; t be too self-critical. Keep doing what you like and keep learning. Take classes. Experiment. Get involved with a small group. That&#039 ; s really been a good thing for me and I really hope I find one again. KM: I hope you do too. BC: Let me think about that. I could talk about my own favorite piece. It was for a challenge. I do my best work if I have a frame work, a challenge or a goal of some sort. This one was for an Austin guild challenge called &quot ; Once in the Blue Moon.&quot ; My piece is &quot ; More than a Blue Moon.&quot ; It is a variation of the Moon over Mountain block. It is a four block piece. It is probably 30 inches by 30 inches. It was made from fabrics I had been sitting on for years. Of the four moons one of them is basically blue and one of them is basically red and the other is sort of an aqua green and the other one is yellow so it is like primary colors and there is a lot of transparency in it. The pieces of the mountain and moon have been broken up into several pieces. You can see through the moon in places into the sky. I had the idea for it but it was kind of a busy time. It was 2001. I was signed up to go to the quilt restoration workshop in Omaha, Nebraska because I had an idea that I might want to do quilt restoration. I keep looking for where I belong. I&#039 ; m sort of a jack of all trades master of none sort of person. Once I get proficient at something, I&#039 ; m ready to learn something new. I was at my small group on the Wednesday night before I was supposed to go to the workshop and the deadline for the challenge was the next week. I was telling people, &#039 ; I&#039 ; ve got this neat idea for the challenge but I don&#039 ; t have time to do it.&#039 ; They said, &#039 ; Betty, you do it. You just go home and do it.&#039 ; So I went home that night and in an hour and a half I had laid out the pieces. Pulled the fabrics, laid them out, cut--I think I may have already made templates for the pieces and cut them out. It occurred to me that I could hand piece this one so I took it with me and hand pieced it while I was at the workshop. And came back and it needed a border so I got some quilter&#039 ; s lame in a color that sets it off and it was done in time for the challenge. It won the challenge and has also traveled in the In the American Tradition exhibit. It is my very favorite because it&#039 ; s got such good transparency. I really would like to do more stuff like that: block based with interesting color effects. Kind of like what Joan Wolfram does. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? BC: Wow the bar has been set so high at this point. Every year it seems like there are people doing new wonderful amazing things. I personally feel like I&#039 ; m always a little behind the curve in terms of new and innovative. The biggest challenge, it certainly is not materials. We are definitely in the golden age of supplies. I don&#039 ; t know what would be. So many barriers have been broken ; the acceptance of machine quilting, including the rise of the longarm. The biggest challenge maybe personal time to do the work ; everybody&#039 ; s life is so complex at this point. I would have to say that is a challenge for me to stay focused and organized enough to do the work that I want to do. KM: Describe your studio. BC: Oh my studio, okay, it is in the basement. Our house is 1500 square feet, half of it ground floor and half of it basement so the room is I believe its 9 feet wide by 14 feet long. I&#039 ; m trying to do both clothing and quilts in it so I&#039 ; ve got a lot of stuff in there. I have one sewing machine set up. I have one other sewing machine. I&#039 ; m not a sewing machine collector but I have one other sewing machine that I take to classes and when I go away from home to sew with me because my Bernina 1230 doesn&#039 ; t like to travel. When I take it away from home it always misbehaves and then when I bring it back home it is fine again. I have a serger and a blind hemmer. The machines are laid out along the long wall. I keep my quilt fabric in wire grid drawer shelving and it&#039 ; s all filed by color, folded in 6 by 6 inch bundles. It stands on end so I can pull it out and see all of each color, pull it out what I want, cut it and put it back easily. I used to make horrible messes. I would have everything--I would have this huge pile of fabric that I cut pieces out of and it was just too much trouble to have to put it all back at once so I try to put it back as I go. I have a small design wall, it&#039 ; s 4 feet wide so I can&#039 ; t lay out a huge quilt on it but it&#039 ; s enough. The rest of the room is mostly storage. I walk down the hall to iron which actually is better for my body I think. I can&#039 ; t see having the iron where you just turn around and iron while still seated, that would be too sedentary for me. My studio is not terribly well organized but I can usually put my hands on what I need pretty quickly. KM: Do you work on one thing at a time or do you complete things and then go to the next one? BC: That is an interesting evolution. When I did only clothes I never had more than one thing going at a time. Cut it out, finish it, it&#039 ; s done. With quilts, I find it necessary to let things sort of percolate and I do have a box of unfinished projects that are either waiting for inspiration or time. I&#039 ; m just not sure where I&#039 ; m going with them so they go away for a while and they come out after a while and I look at them again. Hopefully I will come out even at the end of my life and not leave a bunch of unfinished projects. I have a lot of things lined up to do that have never been cut: assemblages of fabrics and ideas that are projects in the waiting. I can think of many, many more things that I want to do then I have time to do. Sometimes those things later on don&#039 ; t seem like such a good idea and I will put the fabric back where it belongs and sometimes I will leave it together for long periods of times and sometimes the projects actually happen. The funny thing is my favorite quilts are all pieces that I think of and then make immediately. KM: How do you want to be remembered? BC: As a good friend and I like it when people think I&#039 ; m creative. Probably kind, thoughtful and creative if I had to write something on a tombstone. KM: What do you think makes a great quilt? BC: The first thing is design and the second is color. Good workmanship needs to be in there too, it, I find things that are very sloppily done somewhat irritating. I&#039 ; m okay with raw edges though. The seamstress people I know don&#039 ; t like the current raw edge clothing and I really kind of like that. I think it is just a different thing. Well executed, whatever it&#039 ; s intended to be it needs to be well executed. I don&#039 ; t like things that are going to fall apart. Design first. It has to be interesting, pleasing to the eye. Balance yet not boring. KM: Why would you say quilting is important to you? BC: I guess it is my creative outlet and it&#039 ; s also, it is something that I do when I&#039 ; m troubled. In the year 2000, 2001, the Texas economy was hit hard by the dot.com crash and the business that my husband and I had was heavily dependent on the people who lost their jobs in the dot.com crash. We were really struggling and I was afraid our business would fail. I keep scrapes, strips, cut off pieces, triangles, whatever. In the evenings I started just sewing pieces of fabric together, making sort of manufactured fabric. Once I got a piece to something that I could cut into, a 6½ inch by 6½ inch square I would put it aside. I just kept doing that and made a bed quilt out of it. It&#039 ; s really chaotic except it is tied together with the stashing. I was in the mood right then to use the yellow color called cheddar, so I put cheddar posts between the strips of burgundy sashing. It forms a lattice work over all of the chaos. This project really sort of held me together during a difficult time. If I&#039 ; m worried about something, I go to my studio and just start playing with fabric. Sometimes it turns into something neat and sometimes it doesn&#039 ; t and that is okay. KM: We&#039 ; ve been talking almost forty-five minutes now. Is there anything that you would like to share that we haven&#039 ; t touched upon before we close? BC: I&#039 ; ve talked about a lot of different things. KM: You did a good job. BC: You know sewing is very important to me. Touching the fabric is important and the meaning that I get from what I make with fabric is probably the core of what I do, While I like to compete essentially, it&#039 ; s my own thing. I mean I went a few years without making anything that I felt like I would submit anywhere. It seems like it&#039 ; s a balance of both inside and outside: inside myself and outside myself. Just like the solitary versus the social. KM: Thank you so much. This was a great way to conclude. We are going to end our interview at 5:53. 2020 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=BOQ-023.xml BOQ-023.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BOQ-023 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Betty Colburn http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/f8e6867dde45fabce1173c11eac4217f.jpg 9385f3fb9a2c95e206d8aee9314d4072 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/a5689be667ac329f61379774c9f8ce99.jpg aa6904f57dab685d2d21b4c026bd948a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barack Obama Quilt QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carol Krueger OHMS Object https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=BOQ-029.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.4 Interview with Carol Krueger BOQ-029 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories The Barack Obama Quilt QSOS Quilt Alliance Carol Krueger Karen Musgrave 0 https://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/BOQ-029 Krueger.mp3 Other audio Oral History Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I&#039 ; m conducting a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Carol Krueger. Carol is in Louisville, Colorado and I am in Naperville, Illinois so we are conducting this interview over the telephone. Today&#039 ; s date is February 4, 2009. It is now 11:38 in the morning. Carol thank you so much for taking time out of your day to do this interview with me. Carol Krueger (CK): Thank you for having me. KM: Please tell me about your quilt &quot ; That Won.&quot ; CK: The title of my quilt &quot ; That Won&quot ; and it is spelled w-o-n came from one of the last debates that Senator [Barack.] Obama did with Senator [John.] McCain. It was one of the debates in the town hall style where the candidates were allowed to freely move around the stage and so on. It became a somewhat memorable debate I think for a lot of people because they felt that it was a turning point, not a good turning point for Senator McCain. At one point during the debate he kept referring to Senator Obama as &#039 ; that one&#039 ; as if Obama was an inanimate object, instead of saying &#039 ; that person&#039 ; or &#039 ; that senator.&#039 ; It was very impersonal and a lot of people I think felt that it was rather rude but in my own twisted sense of humor I saw in my mind&#039 ; s eye the words &#039 ; that won,&#039 ; w-o-n, and in a sense I really believed from that moment on that Senator Obama was going to win the election. The rude comment made Senator McCain look somewhat defeated and I think just in general as a personal statement when you are running against another person, when you lose your cool and you lose your self-respect and you lose your respect for the opponent it makes you look somehow defeated. I really felt that this was the main taking off point for this piece. I wanted to put &#039 ; that won&#039 ; on the quilt as a statement. The title appears on the piece. I made what is almost like a campaign button. It is a monogrammed round shape that is actually pinned to the piece. It is not permanently affixed. It appears on the lower left hand corner of the piece, like how someone would put on a campaign button. It has a pin on the back and it can be removed at a later date if someone wanted to remove it but that is my title and I felt that it really needed to be part of the piece. KM: What techniques did you use to make it? CK: My piece is quite a bit different than the other quilted pieces in the show in that the piece is almost entirely beaded. It&#039 ; s comprised of approximately fourteen thousand Japanese glass seed beads, size 11 in case anybody wants to know. People always ask me these technical things so I like to say that. The piece took a number of hours to make. It takes approximately an hour to an hour and a half per square inch to make this type of hand beaded piece. It is quite a meticulous and laborious kind of a technique. It is not difficult. It is just extremely time consuming. I bordered the piece with a piece of cotton welt that looks a bit like Kente cloth as reflection of President Obama&#039 ; s background, his heritage, and just a very simple black frame because I didn&#039 ; t want to detract too much from this intricate beading technique. A lot of people ask me about this beading technique. One of the most common questions that I get is, &#039 ; Where do you begin the piece?&#039 ; I always begin the piece in the same place. I begin with the iris of the eye. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul so that is where I begin. I always try to get the expression in the eyes first. If I&#039 ; m not pleased with how the eyes look, then I&#039 ; ve been known to tear out the beading and rework it or try to get it to just the expression that I want. I start with the eye and then I keep working my way out around until the face is pretty well completed. I usually work the background area last on the piece. In this case, the background of my original photo was very plain and I decided to [clears throat.] to bead in a ray of hope. There is an orange band that comes down and illuminates the president&#039 ; s face. I wanted that to be symbolic of the ray of hope that was the cornerstone of the message that Obama gave during his election. The word &#039 ; Hope&#039 ; was his central message. I wanted to try to put that into the piece in a symbolic manner and that&#039 ; s what that orange band is coming down to the top of his face and how it kind of illuminates the face. The technique is very, as I mentioned before is rather time consuming and it takes a lot of commitment to do that. The piece itself, the quilt is about 15 [inches.] by 18 [inches.]. The actual beaded area of the quilt is only about 8 [inches.] by 11 [inches.], 8 [inches.] by 12 [inches.], something like that. It&#039 ; s not a very large area but it took approximately eighty hours to complete the beading. Let&#039 ; s see, in regards to the technique I also like to try to pay attention to the direction of the beading. At close observation you can see that some of the areas of the beading have a different directional quality. Like this ray that comes down from the sky of course that is pretty self explanatory. You can see that the beads are in a linear fashion that come down from the top to the bottom. I really had fun working some of the areas. Like if you observe his hair I worked it in a lot of these small sort of crisscross areas to give the idea of the texture of his hair and then there were some other areas that I, like in the nose and the lips where I actually worked to form the lips and the nose in the direction that those features would appear on the face. The other thing I wanted to say about this piece is that many of the images of Barack Obama from this time period depict him as he appears as a candidate. He is usually shown wearing a suit and tie or at least a dress shirt and a tie. At the time that I made the piece, he was still a senator and not the president yet. I decided to depict him as he might appear as say, a scholar or as a father, as a husband, as a colleague. I chose to depict him not in his classic suit and tie as a candidate but more as a person. The person that you might know, the person that you might be acquainted with, the person you might have worked with or have worked on a project with. I wanted to depict him more as he appeared as a man and not so much as the formal candidate for president. I chose the facial expression that I thought expressed his kindness. I was reasonably pleased with the outcome of how the eyes appeared because I thought they made him look like the kind of gentle, concerned individual that I believe him to be. He is somewhat smiling in the image and I think he looks gentle yet hopeful and I felt like that expression best expressed my desire for what I wanted this art piece to look like. KM: Is this typical of your work? CK: I have done some previously beaded, intensely beaded pieces like this, but they are a labor of love to produce so they are not something that one can crank out so to speak very quickly so I tend to be very, very particular about what my subject matter is. The beaded pieces I have made previously are all portraits. I haven&#039 ; t beaded any landscapes or anything like that, so I tend to be very interested in people, however, I have done a lot of other more traditional styles of quilting as well. The one thing I&#039 ; m known for in some of my other work is my computer digitized machine embroidery work which is how I made the button that says, &#039 ; That Won.&#039 ; That is the digitized technique that I use on an embroidery machine. Much of my other work is more indicative of this type of embroidery work. After I made this beaded portrait, now I&#039 ; m getting interested in doing a series of beaded portraits along the lines of this one. So I think this particular piece is going to be my stepping off point for a series of beaded portraits of a variety of people that I&#039 ; m interested in conveying in my art work. KM: What are your plans for this quilt? CK: Of course, it is going to be shown at an exhibit [&quot ; President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts.&quot ; ] at Montgomery College in the Washington, D.C. area. It is actually in I believe Silver Springs, Maryland and will be shown with a grouping of other quilts that feature Barack Obama as the subject matter and the show is to be, is going to open just in the period of time right after the inauguration. The show opens I believe February 13, 2009 [the show opens on February 9 and the reception is the 13.] and will run for a month or so [March 5.]. People in the D.C. area or people can come from out of the area to visit the show. I believe my piece is the only beaded piece in the show. I think some of the pieces may have beaded accents but as far as I know mine is the only one that has the President completely depicted in beads. KM: Once it comes back, what are you going to do with it? CK: Well it kind of depends. I&#039 ; ve had a couple of people interested in purchasing the piece so I will have to see how that goes. Of course I can make another one just as soon as I have a spare eighty hours or so to sit around and bead [laughs.] but I will have to see. I have a few of these beaded pieces hanging in my home so I&#039 ; m sure I can find a place for Obama in my home as well as in my heart. [laughs.] KM: I don&#039 ; t remember in my lifetime a presidential candidate inspiring so much art work. Why do you think Barack Obama has inspired so many quiltmakers to make quilts? CK: Clearly Barack Obama is--and you are correct about that. Clearly he has inspired artists in all sorts of mediums, not just in the quilting world. I think there are a number of reasons. For one thing his entire message as well as of course his physical look and his background is such a breath of fresh air, it is such a new era I believe in the whole way we chose a president. Being from Colorado, we were one of the important swing states so of course we received quite a lot of attention during this particular election, not just because the Democratic National Convention was here in Colorado, but I think because we&#039 ; ve got young people very interested in this candidate. Clearly he had a message that was of particular interest to both minorities and to the youth and of course the youth in this country, they are very visual because of the Internet, because of the computer age the youth of our country are very, very geared toward the visual response that things are given and so I think this is one of the reasons. I believe a lot of the art is being made by people who are under the age of fifty say. I&#039 ; m fifty-one so I&#039 ; m kind of in that upper group of people but I&#039 ; m very excited. I think the other thing was the fact that the posters and the art work that was created by Shepard Fairey, who made the well known posters of Barack Obama that say &#039 ; Hope&#039 ; on them really got people excited. I think that really jumpstarted a whole excitement about the image of this man and he did almost become like a rock star type. That is a fantastic thing because you have this image now that is very recognizable and an image that people can connect with. I think we saw that with the number of youth that voted in this election, numbers much higher than any previous election and of course with the minorities and there are certainly a number of incredible talented minority artists out there that made fantastic art work, but I saw things on the internet, just crazy things. People were making Barack Obama portraits out of candy and out of paperclips and all kinds of just crazy materials. People really went wild over it. When I began this particular portrait that I made, I actually started with what I thought were going to look like kind of pop art colors like the brilliant blue and the bright red, the orange, the yellow, but towards the end, it sort of developed on its own. I ended up having a portrait that looked very African I thought. Of course, in African countries they use beads in their art work but I thought it was really interesting that I started with something that I expected to come out as more of a pop art thing and then it ended up being this very ethnic looking kind of thing. That was one of the reasons I finished it with this sort of ethnic fabric border because it just took on kind of a life of its own. I always find that fascinating with art work and I&#039 ; m sure this same concept is shared by many artists. That thing where you start off with a concept of one thing and then at some point it takes on a life of its own. The piece starts to talk to you and it starts to develop into what it wants to be, as well as what you want it to be. I think that is part of the artistic method and the artistic journey is that you discover things as you go along. It is like the piece teaches you things about your own art work and that&#039 ; s kind of the magic of it. KM: Tell me a little more about your creative process. CK: I will go along for a while, sometimes I don&#039 ; t have any idea of anything I want to make and then all of a sudden some thing will really spark my interest. For instance with this piece when I saw and heard Senator McCain referring to Barack Obama as &#039 ; that one&#039 ; I immediately saw this in my mind&#039 ; s eye &#039 ; that w-o-n, won,&#039 ; that really sparked my creative juices. Sometimes it will come off almost like an explosion internally where I&#039 ; m then ready to begin that eighty hours of beading. I knew that a beaded piece would probably be a really great idea, it would maybe different than what other artists would be doing and the other thing is I was watching a lot of TV over the time during the election and I had all of these recorded episodes of John Stewart&#039 ; s, &quot ; The Daily Show&quot ; and the &quot ; Steven Colbert Report&quot ; and I would spend hours and hours beading while I was watching these recorded episodes of this so that really got me going, got me very interested in making this particular piece. The act of beading actually soothed my anxiety during the election coverage and the incessant ads on TV. It is always a little bit of a mystery where some of this inspiration comes from. I get ideas. I get, like many artists I get ideas from all sorts of sources. Obviously this was a very important subject matter and Obama&#039 ; s image was everywhere during this election time. You couldn&#039 ; t really avoid it, but I get ideas from a lot of other sources for my art work. I get a lot of ideas from my travels. I get ideas from other artists. I get ideas from experiences that I have, emotional things that happen to me, ideas from loss, ideas from successes, so I gather those things but I think to start one of these beaded pieces you really have to get juiced up to do that because to put that kind of commitment and effort into it you&#039 ; ve got to really be committed to the subject matter that you are going to pursue. KM: Describe your studio to me. CK: [laughs.] It is kind of funny because normally when I sew I&#039 ; m in my actual studio which is a small room in the basement of my home, but because of the fact that this piece is beaded, and the beads are kind of portable I can take them anywhere. I made this piece almost entirely while sitting on my couch watching TV over the last month or so of the election and so this is sort of &#039 ; the couch potato piece.&#039 ; Because it is easy to take the beads with you, they are reasonably portable and the fact that I wanted to watch TV during the time that I was making this I ended up having it right on the couch there, but I very rarely make art work while I&#039 ; m sitting on the couch. Most of the time my work is made in the studio. I have a pretty traditional studio. It is a small room in my basement with my embroidery machine and lots of thread and lots of fabrics and pretty much the traditional kind of things for a quilter. I&#039 ; ve even made these beaded pieces while I&#039 ; ve been on vacation at various places and people are always fascinated with seeing how these beads are going on one by one and kind of curious about the process. The process I use for the actual beading is pretty simple. I would image there is a technical name for the type of stitch that I use but I don&#039 ; t know what it is. I just started making it up on my own and just developed it as I go. It is kind of a meandering kind of thing. When I start with this area of the eye doing the beading I end up just sort of meandering with the beads as I go and I will work on certain areas more or less as it inspires me. I generally will work one color of the beads at a time and then kind of work my way through the other color values and try to work pretty much from the center of the piece out. It takes quite a bit of thread too to work these. I use a traditional beading thread that is readily available in any of the bead stores so its not, the materials are not particularly complex. It is pretty much the simple types of things that most people use for beading. Let me think if there is anything else I wanted to say about this. I bead on a base of cotton and then once the beading is all finished then I can organize how I want to finish the framing area. I typically use a welt to border these beaded pieces. There is a three dimensional quality about the beading itself and the welt stands up away from the piece. It gives a nice three dimensional kind of finish to the overall piece. In some of the beaded pieces I&#039 ; ve done use quite a bit of hand stitching around the beaded area. I didn&#039 ; t on this particular one because I wanted it to be maybe a more simple kind of a finish so that the focus would really be on the face itself. I&#039 ; ve done a variety of different kinds of finishes on my beaded pieces. KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. CK: I started making quilts when I was a very young child. I was very interested in making things as a child. I liked making crafts, I liked cooking, I liked anything that had to do with making things. My mother taught me to crochet when I was very young and so I went through a period of time doing a lot of crocheting. We had an old sewing machine around the house and one day my mom showed me some things, we just had some scrap fabrics and she showed me a little bit about how to use a sewing machine and right away I got extremely interested in that and I would spend hours, and hours and hours sewing. I initially made a lot of garments for myself, little skirts and little blouses and odds and ends of things like that and then we took a vacation in Minnesota when I was about fourteen and while I was there my grandmother and all of course her neighbors and friends, everybody was into quilting and I really got the bug for it after I got back from that trip. My grandmother gave me a few quilting patterns and an old aunt back there gave me a big box of scrap fabrics and a lot of the fabrics were old prints and things like that from the 50&#039 ; s and 60&#039 ; s and I really went crazy making quilts. Then later into the 1980&#039 ; s- that&#039 ; s when the art quilting genre really started to explode. I got very interested in combining my art experience with my sewing and quilting experience, I thought it was a great combination. I really got quite involved in making art quilts. I made landscape quilts. I made a lot of abstract quilts too so I made a variety of different kinds of quilts. I&#039 ; m still very interested in that so these beading projects are more of a side thing that I do periodically but the bulk of my art work is in the quilting genre and especially with an emphasis on this computer digitized machine embroidery. My husband and I own a computer company and my husband [Chris.] helped me quite a bit to learn how to do things on the computer so I&#039 ; m very interested in pursuing a lot more with my embroidery and maybe incorporating embroidery with beading in a more contemporary fashion. KM: How many hours a week do you quilt? CK: I quilt quite a few hours a week. Typically especially while I was working on this beaded piece because I really wanted to get it finished before the inauguration in that time, I spent, oh boy I spent about thirty hours a week beading on this particular Barack Obama piece, but I&#039 ; ll typically spend twenty to thirty hours a week quite often on art work. I don&#039 ; t work an outside job right at the moment so I try to put as much time as I can into my quilting work. KM: Do you belong to any art or quilt group? CK: I do. I belong to a couple of different groups. Colorado has a rather well known group that has over two hundred members, called the Front Range Contemporary Quilters. I&#039 ; ve done quite a bit of work with that group. I&#039 ; ve been a member for over ten years. I was the exhibits chair for a few years with that group so I worked on their exhibits and so on. I do submit my work to a number of national competitions and some international competitions, so my work has been shown in Japan and Germany and all over the United States as well. I have a couple of pieces that are currently touring with different touring groups so they are in museums and art centers around the United States. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? CK: I have a couple of artists whose work I&#039 ; m highly influenced by. I&#039 ; m extremely influenced by the work of a Spanish Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudi. He made a number of elaborate works in the City of Barcelona, Spain. He did a lot of work with tile and mosaic. I think a lot of that is reflected in my beading work. I&#039 ; m very attracted to the colorful aspect of his work and the very avant-garde shapes that he used in his work. I&#039 ; m also influenced by the Russian artist, [Wassily.] Kandinsky. I love his work, I share his birthday coincidentally and I&#039 ; m very interested in not only just his art work but in his art theories as well. There are a number of quilt artists whose work I admire. Most of them are contemporaries of mine. I&#039 ; m very influenced by the work of a [Washington.] D.C. area artist, Sandra Woock, and the work of local fiber artist, Christine Ambrose. I find their work extremely compelling and fortunately they both happen to be close friends of mine so that&#039 ; s always handy. I&#039 ; ve relied on them a lot of times to help me, to help critique my work and give me advice. There are a number of talented quilt artists from our state, from Colorado, as well. The Front Range Contemporary Quilters Group, the group I mentioned earlier, has speakers that come every other month and we&#039 ; ve had most of the nationally known quilt artists give talks to our group. Many of them have given classes. I&#039 ; ve taken a number of those. I try to get new ideas and stay current with different kinds of techniques. I think it helps sometimes to stretch yourself to take a technique that maybe you wouldn&#039 ; t normally be attracted to but you learn from everything you do. KM: Do you think of yourself more as an artist or a quiltmaker or do you even make the distinction? CK: I primarily think of myself as an artist because I studied art in college and I&#039 ; ve done a number of other types of art work. I&#039 ; ve done a lot of watercolor. I&#039 ; ve done some ceramic work and silk screen. I&#039 ; ve done other types of art work so I think of myself more as an artist than a quilter. I haven&#039 ; t made a lot of traditional quilts so in that respect I didn&#039 ; t come from the traditional quilting world, I really came more from the aspect of the fine arts world from my background in painting and that sort of thing. I guess for me it is more natural for me to think of myself as an artist than as a quilter. I try not to limit myself too much. I&#039 ; m willing to use other kinds of mediums in my art work. I don&#039 ; t think of myself as a traditional type quiltmaker in that respect. In fact, this particular piece did not really involve much in the way of any quilting. The beading was really more the focus of this particular piece so I suppose I&#039 ; m in that respect, my piece is a little bit of a stretch for a quilt show. But yes, I definitely like to think of myself more from the background of an artist. My career has been as a hairdresser and a makeup artist and so I&#039 ; ve worked with a number of different kinds of mediums that are very tactile. It is very tactile work to be a hairdresser and also to be a makeup artist, so I tend to think of all of my art work as being included in this whole artistic journey that I&#039 ; m taking in my life. KM: What advice would you offer someone starting out? CK: Starting out in the fabric world? KM: Yes. CK: My advice is to get out and see some of these quilt shows. The traditional ones are a good start. We have a fantastic museum here. The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum right here in Golden, Colorado so for any of the locals in Colorado this is a great place to start. Visit these quilt museums. Many of the art museums have textile and fiber departments. The Denver Art Museum here in Colorado has a collection of quilts, both traditional and some contemporary and I think that is a great place to start. Get out and look. For some people if you don&#039 ; t have a museum, go visit a quilt shop. There are all kinds of classes around. I can&#039 ; t name probably any state in the United States that doesn&#039 ; t have a quilt shop. To set foot in one and just take a visit, see what inspires you. See what you like. See what kinds of fabrics you are interested in. I think most of these quilt shops in the area have beginning quilt classes so you can make a small project, see if it rocks your boat. I think you have to dive in and try something before you know if you&#039 ; re going to like it. There are all kinds of shows, both on television and there are shows through the internet, there are demonstrations on all kinds of the internet sites about sewing. We are in an information explosion age right now. It&#039 ; s almost impossible to not find information on how to do anything and quiltmaking is a part of that explosion. There are all kinds of really interesting and easy techniques that can be attempted quite quickly and learned easily for starter projects if someone is wanting to start out. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? CK: For the art quilt genre, for those that are making art quilts I think our biggest challenge is to get the galleries and the fine arts world to recognize quiltmaking as a fine art. That&#039 ; s always been a challenge because it ends up often being tied to the concept of your grandmother&#039 ; s quiltmaking and so to try to break away from that traditional, to try to break away from that strictly traditional concept of what is a quilt it is a challenge. There tends to be an idea of that can&#039 ; t be art because, &#039 ; Oh my aunt made those,&#039 ; or &#039 ; My grandmother made those.&#039 ; I think that&#039 ; s a shame because a lot of the traditional quilts that were made by people&#039 ; s grandmothers and people&#039 ; s aunts were magnificent examples of what could really be considered fine art. Of course, now the techniques for contemporary quiltmaking have come so far that many of the quilts that you see nowadays don&#039 ; t even bear any resemblance to your grandmother&#039 ; s quilt, nor do they bear much of any resemblance in the techniques that are used. There is a lot of experimentation with sewing on all sorts of modern fabrics, things like Tyvek and Mylar and all sorts of new materials. The contemporary quilters are experimenting with things that didn&#039 ; t even exist in your grandmother&#039 ; s day. I think that the challenge is to continue to break away and continue to see quiltmaking for the fine art possibilities that it has. KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking? CK: [laughs.] Sometimes they think I&#039 ; m crazy but most of the time they appreciate it. My children, [Amanda and Anton.] were both very excited about this Obama beaded piece and of course they got the opportunity to watch it and see it develop day by day because it is such a laborious process. They observed the decisions I made. I had a couple of areas that I actually tore some of the beading out and reworked it and had discussions with them about what wasn&#039 ; t working and that sort of thing. My husband is very supportive. My whole family is very supportive of this quiltmaking, but I think sometimes they come in and think, &#039 ; What crazy thing is she doing this time?&#039 ; [laughs.] KM: How do you want to be remembered? CK: How do I want to be remembered? I think I would say that I would like to be remembered as [laughs.] I would like to be remembered as the screwball that I truly am and as someone who had fun and who had a positive outlook about the world around them. I would like to be remembered not only for my art work, I would like to be remembered as being a good mother and a good wife and a good person, a good friend. Being a part of this Obama art exhibit makes me feel really privileged. I feel privileged not only to be alive at a time like this where there are exciting changes going on in our country, but I feel privileged to be a part of this particular exhibit. It has great historic significance. It is a great time to be alive and to be an American. KM: Are you planning on going to the exhibit? CK: Yes I will be attending the opening. I think I&#039 ; m coming from the farthest. I know a lot of people in the D.C. area, Philadelphia, but I think if I&#039 ; m not mistaken, I&#039 ; m the one that is going to be traveling from the farthest to the actual opening. [oh, no there is a quilter from San Francisco attending as well.] KM: Are there any specific quilts that you are going to spend some extra time looking at? CK: I plan to get over to the textile museum in Washington, D.C., that is some place I would like to visit. Of course, I&#039 ; m very interested in seeing the other quilts in person that are in this exhibit and that&#039 ; s my primary interest, but since I&#039 ; m also quite interested in other forms of fine art I plan on getting out to some of the local galleries and try to see what is showing at some of the other museums. KM: Why is quiltmaking is important to you? CK: Quiltmaking is important in general because it does continue a tradition that was started hundreds and hundreds of years ago and of course almost all societies, all cultures have had some type of form of making things with textiles. It is a long traditional for all cultures, but I think for me I have a real strong tactile urge to make things. Part of that was from my background as a hairdresser, that is a very tactile profession and I think that for me personally I like the idea of leaving a personal legacy in my own home, my children own pieces that I&#039 ; ve made and I think it is a way to carry on your own personal story of what kind of a person you are. Were you a person of humor? Were you a very serious person? When I look at these quilts that my grandmother made and that my aunts made and things that I have, I can tell what their personality was like through those quilts and I think that is a really important thing for our society. We are in this society that is very much machine driven where things are very much mass produced and quiltmaking is still something that people have to really put their heart and soul into. It&#039 ; s important for your family and for the generations to come after you, for them to see your actual handy work- the person that actually made that stitch. As we become more and more a society of machine made things I think we need to have things that are handmade, that carry on. That is so important. KM: We are almost out of time believe it or not. Is there anything that you would like to share that we haven&#039 ; t touched upon before we conclude? CK: Let me think. Let me just think for one minute here. KM: Go right ahead. CK: [long pause.] You know honestly I can&#039 ; t think of a thing. KM: Where do you see quiltmaking going? Where do you see your quiltmaking going? CK: I definitely feel there is a strong future for all forms of quiltmaking. I see the art form expanding further and further. I think there will be people who will continue on with the much more traditional quiltmaking. There will always be a market so to speak for that and an interest in that because it has such an appeal with the geometric quilts and those sort of things, those traditional forms. I definitely see a stepping off into the future for more avant-garde use of the stitch and unusual fabrics and things like that. There will be more and more experimentation. I&#039 ; m already seeing this. People are doing all sorts of things with fabric, with rusting fabric and burning fabric and tying fabric and all sorts of modern forms of dyeing fabric. People are naturally by nature very experimental, especially the youth that are coming up. They are very experimental. They are willing to try things with unusual techniques ; they are willing to try things with unusual fabrics and combining unusual and futuristic fabrics with traditional ideas of hand stitching and that sort of thing. I think there is going to be a fantastic future for quilting. There is no doubt about it. You see quiltmaking as it comes into political and social use, like for instance the AIDS Quilt Project is a good example where quiltmaking- a traditional idea is being used to commemorate something that was a very contemporary issue and I think that will continue to have appeal for many, many years to come. I don&#039 ; t see any end in sight for this art form. I think its only going to expand and grow and become more and more compelling as time goes on. I really look forward to seeing what kind of new things people will be coming up with in my lifetime and I&#039 ; m sure it will continue into the future and after I&#039 ; m gone people will be making traditional quilts, they will be making contemporary quilts because it&#039 ; s almost like an addiction. It is never going to go away. KM: What about your work. Where do you see your work going? CK: I want to do a lot more experimentation with this beading work and also with the computer digitized machine embroidery that I&#039 ; ve embarked upon. I really would like to see more and more of that explored because I think we are just touching on that. It hasn&#039 ; t really been worked to its fullest. Down the road I would like to have a studio with a number of commercial embroidery machines and get some students in there or colleagues of mine in there to experiment with some new forms of digitizing. The sky&#039 ; s the limit on that as best I can see. I haven&#039 ; t even scraped the surface of it yet, but I can imagine the combination of various computer programs and things to aid in the visual making of fiber works of all kinds. KM: Carol, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day and sharing with me. You were absolutely wonderful. CK: Thank you. I really appreciate the opportunity. This archive is amazing and I know it will be appreciated for many years by so many people and I thank you for your tremendous commitment to this project. KM: Thank you. You are more than welcome. We are going to conclude our interview at 12:23. 2020 Quilt Alliance. All Rights Reserved. audio 0 https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=BOQ-029.xml BOQ-029.xml Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BOQ-029 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Carol Krueger http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/904043f37cfd2218a7addd735d37923a.JPG 94d20b5c4da1bf88e0de9c6eba67e006 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/3bd036f7504856f86475918182370d19.JPG 2646c774ece00a3b10cd227a7ac09a2b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource South Central Michigan QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Pam Schultz Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carol Miller Interview Keyword Handing down quilts Quiltmaking for family OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=MI49016-013.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.1 Carol Miller MI49016-013 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories South Central Michigan QSOS Quilt Alliance Handing down quilts Quiltmaking for family Carol Miller Pam Schultz MI49016-013MillerCarol.mp3 1:|16(2)|39(9)|59(8)|75(15)|94(1)|113(2)|134(2)|150(5)|166(18)|181(9)|195(7)|213(9)|229(11)|248(1)|266(10)|278(4)|289(9)|299(8) 0 http://quiltalliance.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MI49016-013MillerCarol.mp3 Other audio 0 Introduction This is Pam Schulz. It’s Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 10:33 in the morning. I’m interviewing Carol Miller at her home in Galesburg, Michigan. This interview is being conducted for the South Central Michigan Quilters' Save Our Stories project of the Alliance for American Quilts. Pam Schultz interviews Carol Miller at her home in Galesburg, Michigan. 42.2886529, -85.41805599999998 17 Galesburg, Michigan 27 Tell me about the quilt you brought in today. Well, at the time my six-year-old granddaughter wanted a rainbow quilt and that’s why I chose the rainbow colors here. She will receive it when she’s older and can appreciate all the work that went into it. But, for now, I’m enjoying it Miller describes taking a class at the Bernina Sewing Center and adapting the pattern. This quilt was made for Miller's six-year old granddaughter. Miller is keeping the quilt until her granddaughter is old enough to appreciate the work. 3D Hollow Cube - Quilt Pattern ; Bernina Sewing Center ; Kalamazoo, Michigan ; Quilt Purpose - Home decoration ; Quiltmaking for family ; Wall hangings 17 http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MI49016-013-Miller.a.jpg Carol Miller with her three-dimensional hollow cube quilt. 113 Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. ; What is your first quilt memory? ; How does quiltmaking impact your family? ; When my kids got through high school, I decided I wanted to--I raised two nice kids. My husband traveled a lot so I needed something to keep me busy and I decided I would start a quilt class with a friend. Miller learned quiltmaking as an adult when she took a class at Calico Cupboard in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her first quilt was a sampler with heavy batting and muslin, and she hand quilted in the car as the family visited colleges. Miller made a quilt for a her husband to commemorate his climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Amish quiltmakers ; batting ; Calico Cupboard (Kalamazoo, MI) ; Hand quilting ; Learning quiltmaking ; Muslin ; Norma Storm ; Quilt Purpose - Commemorative ; Quiltmaking for family ; Sampler quilt 42.292171, -85.589597 17 Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Miller took her first quilting class http://quiltalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MI49016-013Miller.b.jpg Detail of Carol Miller's three-dimensional hollow cube quilt. 307 What quilt groups do you belong to? No art at all. I have no art abilities. But, I was at Portage Quilters when I met Norma and then, the Cal-Co Guild in Battle Creek [Michigan.]. Art ; Cal-Co Quilters Guild (Battlecreek, MI) ; Guild participation ; Portage Quilters Guild 17 327 Have advances in technology influenced your work? If so, how? ; What are your favorite techniques and materials? ; CM ; Oh, yes. PS ; In what ways? CM ; Well, the Olfa mats and cutters. Explains how rotary cutters have made quiltmaking faster and describes reliance on long arm quilters to help complete quilts. Miller prefers to follow patterns and work with 100% cotton fabric. Long arm quilting machine ; Machine quilting ; Olfa cutting mat ; Rotary cutter 17 383 Describe your studio/the place that you create. ; Do you use a design wall? If so, in what way/how does that enhance your creative process? If not, how do you go about designing your quilts? ; Well, it’s actually our den. Half of it is my husband’s and half is mine. But he says I have taken over two thirds of it. Miller describes her work space, a room shared with her husband. Describes materials used to create her design wall. Design process ; Design Wall ; Quilt Camp ; quiltmaking process ; Work or Studio space 17 516 What makes a quilt artistically powerful? ; What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or special collection? ; Which artists have influenced you? ; I don’t know how to answer that because I’m not an artist. I admire people who do their art work and they can just see this and that. As I say, I have to use a pattern most of the time. Miller explains that she doesn't consider herself an artist because she uses patterns. She is troubled when families don't appreciate work that has gone into quilts, recalling an interaction with a man about a quilt made by his grandmother. Miller followed Sharyn Craig's work in magazines. Antique quilts ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Artists ; Design process ; Quilt care ; quilt magazines ; Quilt purpose - Utilitarian ; Sharyn Craig 17 667 How do you feel about machine quilting vs. hand quilting? What about long-arm quilting? I don’t mind it. Some people say 'Oh, it’s not a quilt until it’s hand quilted.' But at my age I have to go to machine quilted because I know I have to get a certain amount done because I have to get all that fabric used up. Miller explains that some quiltmakers only find hand quilting to be accessible. Miller sees machine quilting as an opportunity to produce more quilts. Describes quilt featuring batiks and a sunset that was quilted by Dale Waddle. Dale Waddle ; Fabric - Batiks ; Hand quilting ; Long arm quilters ; Machine quilting 17 734 Why is quiltmaking important to your life? It’s something I can give away to my family and its history. Miller believes that people have more appreciation for quilts today, using quilts imported from China as an example. She sees quilts as a way of connecting with family and history. factory made quilts ; imported quilts ; Quilt Purpose - Bedcovering ; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation ; Quilt Purpose - Home decoration ; Quiltmaking for family 17 820 How do you think quilts can be preserved for the future? ; I wonder about that, with the ones that I got from my Mother’s cousin in Florida. What to do with them after I’m gone, because I don’t know what my kids would do with them. Miller expresses uncertainty about where to send quilts passed to her from her mother's cousin. Describes making quilts for her niece, including a Barn Raising, Log Cabin and Double Wedding Ring. Double wedding ring - quilt pattern ; Handing down quilts ; Log cabin quilt pattern ; Michigan State University Museum ; Quiltmaking for family 17 http://www.quiltindex.org/search_results.php?pattern=Barn%20Raising Barn Raising Log Cabin quilts at the Quilt Index 924 On novelty fabrics, children's quilts, and Kilimanjaro Carol, is there anything else you would like to talk about? Miller describes making seven quilts for her sister's grandchildren using novelty fabrics. Also describes a quilt featuring patriotic fabric and a second Kilimanjaro quilt made for her daughter and son-in-law. Children's quilts ; Dale Waddle ; Design process ; Fabric - Novelty ; Fabric stash ; Jo-Ann's Fabric ; Long arm quilters ; Machine quilting ; Marty Barlond ; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation ; Quiltmaking for family 17 1112 Conclusion 17 Oral History Carol Miller was interviewed as part of the South Central Michigan QSOS. She shares the experience of making her first quilt, passing down quilts over generations, the time that goes into making a quilt, and commemorating her husband's Kilimanjaro climb. Pam Schulz (PS) ; This is Pam Schulz. It’s Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 10:33 in the morning. I’m interviewing Carol Miller at her home in Galesburg, Michigan. This interview is being conducted for the South Central Michigan Quilters’ Save Our Stories project of the Alliance for American Quilts. Good morning, Carol, how are you today? Carol Miller (CM) ; I’m pretty good. PS ; Okay. Tell me about the quilt you brought in today. CM ; It’s called a three-dimensional, a 3-D hollow cube. I took a class at Bernina Sewing Center on Portage Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan. I wasn’t happy with the sample the teacher had, so I did my own thing and did the hollow cubes in rainbow colors and then added black and white triangles. PS ; What special meaning does this quilt have for you? CM ; Well, at the time my six-year-old granddaughter wanted a rainbow quilt and that’s why I chose the rainbow colors here. She will receive it when she’s older and can appreciate all the work that went into it. But, for now, I’m enjoying it. PS ; Why did you choose this quilt to bring to the interview? CM ; Well, it’s special to me and everyone that comes into the house really likes it. I had submitted this one and the Sudoku to Quilters Newsletter but they didn’t take this one. PS ; How do you use this quilt? CM ; It’s a wall hanging. PS ; And you told us your plans for this quilt? CM ; It goes to my granddaughter who lives in California. PS ; Tell me about your interest in quilt-making. CM ; When my kids got through high school, I decided I wanted to--I raised two nice kids. My husband traveled a lot so I needed something to keep me busy and I decided I would start a quilt class with a friend. We jumped into a class at Calico Cupboard, which was in downtown Kalamazoo, back in the early ‘80’s. We just took on a big project, a twenty-block sampler and then I’ve just been hooked ever since. I just love it. PS ; At what age did you start quilt-making? CM ; Probably in my early fifties. PS ; And from whom did you learn to quilt? CM ; Norma Storm. PS ; How many hours a week do you quilt? CM ; Oh, it varies. Maybe ten a week is all I could say, but some days I haven’t done anything, like the last two weeks. PS ; Took a little time off, huh? What is your first quilt memory? CM ; The twenty-block sampler. Because, back then they sent you to K-Mart to buy a batting and the muslin. The batting was very heavy. The muslin was very heavy. So, that twenty-block sampler is a really warm quilt. I did do most of it by hand, except the lattice strips. My son was looking for colleges and the rest of it was done by hand in the car when we would go and visit colleges. And I hand quilted it, too. But I put my back out and after that I took my quilts to the Amish to have them hand quilted. PS ; Are there other quilt-makers among your family or friends? CM ; No, I wish there were, so I could pass on some of my fabric. PS ; How does quilt-making impact your family? CM ; They love it. My husband is especially proud of my quilt I made for him when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. He shows that to everyone when they come in. PS ; Have you ever used quilts to get through a difficult time? CM ; Not particularly. We’ve been very fortunate. We haven’t had too much of that. PS ; Tell me about an amusing experience that has occurred from your quilt-making. CM ; I can’t think of any. Really, I can’t. PS ; What do you find pleasing about quilt-making? CM ; I just love fabric. Everyone says I have an eye for color. I just enjoy sewing since I was twelve years old and made my own clothes. PS ; What aspects of quilt-making do you not enjoy? CM ; Oh, I don’t know. I love doing the bindings at the end. I tell Norma, ‘I’ll bind that quilt for you.’ Because then you know it’s done. PS ; What art or quilt groups do you belong to? CM ; No art at all. I have no art abilities. But, I was at Portage Quilters when I met Norma and then, the Cal-Co Guild in Battle Creek [Michigan.]. PS ; Have advances in technology influenced you work? CM ; Oh, yes. PS ; In what ways? CM ; Well, the Olfa mats and cutters. You can do things faster. Now, the longarm quilting machines. I don’t mind the work it does and they’re done. I wouldn’t have so many done if I didn’t have the longarm quilters helping me. PS ; What are your favorite techniques and materials? CM ; Mostly I stick to the 100% cottons and as far as technique, I have to follow a pattern, except for my husband’s Kilimanjaro quilt. PS ; That was your pattern? CM ; I just framed the wild animals as picture frames and kept going and the quilt kept growing [from a lap robe to a queen size.]. PS ; Describe your studio, or the place that you create. CM ; Well, it’s actually our den. Half of it is my husband’s and half is mine. But he says I have taken over two thirds of it. When we built--I came in this room and said, ‘Oh, I thought my desk was going to be on the left side of the room . And it’s on the right and I have a better view of the window with all of the bushes and trees and things [the magnolia tree and all of the beautiful flowers and trees. That is my husband’s hobby. ]. PS ; How big is this room? CM ; I’m not sure. PS ; It’s pretty large. CM ; I’m not sure of the size. He could tell you, but he’s up on the computer upstairs. PS ; Tell me how you balance your time. CM ; Oh, I really don’t. I guess some days I overdo the quilting and other days I neglect it. We do a lot of volunteering at our church, too. That takes up time. PS ; Do you use a design wall? CM ; I just use a piece of insulation from homebuilding, when we built our home, and put a large piece of flannel over it and pin it down at the top. I don’t even have it fastened. You can’t do very well with Scotch Tape. It doesn’t stay on. I keep that in the bedroom most of the time, when I’m not using it. It’s large enough to do a small project. Otherwise I lay things out on the floor in the basement. And then, at quilt camp, two years ago, I think it was Becky Green made those little squares for us as a table favor, remember, for rows one to fifteen, or her quilt camp crew. And I find those wonderful to pin on the rows to keep from getting mixed up when you do your assembly. PS ; I know, you pick the row up. You take it to the sewing machine, and it’s different. CM ; I know. PS ; What do you think makes a great quilt? CM ; Oh, I guess the fabric and the colors that are used with it. PS ; What makes a quilt artistically powerful? CM ; I don’t know how to answer that because I’m not an artist. I admire people who do their art work and they can just see this and that. As I say, I have to use a pattern most of the time. PS ; But, you’re an artist in your own way. Out of peoples work, what things do you like out of what you would consider art quilts, or artistic quilts? CM ; That’s hard to say. If they’re really kind of--some of them I look at off the wall--especially what title they give them. Where’d they get that title? I can’t see that. I just don’t have that perception. PS ; What makes a quilt appropriate for a museum or a special collection? CM ; Hmm, if it’s really different or the antique ones, too, are really, really beautiful. People don’t realize how much work those people put into that and then I heard a fellow say, out in California this spring, ‘Oh, I have one from my grandmother. We take it to the beach.’ My jaw just about dropped off. I didn’t want to offend anybody, but that offended me to hear that somebody would take it to the beach, that grandma had spent a lot of time on. He didn’t realize. PS ; Whose works are you drawn to, and why? CM ; No one in particular. I just buy books that I think have something different, a new technique or a new pattern. PS ; Which artists have influenced you? CM ; At first I used to buy magazines featuring Sharyn Craig. I liked her things. She always had a chapter on What If? In other words, she was changing the pattern to some other design and color, and ‘What if it looked like this?’ She would say. I got magazines I would read a lot in the beginning. PS ; Do you still read them? CM ; Oh, yes. PS ; How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? CM ; I don’t mind it. Some people say ‘Oh, it’s not a quilt until it’s hand quilted.’ But at my age I have to go to machine quilted because I know I have to get a certain amount done because I have to get all that fabric used up. My basement is full and these cupboards are all full, too. PS ; And what about long arm quilting? How do you feel about that? CM ; I like it. Dale [Waddle.] just did a quilt for me for my niece in New Jersey and they were batiks that were just blocks and sashing strips, but the back had fabrics, the selvedge said Everglade Collection or the National Park Collection and this was the Everglades and it was the big cranes with the beautiful sunset in the background, the whole thing. Fortunately, I bought enough fabric for the whole back. And then, Dale quilted circles on that looked like ocean waves. I thought it turned out great. PS ; Why is quilt-making important to your life? CM ; It’s something I can give away to my family and its history. PS ; What do you think about the importance in American life? CM ; I think people are getting to appreciate them more and more. And I was really appalled when the first ones came over from China. But I have to admit I bought one. [both laugh.] It had all irises on it. It was hand done. It wasn’t as good as people would do in our country now, but it’s on a bed upstairs. PS ; In what ways do you think quilts have special meaning for women’s history in America? CM ; Well, I think it helps you remember your relatives who did something nice for you. PS ; How do you think quilts can be used? CM ; Wall hangings and on beds. Sometimes I do sleep under that Kilimanjaro quilt on the couch in the afternoon. I sometimes need a nap and I cover up with that. Otherwise, I don’t sleep under the one on the bed except when the electricity has gone out. Then we appreciate them. PS ; How do you think quilts can be preserved for the future? CM ; I wonder about that, with the ones that I got from my Mother’s cousin in Florida. What to do with them after I’m gone, because I don’t know what my kids would do with them. I think I need to start making a list of things, because I’ll be seventy-five in August. I don’t know what my kids would do with all those. They have smaller houses. They don’t have the room for it and my son lives in California and they don’t, you know ; it’s not that cold that they need too many. PS ; It might not be a bad idea, though, so you can tell them what you want done with them. CM ; I know Michigan State has a collection and I have thought about, maybe, contacting somebody there. But I think they have so many they don’t know what to do with all of them. It’s hard to know. PS ; What has happened to the quilts that you have made, or those of friends and family? CM ; Oh, we still have them. My niece has one that I made for her. It’s from a Barn Raising, Log Cabin class that I took at Marty Barlond’s and she says it’s getting worn now so I gave her a Double Wedding Ring that was from the cousin in Florida. I need to get another one made for her. PS ; What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quilt-makers today? CM ; I’m not sure. I don’t know how to answer that. PS ; I have to stop here a second. [Recorder was turned off for about six minutes.] This is Pam Schultz, again, and I’m sorry for the delay. Carol, is there anything else you would like to talk about? CM ; I did do some novelty fabric quilts for my sister’s seven grandchildren about three years ago. Six of those are boys and I had this fabric with pigs on motorcycles, dogs on motorcycles and cats. And I tried to use up as much fabric as I could. I used eight and one-half inch squares and put sashing strips around them, then wide borders of real bright colors, either red or royal blue or green or yellow. And when Dale brought them back, Dale Waddle, the machine quilter, brought them back to me, she said, ‘Carol, I hope you’re not mad. I put their names in the borders.’ She had quilted their names all around those borders and then on the blocks she made smaller letters and quilted their names across the centers on the diagonal, across the center of each block. Those are special memories for me doing those for the kids. And they loved them. The little girl I didn’t do the motorcycles. I had old fabric from--I don’t know where I got them. They were Hershey candy bars and kisses and there was a fabric with the old Coke bottle, with the cap on top, the glass bottle in back of it was powder blue, and had bubbles from the Coke, you know. Things like that I put in hers, flip-flops ; she was ten or twelve at the time. I found a piece at JoAnne’s [Fabrics.] that was a lady walking her dog by the Eiffel Tower. So, I had different novelty fabrics in there that she really loved, too. And she put Brianna’s name on that one also. It was really neat. Other than that, and I guess the red, white and blue, patriotic Log Cabin that I did, two large ones, from a class at Marty Barlond’s in Battle Creek, back in the, probably early nineties. I did two large ones because one I did for our own family and then I gave it to my son. Then, when my husband’s secretary got remarried ; it was the Fourth of July weekend, so I did it in red, white and blue for her and the back was all fireworks fabric, sparklers. So everyone loves that sparkly fabric that I have even in that little lap robe that’s out on the couch. Those are my two, well, of course, there’s the Kilimanjaro one that I did for my husband. But then my son-in-law was asked to speak at a tropical diseases symposium at Kilimanjaro, and my daughter was able to go with him so when they came back from that, I did a Kilimanjaro quilt for them also. So that’s a treasure for them. PS ; Thank you for talking with me today. CM ; You’re welcome. PS ; This is Pam Schultz and we are done. It is 10:58 a.m. 2016 Quilt Alliance. audio 0 http://quiltalliance.net http://quiltalliance.org/projects/qsos/ http://quiltalliance.org/projects/project-gallery/ Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Del Thomas Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Carol Miller was interviewed as part of the South Central Michigan QSOS. She shares the experience of making her first quilt, passing down quilts over generations, the time that goes into making a quilt, and commemorating her husband's Kilimanjaro climb. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MI49016-013 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Carol Miller http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/b5c3a9e6564ff2bbf0eca4154a5045b6.jpg 73729ffa779b6858b58d550b77d48054 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/60ae98cc9d431b0cc91e753cd183814a.jpg 816e6b7bf47d30169a1bd29bfec3a011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Art Quilts at the Sedgwick QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Lori Miller Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carol Taylor OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0244_qsosart0002_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Circular quilting Quilt artists Quilting techniques Quilt series Artistry Creative processes Art quilts Art appreciation Inspirations OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.2 April 5, 2003 2019oh0244_qsosart0002 Interview with Carol Taylor, April 5, 2003 2019oh0244_qsosart0002 0:28:50 qsosart Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: Art Quilts at the Sedgwick Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Quilts Quilting Decorative arts Textile artists Textiles Artists Crafts &amp ; decorating Success Family Machine quilting Philadelphia (Pa.) Circular quilting Quilt artists Quilting techniques Quilt series Artistry Creative processes Art quilts Art appreciation Inspirations Carol Taylor Lori Miller 2019oh0244_qsosart0002_taylor_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0244_qsosart0002_taylor_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 2 Introduction Good afternoon, my name is Lori Miller. Miller is interviewing Carol Taylor at the Sedgwick Cultural Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the Quilters Alliance S.O.S. Project. 17 15 Quilt for interview Um, so Carol to begin, um, if you could you tell me about the quilt you brought in today. Taylor describes her quilt, called “Cacophony”, which is part of her “Gong series”. She discusses her influences for making the quilts, including musical terms and musical symbols. She also talks about the materials for the quilt, some of which she made herself and some which was bought. She then goes on to talk about the personal meaning for her within the quilt, using similar motifs to create a 39 quilt series based on the same idea. Taylor talks about the reason she brought the quilt to the interview and how she uses the quilt when it is not being showcased in a show or exhibit. Artistry ; Circular quilting ; Cotton sateen ; Gongs ; Hand dyed ; Inspirations ; Musical terms ; Quilt series ; Quilting techniques Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women ; Women’s voices 17 258 Beginnings in quilting Um, tell me about your interest in quilting. Taylor recalls when she first began quilting, in 1993, ten years prior to the interview. She discusses learning quilting from a book and using the book and simple supplies to create quilts on her own before beginning a quilting class. Taylor then talks about taking classes from famous quilters and attending quilting symposiums, learning new techniques and designs along the way. She discusses her full-time job and how quilting fits into her schedule. Taylor talks about how she had no connections with quilting prior to her own experiences. Art studios ; Inspirations ; Quilting studios ; Routines Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Families ; Needlework ; Quilting ; Quilts 17 499 Quilting and family / Paperwork aspects of quilting How does quilting impact your family? Taylor discusses her adult children’s supportive attitudes towards her quilting. She talks about what she enjoys about quilting and how she enjoys fabrics as decorative arts. Taylor then tells the interviewer how her least favorite aspect of quilting is doing paperwork, but even that is some level of enjoyable. Adult children ; Art appreciation ; Artistry ; Aspects of quilting ; Creative processes ; Family attitudes ; Paperwork Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family ; Family life ; Needlework ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 718 Aspects of great quilts and quilters Um, what do you think makes a great quilt? Taylor talks about how she believes the design of the quilt is the most important aspect of a great quilt. She discusses how bright colors and use of color make a quilt artistically interesting. She believes a great quilter has a good eye for when the design is balanced and does not need any further additions. Taylor details what could make a novice quilters into great quilters: practice and completing projects. Art quilts ; Artistic eye ; Artistic talents ; Beginning quilters ; Colors ; Creative processes ; Creativity in quilting ; Quilts as art Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1000 Quilt pattern inspirations In what ways do your quilts reflect your community or region, if they do at all? Taylor discusses her inspirations for quilts and how they reflect her personality over her community. She talks about how she creates her own designs and the creative process involved in creating designs. Taylor describes some of her other quilt series and the stories behind one of her quilts in particular. Artistry ; Creative processes ; Designing quilts ; Inspirational quilts ; Inspirations ; Quilt designs ; Quilt series Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1205 American women in quilting / Use and preservation of quilts We talked about the, uh, importance of quilts in your life but do you think--in what ways do you think quilts have special meaning for women's history or, um, you know, women's experience in America? Taylor talks about how American women would make quilts out of their old clothes, and the quilting bees they would participate in. She discusses how she believes quilts should be used, her favorite use being for wall decorations. Taylor talks about how she believes quilts should be preserved in exhibits, family homes, and museums in the future. Taylor enjoys selling quilts and giving them to friends to use as decoration. Taylor gives new quilters advice about quilting, encouraging quilters to take many classes. American ingenuity ; American women ; Domestic crafts ; Family heirlooms ; Quilt exhibits ; Quilt preservation ; Women in crafts ; Women in quilting Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Family ; Family life ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Women's history 17 1445 Personal success in quilting Um, we’re back. We have an amendment to the original interview.--(laughs)-- Amy Smith asks Carol Taylor how her past self would have felt about her current self winning awards and selling quilts. Taylor describes how she knew she would succeed at quilting because she enjoys it. Taylor talks about how she struggles with the term “artist” being applied to her. She talks about how she sells her own quilts from their exposure in exhibits and on her website. Taylor tells Smith about how one of the Yellowjackets, a successful jazz group, wanted to buy one of her quilts to put on their new album cover. Album covers ; Artistry ; Selling quilts ; Successful artists ; Successful quilters Artists ; Crafts &amp ; decorating ; Decorative arts ; Grammy Awards ; Quilting ; Quilts ; Success ; Textile artists ; Textiles ; Yellowjackets (Musical group) 17 interview Lori Miller interviews Carol Taylor, a successful quilt artist, at the Sedgwick Cultural Center in Philadelphia (Pa.). Taylor discusses her Gong quilt series and how she became a successful quilter. She talks about her creative processes when making a quilt pattern, her preferred methods of quilting, and what she believes makes a great quilt and quilter. Taylor talks about the success of her own career, and the various quilts she has sold in her lifetime and to whom she has sold them. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0244_qsosart0002_taylor_ohm.xml 2019oh0244_qsosart0002_taylor_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7cs2jsjcl6h Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Le Rowell Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Lori Miller interviews Carol Taylor, a successful quilt artist, at the Sedgwick Cultural Center in Philadelphia (Pa.). Taylor discusses her Gong quilt series and how she became a successful quilter. She talks about her creative processes when making a quilt pattern, her preferred methods of quilting, and what she believes makes a great quilt and quilter. Taylor talks about the success of her own career, and the various quilts she has sold in her lifetime and to whom she has sold them. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh0244_qsosart0002 AQATS19119-002 Subject The topic of the resource Quilts Quilting Decorative arts Textile artists Textiles Artists Crafts & decorating Success Family Machine quilting Philadelphia (Pa.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Carol Taylor Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 5, 2003 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/ae84637fdd3bc13889ad40c8422c9df3.jpg 5999c660d8fd7fdaf9607a2ca273b75d http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/cdef746a73fe4d44b6f61872e2668cb9.jpg 780a055051b04fcea99722f6ec8774bb http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/6963e6350baf28eba890ee3bfcd775fe.jpg d7deec40475a556ab3e96ef1cbcaeff1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barack Obama Quilt QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carolyn Crump OHMS Object https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=BOQ-024Crump.xml OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.2 January 27, 2009 QSOS Interview with Carolyn Crump OHMS CSV Template 40:20 Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories Quilt Alliance Carolyn Crump Karen Musgrave 0 http://quiltalliance.net/qsos-audio/BOQ-024 Crump.mp3 Other audio 0 Introduction 17 27 Tell me about the quilt you brought in today Please tell me about your quilt &quot ; From Vision to Victory&quot ; Crump explains the original design for the quilt &quot ; From Vision to Victory&quot ; and the edits she made to her original idea for the finished piece. For this quilt, Crump used both applique and painted fabric for her design. She originally planned on making the quilt significantly larger, and is now working on making another larger version of this quilt. African American quiltmakers ; African American quilts ; applique ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Barack Obama ; Civil Rights Movement ; Design process ; Fabric - Print ; Female quiltmakers ; Hand applique ; Hand piecing ; Hand quilting ; Machine applique ; Painting ; Quilt design ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 369 What are your plans for this quilt? / typical quiltmaking style So what are your plans for this quilt? Crump explains her plans for the quilt, which is to break it up into three parts and gift pieces of it to her daughters. She used new techniques while creating this quilt, including painting fabric for the first time, and hopes to share what she has learned in the future with other art quiltmakers. applique ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; children ; Collecting quilts ; Generational quiltmaking ; Painting ; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation ; quiltmaing style ; quiltmaking process 17 545 Participation in the Journey of Hope exhibit Tell me more about the exhibit Crump reflects on some of the other quilts in the exhibit and her appreciation for art in general. She briefly mentions how she came to quilting as a fifth generation quiltmaker when Hurricane Rita hit the American south in 2005. African American quilts ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Barack Obama ; Female quiltmakers ; Generational quiltmaking ; Hurricane Rita ; Journey of Hope Exhibit ; Quilt Purpose - Artistic expression ; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 749 How does quiltmaking impact your family?/ Tell me how you balance your time. What does your family think of your quiltmaking Crump explains how she manages her time as a professional painter and quiltmaker and as a mother. For Crump, proper time management is key to her success. family life ; Generational quiltmaking ; Painting ; Parenting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; Quilt Purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quiltmaking for family ; Time management ; work and life balance 17 869 What are your favorite techniques and materials? So what are your favorite techniques and materials in quiltmaking Crump talks about how applique and working with fabric are her favorite parts of quiltmaking. She enjoys working with all kinds of fabric because she says that even if she is working with material that she doesn't love at first, she will draw on it with markers or paint it to make it look the way she wants it to. applique ; Fabric - Painted ; Learning quiltmaking ; Painting 17 950 Describe your studio/the place that you create Describe your studio. Crump describes her quilt design studio which is in her garage. She keeps her fabrics and technique samples there. Home sewing machine ; Home studio ; Quilt Purpose - Teaching or learning sample ; studio quilt artist ; Work or Studio space 17 1028 What art or quilt groups do you belong to? Do you belong to any art or quilt groups? Crump explains how she has not been able to be a member of any quilt guilds because of her full time job and being a mother. She has recently quit her job and has become a professional artist full time, and plans to join guilds in the future. Art quilts ; children ; parenting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; Quilt guild ; Time management ; work and life balance 17 1086 Becoming a professional quilter Crump reflects on her path to becoming a professional, full-time artist. She has been working in the newspaper field until recently when she decided that she could lead a better life for herself and economically by doing art full time. She says that she uses her skills in graphic design to pay her bills in the meantime. children ; Family economics ; graphic design ; Houston, Texas ; parenting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; work and life balance 17 1209 Art inspired by President Barack Obama I don't remember a president inspiring so much art in my lifetime Crump speaks about her understanding to why President Barack Obama has inspired so many people, maybe more so than other leaders in recent memory. African American quilts ; Art quilts ; artistic inspiration ; Barack Obama ; Journey of Hope Exhibit ; Quilt history ; Quilt Purpose - Artistic expression ; Quilt Purpose - Memorial ; quilt series ; quiltmaking inspiration ; studio quilt artist 17 1413 Crump's creative process Tell me about your creative process. Crump explains her design process. She uses a design wall to put her works together and considers smaller pieces of her quilt as individual quilts that she puts together to create the larger works. She loves adding dimension to her art quilts as well through applique. applique ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; creative process ; Design process ; Design Wall ; Dimensional applique ; fabric selection ; Hand applique ; Hand piecing ; Ink drawing ; piecing ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker 17 1574 Whose works are you drawn to and why? Whose works are you drawn to and why? Crump explains that she studies the works of classic artists like Michelangelo and Salvador Dali. She does not study the art of other quilters because she worries about unintentionally copying other quilts. Female quiltmakers ; Michelangelo ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; Salvador Dali 17 1647 Are there other quiltmakers among your family or friends? Please tell me about them. Do any of your daughters do art or quiltmaking? Crump talks about her three daughters and the art that they are involved in, none of them have become quilters. children ; female artists ; Painting ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 1678 Advice for new quiltmakers What advice would you offer someone starting out Crump advises new quiltmakers to learn how to draw and practice everyday. She believes that learning how to draw first is the key to learning other art styles. She does not believe that studying other quiltmakers is the best way to learn the art because of the inevitability that the student will learn the similar artistic designs of their teacher. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; drawing ; Learning quiltmaking ; Painting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; quiltmaking classes ; Teaching quiltmaking 17 1793 Why is quiltmaking important to your life? So why is quiltmaking important to you? Crump explains that quilting is important to her because of how it connects her to her family. Quilting has been in her family for generations and was done previously for their traditional, everyday use. She thinks about her family when she quilts and hopes that her children and grandchildren will think of her in the same way one day. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; children ; Female quiltmakers ; Generational quiltmaking ; grandchildren ; Painting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; Quilt Purpose - Bedcovering ; Quilt Purpose - Comfort ; Quiltmaking for family 17 1880 What is your first quilt memory? What is your first quilt memory? Crump talks about her first memory of a quilt in her life. It was of quilts at her grandparent's house made with old, recycled clothes from Crump's mother and aunt's childhoods. African American quiltmakers ; Center Diamond - quilt pattern ; Female quiltmakers ; Generational quiltmaking ; grandchildren ; grandparents ; Patchwork quilts ; Quilt Purpose - Bedcovering ; Quiltmaking for family 17 2017 Crump's hopes for her legacy How do you want to be remembered? Crump reflects on her hopes for her legacy as an artist and as someone who looked to make positive changes in the world. In addition to that, she explains how learning traditional quilting and being able to replicate those techniques is important to her legacy as well. She wants to be recognized for her ability to quilt on the merits of the quilting alone, not on her identity as a professional artist. African American quiltmakers ; Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Design process ; Female quiltmakers ; Generational quiltmaking ; Learning quiltmaking ; Painting ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; studio quilt artist ; traditional quilter 17 2186 What makes a quilt artistically powerful? What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful? Crump speaks to what she believes makes a quilt artistically powerful. Between the color, quality of the technique used or the overall design, the quilt should create an emotional connection with the audience member to be powerful. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Color theory ; Design process ; emotional connection ; Painting ; quiltmaking process ; quiltmaking style 17 2298 Interview conclusion Is there anything that you'd like to add Crump concludes her interview by reflecting once again on quilts as art, especially the quilts in the Journey of Hope Exhibit. She hopes that these quilts that depict the adoration for President Barack Obama reflect the respect and patriotism felt by the artists at the time. Art quiltmaking ; Art quilts ; Barack Obama ; Generational quiltmaking ; Journey of Hope Exhibit ; professional artist ; professional quiltmaker ; Quilt history ; Quilt Purpose - Patriotism ; Quilt shows/exhibitions 17 Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I&#039 ; m conducting a Quilters&#039 ; S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Carolyn Crump. Carolyn is in Houston, Texas and I&#039 ; m in Naperville, Illinois so we are conducting this interview over the telephone. Today&#039 ; s date is January 27, 2009. It is now 9:07 in the morning. Carolyn thank you so much for taking time out of your day to do this interview with me. Carolyn Crump (CC): Thank you so much. KM: You are welcome so much. Please tell me about your quilt &quot ; From Vision to Victory.&quot ; CC: My quilt was designed for the people that touched my life growing up. As I moved from Detroit to Atlanta to Houston, the people that I have in the quilt are the people that reached me. When I was growing up and I could see what the Civil Rights Movement was trying to do, just the people that touched my life on television or when I watched them in a march. That is why I used forty-eight people that touch my life. I knew there were thousands of people that touch people&#039 ; s lives or made a different in the movement but these are people that I knew about. KM: How did you go about constructing the quilt? CC: First of all, it was supposed to be that you could work any size you wanted. [CC was one of the 44 artists invited to participate in the exhibit &quot ; Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebration of our 44th President&quot ; at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. from January 11 to July 30, 2009.] As I started about a week later, they called and told us that it couldn&#039 ; t be any larger than 36 inches so I had to restart my process. I still was able to keep some of the heads larger than the other ones since I couldn&#039 ; t put everybody large and stay within the 36 inches. I wanted them to look like a sculpture and that President Obama was sitting on this statue and just looking into space thinking about all the people that had paved the way for him in stone. This is the first quilt that I have ever painted on. President Obama part of the quilt, was totally appliquéd, but the stone part of the quilt I wanted to look like it was chiseled so I went with painting on the fabric and then quilting the painted faces, but the sky and the grass was totally appliquéd and quilted, but the stone part of it and the White House behind him were painted. I thought it would be easier that way because of the people, some of the people were no larger than an inch tall, little sculptures and it actually was even harder because it was so tiny and to make it look like the person and it took longer for me to try to make it look like it was chiseled in stone with fabric and paint to go back into it and then quilt it. I used the appliqué process on some of the quilt and I used paint and thread on the other part of the quilt. KM: Was it hand or machine appliquéd? CC: It was machine appliquéd and then it was put together by hand. When I quilt every part of the quilt is like a little quilt. Each one of those people on the quilt is small little quilts that I connect them by hand. But each part is a stand alone quilt and then put together at the end so you have hundreds of little pieces that make one big quilt. The Obama character, the legs are separate. The arms are separate. The head and the flag, the little sheets of paper and the hand, everything was separate and then put back together to give it more of a 3-D effect. KM: What size were you originally going to make the quilt? CC: It probably would have been about 60 inches across or more and probably 60 inches in height. As I think about it, I really wanted it large so probably it would have been 120 inches long because the six heads at the top of the quilt, that is the size every head would have been and it was almost forty different people on the quilt and then I wanted the bus coming out the quilt for Rosa Parks, which I couldn&#039 ; t do it that small so I just put her in the quilt, and like with the buffalo soldiers, I put the horse there with him but I actually wanted the buffalo soldiers, horse to be 3-D, I wanted the Tuskegee Airmen, plane to be coming out, I just wanted it to really be a 3-D quilt. Larger I could have made it like that but trying to keep it 36 [inches.] by 36 [inches.] it was almost impossible to do it in the time span we had to make the quilt. KM: Do you plan to make it again and make it larger? CC: Yes I am. I have already started the quilt I have all these faces sketched out. Everybody, the heads and the bus, each little sculpture I had already sketched it out and since I have the sketches already I might as well go ahead and produce the larger quilt it would be totally different than this one. KM: What are your plans for this quilt? CC: It is something I want to pass on to my girls. I&#039 ; ve started a collection of quilts and I wanted to do this large one and keep it for my girls. I have three daughters [Ashley, Allison and Andrea.] and I want them to have a part of history. I&#039 ; m actually going to break it up in three parts, the middle part of the quilt will be like the quilt at the museum but it will be all the large heads, it would be with the White House the same size, that will be the middle and then to the right and to the left will be the background and the sky and just the heads and the bottom of the sculpture and the rocks and the grass but I want to do it in three parts and I will give each one of my daughters a part of the quilt. KM: If someone looked at this quilt would they say, &#039 ; Oh yes, Carolyn Crump made this?&#039 ; Is this typical of your style? CC: Yes, the background of this quilt and President Obama is my usual technique, but this is the first time, like I said before, that I&#039 ; ve ever painted on a quilt and if a painter or a collector that collects my paintings they would know it is my quilt but a lot of quilters, they didn&#039 ; t realize that I started out as an artist. I&#039 ; m an illustrator my trade and I started painting when I was eight years old. It depends, if you collected my art, you would know that this could have been my quilt but most quilters or people that collect quilts, they wouldn&#039 ; t have known. I think some people would have figure it out or would think I collaborated with another artist. KM: Do you plan to paint on quilts some more? CC: Yes, because I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the process. I just started another technique that it combines my painting, my appliquéing that I appliquéd on top of sheer fabric and under the sheer fabric at the same time that it makes a smooth transitions and it is just something that fell into place and I was like this really is going to look nice and make a great quilt. I was really excited about that. That it is something new and I want to teach people the technique and how to use it because it is really kind of different than anything I&#039 ; ve ever seen before and I have never tried before and like I said it was just something that just happened. KM: Tell me more about the exhibit. CC: The exhibit, it was so beautiful the day that I arrived and I had a chance to see the different quilts and there were so many people in the exhibit and they were just loving the quilts. I think quilters quilt from the heart. I&#039 ; ve always been around painters and I&#039 ; ve been around quilters lately but I think quilters they quilt from the heart. I could tell from this exhibit, it was people quilting from their heart. They just poured out their feelings and what they felt in the moment for the president and history. It was just touching. People were coming up to you and thanking you for giving them a chance to see your quilt and that was the first time that anybody ever said anything like that to me. It just touched my heart, but I think that show was one of the first shows that I could really feel people quilting from the heart and they wanted people to see their work and were hoping that the president one day would get a chance to see these quilts. I think it was a heart touching exhibit. I think, the show, the movement of the struggle for years that we have a chance. What I liked about the exhibit that it was people of all races had a chance to quilt, they all had a chance to show their quilts and I thought that was fascinating also. KM: Do you have any favorites? CC: I liked Linda Gray&#039 ; s quilt. I liked Dr. [Carolyn.] Mazloomi&#039 ; s quilt. Dr. [Marlene O&#039 ; Bryant.] Seabrook&#039 ; s quilt. I liked all the quilts to be honest. Andréa Cruz, I loved her quilt. I loved all the quilts to be honest. The ones from Hawaii and Africa. I&#039 ; m a lover of art. I love all art. It doesn&#039 ; t matter to me who made it, if it is abstract or if it&#039 ; s realistic or if it&#039 ; s figurative. I just love art. I&#039 ; ve always loved art from like I said from the age of eight it is just something I love. I was actually kind of scared to try quilting. I&#039 ; m a fifth generation of quilters and when you come from a long line of people and this is what they do and they are great at it you don&#039 ; t want to jump in and be the only one that can&#039 ; t do it the correct way. I finally tried it. I started quilting doing Hurricane Rita [September 2005.] when it was suppose to hit Houston and that was the first time I start to quilt. They said, &#039 ; The power was going to off.&#039 ; So I just started quilting and when it was over I had finished the quilt. It from my heart. In this exhibit, I felt the people&#039 ; s quilt in my heart. Everybody&#039 ; s quilt--I just loved everybody&#039 ; s work. KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking? CC: They&#039 ; re proud of me. I have a very supportive family. My first paint set was giving to me by my sister, My sewing machine came from my mother. Everybody, they travel to see the different exhibits. They&#039 ; re impressed. They love what I&#039 ; m doing, my friends and family. Everybody is just excited about what&#039 ; s going on in my life. It is happening really fast. I don&#039 ; t believe it myself sometimes. I&#039 ; m wondering if I&#039 ; m dreaming about getting a chance to exhibit in different museums and in different shows but everybody is proud of me and I truly know I&#039 ; m blessed. KM: How do you balance your time? You talked about being a painter and a quiltmaker? CC: I just started quilting full time or started doing my art full time and I just have to balance this because my family is very important to me so I do my art in the morning and I have to divide my weeks up. I will quilt three days and I will three two days and when my girls come home from school then I spend time with them and then after they get situated I will start quilting at night or painting. I&#039 ; m a graphic designer. I do a lot of marketing for artists to help market their work. I usually do that at night or on the weekends if I have any free time, but it is really difficult trying to do both of them because I have client that likes painting and client that likes the quilts so I have to divide my time equally. KM: What are your favorite techniques and materials in quiltmaking? CC: My favorite technique is the appliquéing. I&#039 ; m in the process of learning how to do traditional quilting. I get kind of bored of doing things the traditional way, you know cutting tradition shapes but I have to show people that I can do it. The appliqué is easier for me but I love doing it, I love using the batik fabric, I like to hand dye my own fabrics. I do a lot of bleach discharge. I love creating, I love fabric and I love paper and it doesn&#039 ; t matter what kind of fabric it is because if it is something that I don&#039 ; t like about a piece of fabric I will dye it or I will paint on it. I&#039 ; ll use markers on the natural muslin, and then I&#039 ; ll paint different solutions to make it disperse and then I&#039 ; ll go back with the black marker and draw on top of the markers. I love the look when it&#039 ; s finish. It gives it a very unique look. KM: Describe your studio. CC: My studio is my garage, so it&#039 ; s a large studio. I have several shelves that go around the walls, because I block print in one area, I sculpt in another and I have a print station. I have two different studios. I have my smaller studio upstairs and that&#039 ; s where I quilt. When I&#039 ; m block printing and painting, and all the other stuff it gets kind of dirty so I do that in the garage. I have metal racks that holds my fabric. Some of the fabric is roll up and put in plastic pails so I can see the different combinations of color and then I put my batiks in the container. I have an area for my thread, an area that I put different techniques that I have tried on a corkboard so I can see my samples and they keep me motivated and give me ideas when I see things around me. KM: Do you belong to any art or quilt groups? CC: I don&#039 ; t. I&#039 ; m about to join some now. It was too much working a full time job trying to raise my daughters and do my art on the side and I think it would have been to much to try to join a group, a guild and add something else to my plate. But now that I&#039 ; m doing it full time the guild [Women of Color Quilters Network.] with Dr. Mazloomi that is the one I plan on joining and there are several other guilds that I want to join. I want to join the fiber guild. I like putting my hands in different pots and make it work for me. KM: Are you concerned about doing this full time? Are you confident? CC: Yes, I am. I&#039 ; m never one to worry about a lot of things. I put money up for a rainy day. I&#039 ; ve always been the type that just jumps and do something. It kind of worried me at first because, I have a daughter in college who is twenty-one and I have two daughters in high school, one is the eleventh grade and one in the tenth grade but I just realized if I don&#039 ; t start now, you know the way the economy is going would I be able to send the other two to college, what will happen to us. I was in the newspaper field, you know what is happening to newspaper with the internet. It won&#039 ; t be long before that is gone and I realized that with everything going and the cutbacks on the job it was just time for me to just start. I don&#039 ; t mind taking a chance in life. I&#039 ; m very ah confident in myself and I just have a lot of faith and I really thought that it was time for me to start doing this full time. I used to do it full time before I moved to Houston. I was in Atlanta, and I made a decent living. We did well and when I moved here I took a job. I didn&#039 ; t want to start over trying to find new clients so I just started working again. I have been on the same job for seventeen years and it was just time for me to be gone. I had build up clients with my graphic designs freelance and that&#039 ; s how I pay my bills until my quilts and my art get to the point that it can pay the bills. KM: Good for you. I don&#039 ; t remember a president inspiring so much art, at least not in my lifetime. Why do you think Barack Obama inspired so many people to create art? CC: The artists that I have spoken with including myself figure this is the best way to capture the way will feel and to remember history or to record history. Artists we draw, we quilt or we paint to record our history and I think so many people was touched by this because this is the first time that a president or any leader has brought people together as a whole. He inspired people stop the hatred, we all really want love each other and I think that listening to him and even seeing him and his wife how they treat each other, it just touches your heart. He made people paint about romance or quilt about romance. They did pictures of him and his wife and hugging and kissing or whatever. He touched people&#039 ; s heart. It makes you think--I think we paint from our heart. We write from our heart. Or we take pictures from our heart. I think what is in our heart makes us do what we do and that&#039 ; s what touched me. It made me want to do a series on him because he touched me as a person as an individual and made me want to be a better person. I don&#039 ; t know too many people that listened to his speeches or came in contact with him that didn&#039 ; t want to be a better person just because they knew him or touched his hand or listened to his speech. It made you want to be a better person. It made you want to leave a part of history. The quilt that I designed is a part of me and when I&#039 ; m dead and gone that quilt is going to be here and that is a part of me that I left behind saying this man touched my life KM: How many quilts do you have planned? CC: Actually I have forty-four quilts planned. This is a series that I want to leave behind. Depicting his journey from childhood to the presidential inauguration. I&#039 ; m working backwards from president to childhood life and I guess it is something I want to leave behind. One day I can do a big show with the forty-four different quilts showing his life and what it meant to America. KM: Tell me about your creative process. CC: When I start a quilt I actually start from a sketch and I might do ten or twenty different sketches on the way I see the way a person&#039 ; s face should be, I love doing figures and I&#039 ; ll start with a sketch and then I will do a pen and ink drawing of it, then I&#039 ; ll break down the different shades of a face and the different fabrics I have to use. Like if the person is a medium brown person I have to find four different shades of fabric that will match the skin tone of that person, the color range with the different fabric, I will find four different shades of red if it is a red top, four different shades of each color and then I&#039 ; ll break down each shade and I attach an fuse it material. Then cut out the different shape and iron the different colors together. Then I will start to put the different shades together, I will start in the middle of the quilt and I like to make each object a separate quilt so when I put it together it looks 3-D look. I like it to jump off the fabric and some parts to lay flat. You could have hands coming off the quilt or having a fish jumping out of the quilt. It doesn&#039 ; t have to be a flat object because it has no raw edges. After I&#039 ; ve quilt everything then I work on a six feet by four feet foam board and I&#039 ; ll pin and then stitch little pieces together one piece at a time until the small quilt become one big quilt. Then I&#039 ; ll attached, the quilt to a cotton or felt backing. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? CC: Pretty much I study Michelangelo because I like the 3-D look of his work. I study mostly paintings and sculptures and I love all quilters work but I don&#039 ; t really study any one quilters work per say because I have a photographic memory and don&#039 ; t want to end up duplicating somebody&#039 ; s work I don&#039 ; t want to one day be drawing something and not remembering whose work it is so I try not to. I will study the old masters and how they painted and sculpt and how they made things work for them. Like I said I remember techniques from years ago and I&#039 ; ll know how to put it together so I don&#039 ; t really try to study anybody else&#039 ; s work other than the old masters, Michelangelo and different painters KM: Do any of your daughters do art or quiltmaking? CC: I have three daughters and one likes to draw fashion. She is very good at it and my oldest daughter, she is a painter and we had a show together. In her first show, she sold seven originals and now my youngest daughter is starting to draw. She likes to pencil sketch. So I guess it is in the family. KM: How wonderful. What advice would you offer someone starting out? CC: I tell people to follow their hearts and if it is something you love to do as in quilt, you know practice and study, get books, take classes, and more classes. I tell people put up a still life and draw it, because I don&#039 ; t really like studying other people because I do know if you study somebody you will start to imitate their style. I really just don&#039 ; t think that is the best way to learn how to draw. I think everybody could draw. I just think draw is a learned process. I think some people is born with it. I&#039 ; ve taught so many people to draw. I taught my daughters to draw and my oldest daughter would be a better artist than I am, she really can paint really well. I just think it is a learned process. I do think that people can draw you just have to practice. If you could practice two or three hours a day just sketching. I think you could do anything if you learned how to draw first. I think if you can draw you could learn how to quilt, you could learn how to paint, you could learn how to sculpt, I really think that practicing is the key to learning how to draw. If you learn to draw first, I think the sky is the limit. If you get books and just learn all the different techniques, what makes the different shades, I think it would make a world of different in an artist&#039 ; s life. KM: Why is quiltmaking important to you? CC: Quiltmaking is important to me because it was something that was passed down to me. My great-great-great grandmother, she quilted and they passed her quilts down and it is something when I quilt I think about my grandparents and I think about my mother and how they quilted to keep themselves warm. They told me that the quilt was so heavy that when they would turn the wooden stove off, they didn&#039 ; t even realize it was off because that quilt was so heavy that you thought you were laying with bricks on top of you. And when I quilt I think about the stories that my grandparents told us and my mother told us about how when they got home from school they would get in front of the fireplace and quilt. When I quilt I think about this. It brings about happy memories in my life and one day my children will be telling their children stories about me and how I used to quilt and that is just something. I don&#039 ; t think that when they talk about my paintings that it will be the same. As when they talk about me as a quilter. I think it will be more inspiring to my grandkids one day. KM: What is your first quilt memory? CC: My first quilt memory, are you talking about of mine or my grandparents? KM: Of yours. What is your first memory of a quilt? CC: My first memory was when I was when the hurricane came, Rita was coming to Houston. KM: I want to know when you first you first encountered a quilt. What was your first memory of a quilt? CC: It was my grandmother&#039 ; s quilt and my grandmother was sick and we went to Arkansas and the quilt was lying on the bed and my oldest sister was telling us the story that she remembered when she would go to Arkansas and they would put the quilt on top of her to go to sleep and how heavy it was. She couldn&#039 ; t stand the heat and she hated to be under the quilt and she would kick the quilt off and my grandmother would come back and put it back on top of her and when I looked at that quilt and I saw the old clothes that they used to make their quilt and how precise the blocks was and how the points made the diamond and when I would look at the quilt I would think about the stars in the sky and the hands that made the quilt and you know my grandparents&#039 ; hands were so rough from picking cotton. I would see the delicate quilt, and I didn&#039 ; t understand, how those rough hands made something so delicate. I remember the old clothes and my mother would tell us she remembered that piece of fabric from a pair of pants that she tore running down the street to catch the bus for school because my granddad, he drove the school bus and she had to be at the bus stop by the time he came to pick them up or she would be in trouble and she could tell us about the little hole right there, you can see the little hole because she fell when she was playing or wrestling with my aunt. That is the first memory of a quilt, I probably was about five when that story about the quilt happen. KM: How do you want to be remembered? CC: I want to be remembered as a person that loved the arts. A person that tried to help as many people as she could and a person who tried to do what was best for, not only myself and my family but what was best for the world and to leave something, a part of me behind. She really contributed to the world of art. KM: Why do you feel the need to make traditional quilts? CC: Because I get a lot of people saying that because I&#039 ; m a painter my quilts you know look decent. I can do traditional quilt but it is something that I taught myself and it&#039 ; s correct but I want to know how to do it the way that the big time quiltmakers quilt because one of my next quilt, as soon as I finish with this series, I&#039 ; m actually going to do a traditional quilt blended into an art quilt. After that I probably more than likely start to do some kind of traditional quilting into every quilt. I don&#039 ; t want to be known as a person that makes decent quilts because I&#039 ; m an artist, I want people to say my quilts look decent because my technique is good, my fabric and the threads, everything works together well. The stitch count of the sewing machine, even when I want to hand appliqué I want people to look at it and say man her technique is good, not because I&#039 ; m a painter and I can make my quilts look good and I use the same techniques from painting, and I just paint it from thread to fabric. I get a lot of people saying things like this, &#039 ; Oh she is a painter so she is just making it look good because she has training as a painter,&#039 ; but that is not the case. I&#039 ; ve worked hard to learn how to make my quilts look like a picture or a painting. I just want people to know that my technique can be just as good as my design or my paint like technique, what I call thread painting. I want them to know that hey my traditional quiltmaking is just as good and on the same level. KM: What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful? CC: To be honest, when I look at a quilt, I think about what I feel when I look at it if I get something out of it. The color has to be vibrant, even if it is a totally cream colored quilt, you still have to see something in it. Something has to be powerful in it. The thread has to be powerful in it. The design. I think that to really, really get something out of a quilt or it has to be color or design or technique or you know it has to be one of those things involved in it to make it a strong quilt. Even if it is an abstract quilt, the color has to be there or the design, something has to be in the quilt to make it powerful. I&#039 ; m a realistic artist so therefore I like to do figurative things, but I have started doing abstracts more because I have a daughter who loves abstracts so I&#039 ; m doing abstract quilts just to leave them for her but I just think it has to be something in that quilt. Like I said a color or the technique or the design, you have to have one element of those three in a quilt to make it stand out. KM: Is there anything else you would like to share before we conclude? CC: I just think that quiltmaking is such a powerful entity of the arts. In the last five or six years that quilt making has been part of my life I create from the heart, when I quilt I can put more detail or put more intimacy in a quilt than I can when I&#039 ; m painting because you can use the thousands of fabric. You can use the painting, the thread, the buttons, and the little trinkets. I just think that one day when we look back on the different quilts and the Obama quilts and we see the different parts and what the different artists thought of him and how he touched America and how we used our art to show how he touched us I think that people who saw the show, &quot ; The Forty-Four Quilts of Obama,&quot ; I don&#039 ; t think their life will ever be the same. Just seeing the different quilts and the different quiltmakers and even if people had the chance to meet the different artists, I think that life is wonderful right about now and I&#039 ; m proud and this is probably the first time in my life I can say I really felt like a true American and that is why I wanted to show the flag in the quilt and I just think it is just a good time right now in our lives. KM: I think this is a great way to conclude and I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to share with me. We are going to conclude our interview at 9:48. audio 0 http://quiltalliance.net http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/ Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Del Thomas Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Carolyn Crump Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BOQ-024 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Description An account of the resource Fifth generation quiltmaker Carolyn Crump shares her quilt "From Vision to Victory" and shares her technique and artistic process. http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/658a452d32549ca5d37b92c1dee027de.jpg 350e8d7ccfdee5fad097d8ad1e0375f5 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/fff9f61c884eff75e932a9b51681b1d0.jpg 9d63de2ad9b086fa20beac7fb1fa299f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource International Quilt Festival QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview JoAnn Pospisil Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carolyn Dahl OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Don't Throw Away My Dolls Memory quilts Design process Quiltmaking process Techniques Quilt purpose - Utilitarian Quilting as therapy Quilt purpose - Comfort Art movements OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.3 2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124 Interview with Carolyn Dahl, November 1, 2002 2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124 qsosiqf Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: International Quilt Festival Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Artists Textiles Decorative arts Textile artists Quilts--Design. Quilts. Quilting. Arts and crafts. Don't Throw Away My Dolls Memory quilts Design process Quiltmaking process Techniques Quilt purpose - Utilitarian Quilting as therapy Quilt purpose - Comfort Art movements Carolyn Dahl JoAnn Pospisil 2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124_dahl_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124_dahl_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 7 Quilt brought for the interview, &quot ; Don't Throw Away My Dolls&quot ; This is JoAnn Pospisil interviewing Carolyn Dahl at the Houston International Quilt Festival on November 1st, 2002. Carolyn Dahl is introduced. She describes the quilt she brought for the interview, which she titled &quot ; Don't Throw Away My Dolls.&quot ; She says it is a memory quilt based on memories and objects from her childhood and family traditions. She describes her exact process of creating unique fabric stamps using those special objects from her childhood. &quot ; Don't Throw Away My Dolls&quot ; ; Backing ; Beads ; Buttons ; Carol Duvall ; Childhood ; Choices ; Color palette ; Colors ; Cooking ; Coral ; Crochet ; Design process ; Dishrags ; Fabric paint ; Family home ; Family rituals ; Fiber - Cotton ; Fish ; Foam sponges ; Future ; Heat guns ; Images ; Imprints ; Ink ; Intangible ; Material ; Memories ; Memory quilts ; Messages ; Mothers ; Nephews ; Onjects ; Painting ; Pastel ; Plans ; Potato mashers ; Printing blocks ; Prints ; Quiltmaking process ; Sisters ; Stamps ; Stories ; Storybook dolls ; Surface designers ; Symbols ; Techniques ; Television programs Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 685 Her beginning in quilting Well, can you tell us about your interest in quilting? Dahl talks about how she began her interest in quilting via her career in teaching fabric dyeing and painting. She says her grandmother was a quilter, but she herself was still self-taught in quilting. 1980s ; Contact ; Fabric ; Fabric dyeing ; Family ; Grandmothers ; Hand quilting ; Learning ; Learning quiltmaking ; Painting ; Quilters ; Self-taught ; Stitching ; Teaching ; Teaching quiltmaking Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 798 Quilting schedule and process How many hours a week would you say you spend quilting? Dahl talks about how half of her time is spent dyeing her fabric before she can even begin quilting. Colors ; Design process ; Hours ; Quiltmaking process ; Schedules ; Studios ; White fabric Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 898 First quilt memory and family's involvement in quilting Your first memory of a quilt? Dahl describes her first memory of a quilt, which was one made by her grandmother for one of her dolls. She talks about her grandmother's rug weaving and quilting and her mother's crochet. She talks about how her own quilting impacts her immediate family and more about her quilting schedule. Baby doll quilts ; Bed quilts ; Clothes ; Crochet ; Decorative ; Design process ; Fabric ; Family ; Grandmothers ; Hours ; Impact ; Memories ; Mothers ; Non-utilitarian quilts ; Passion ; Professional quiltmakers ; Professions ; Quilt memory ; Quilt purpose - Artistic expression ; Quilt purpose - Bedcovering ; Quilt purpose - Home decoration ; Quilt purpose - Utilitarian ; Quiltmaking process ; Rag rugs ; Rug weaving ; Saving ; Schedules ; Supportive ; Thinking Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 1147 Quilting during difficult times Uh, have you ever used quilting to get through a difficult time in your life? Dahl talks about quilting during a difficult time in her life during a health issue, and how her work was affected. Difficult times ; Eye surgery ; Eyes ; Feelings ; Miniature quilts ; Quilting as therapy ; Retinal detachments ; Series Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 1268 Favorite and least favorite aspects of quilting What is it about quilting that you find pleasing? Dahl talks about her favorite aspects of quilting: the feel of the fabric and the meditative rhythm of sewing. She talks about her least favorite aspect: binding. Batting/wadding ; Binding ; Cloth ; Hand quilting ; Hate ; Healing ; Joining ; Judging ; Juried ; Measuring ; Meditation ; Needles ; Paint ; Perfection ; Pleasing ; Precision ; Rhythm ; Softness ; Standards ; Techniques Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 1588 What makes a great quilt What do you think makes a great quilt? Dahl talks about what she thinks makes a great quilt, what makes an artistically powerful quilt, and what makes a quilt museum-worthy. &quot ; Calling out&quot ; ; Art ; Artistically powerful ; Creativity ; Definitions ; Great quilts ; Image ; Intangible ; Juried ; Jurying ; Museums ; New ; Painting ; Quilter's voice ; Special collections ; Subjective ; Textiles ; Traditional quilts ; Walk through Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 1858 What makes a great quilter What makes a great quilter? Dahl talks about what makes a great quilter and how one can learn from others. Background ; Children ; Conferences ; Great quilters ; Imagery ; Leading ; Learning ; Others ; Sensibility ; Techniques ; Vision Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 1968 The impact of quilting on American life and women's history Um, I think we've covered this already, as far as how you feel about c--machine quilting versus hand quilting. Dahl talks about using both machine and hand quilting. She talks about the impact of quilting on American life and women's history. American life ; Beauty ; Both ; Comfort ; Comforting ; Community ; Feelings ; Hand quilting ; Hands ; Journal ; Long arm quilting ; Machine quilting ; Quilt purpose - Comfort ; Regional ; Regions ; Soothing ; Women's history ; Women's movement Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 2143 Uses for quilts How do you think quilts should be used? Dahl talks about her views on how quilts should be used. She talks about what she does with her own quilts. Bed quilts ; Exhibits ; Family ; Quilt purpose - Bedcovering ; Quilt purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt purpose - Gift or presentation ; Quilt purpose - Utilitarian ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quilts as gifts ; Selling ; Sizes ; Uses ; Wall hangings Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 2302 Materials used for her quilts Uh, back to some of the details, uh, what kind of thread do you usually prefer to quilt with? Dahl talks about the materials and designs she chooses for her quilts. Batting/wadding ; Choices ; Decisions ; Design process ; Designs ; Image ; Materials ; Patterns ; Photography/Photo transfer ; Thread Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 2409 Quilting as an art movement Uh, do you have any other comments that you would like to make regarding your quilting or quilting in general? Dahl talks about why it is an exciting time in the world of quilting. She mentions some of the classes she teaches. She talks about why the quilting world is a great community. The interview is concluded. Art ; Art movements ; Awareness ; Cloth ; Dyes ; Embroidery ; Exciting ; Inclusion ; Mean ; Needlepoint ; New York ; Nice ; Paint ; Quilt conferences ; Quilt movement ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Respect ; Teaching ; Teaching quiltmaking ; Textiles ; Traditional ; Traditional quilts Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles interview Carolyn Dahl describes the quilt she brought for the interview, which she titled &quot ; Don't Throw Away My Dolls.&quot ; She says it is a memory quilt based on memories and objects from her childhood and family traditions. She describes her exact process of creating unique fabric stamps using those special objects from her childhood. Dahl talks about how she began her interest in quilting via her career in teaching fabric dyeing and painting. Dahl describes her first memory of a quilt, which was one made by her grandmother for one of her dolls. She talks about how her own quilting impacts her immediate family and more about her quilting schedule. Dahl talks about quilting during a difficult time in her life during a health issue, and how her work was affected. She talks about what she thinks makes a great quilt and what makes a great quilter. Dahl talks about why it is an exciting time in the world of quilting. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124_dahl_ohm.xml 2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124_dahl_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7qz8d1bd0z2 Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Jeri Riggs Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Carolyn Dahl describes the quilt she brought for the interview, which she titled "Don't Throw Away My Dolls." She says it is a memory quilt based on memories and objects from her childhood and family traditions. She describes her exact process of creating unique fabric stamps using those special objects from her childhood. Dahl talks about how she began her interest in quilting via her career in teaching fabric dyeing and painting. Dahl describes her first memory of a quilt, which was one made by her grandmother for one of her dolls. She talks about how her own quilting impacts her immediate family and more about her quilting schedule. Dahl talks about quilting during a difficult time in her life during a health issue, and how her work was affected. She talks about what she thinks makes a great quilt and what makes a great quilter. Dahl talks about why it is an exciting time in the world of quilting. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh0640_qsosiqf0124 QSOS_139 Subject The topic of the resource Artists Textiles Decorative arts Textile artists Quilts--Design. Quilts. Quilting. Arts and crafts. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Carolyn Dahl http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/326593721d8b741d3ecb2aa9f7c1100b.JPG 543ea9a4dfd6b26bcb1cacfcb48afd15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Art Quilts at the Sedgwick QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Megan Dwyre Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carolyn Lee Vehslage OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0259_qsosart0017_vehslage_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Fried Circuits Version 1.3 System Overload Version 1.1 Lonni Rossi Bipolar disorder Manic depression Computer parts Design process Quiltmaking process Computer technology Computer Series Commissions Motherboard Meltdown Keyboard Lockup Version 1.1 Small businesses September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks OHMS Object Text Raw full-text of the OHMS Object. Used for full-text searching. 5.3 2019oh0259_qsosart0017 Interview with Carolyn Lee Vehslage, July 23, 2003 2019oh0259_qsosart0017 qsosart Quilt Alliance’s Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories Oral History Project: Art Quilts at the Sedgwick Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Arts and crafts. Quilting. Quilts. Quilts--Design. Artists Decorative arts Textile artists Textiles Quilts--United States--Exhibitions. Art--Commissioning. Families. Mental health Fried Circuits Version 1.3 System Overload Version 1.1 Lonni Rossi Bipolar disorder Manic depression Computer parts Design process Quiltmaking process Computer technology Computer Series Commissions Motherboard Meltdown Keyboard Lockup Version 1.1 Small businesses September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Carolyn Lee Vehslage Megan Dwyre 2019oh0259_qsosart0017_vehslage_acc001.mp3 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/spokedbaudio/2019oh0259_qsosart0017_vehslage_acc001.mp3 Other NULL audio 0 Computer Series quilts --July 23rd at 11:30AM. Carolyn Lee Vehslage is introduced. She talks about how her career as a computer network engineer, as well as her friendship with fabric designer Lonni Rossi, led to her Computer Series of quilts, which include her &quot ; Fried Circuits&quot ; and &quot ; System Overload&quot ; series. &quot ; Fried Circuits Version 1.3&quot ; ; &quot ; System Overload Version 1.1&quot ; ; &quot ; Typographical Elements&quot ; ; Abstract art ; Careers ; Computer network engineers ; Computer parts ; Current work ; Fabric designers ; Fiber art ; Hand quality ; Houses ; Husbands ; Landscapes ; Lonni Rossi ; Seascapes ; Studios ; Versions Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 395 Inspiration and influences for her Computer Series quilts So the whole thing was kind of s--inspired by-- Vehslage talks about some of her quilting inspirations and influences, including her friend Lonni Rossi's fabrics, and her fellow artists at Art Quilts at the Sedgwick, among others. Art guilds ; Art Quilts at the Sedgwick ; Cindy Friedman ; Committees ; Debbie Schwartzman ; Deborah Schwartzman ; Definitions ; Design process ; Emily Richardson ; Fabrics ; Fiber artists ; Influences ; Inspiration ; Kay Haerland ; Leslie Pontz ; Lonni Rossi ; Marketing ; Professional artists ; Professional quiltmakers ; Publicity ; Quiltmaking process ; Rita Burnstein ; Sedgwick Cultural Center ; Shawn Towey ; Suzan Hirsch ; Threads Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 696 Special meaning of her Computer Series quilts What special meaning does it have for you? Vehslage talks about the special meaning of the quilts in her Computer Series, in which she is attempting express her feelings about how technology complicates our lives. She talks about how the series is also an expression of her experiences with bipolar disorder. She talks about others' reactions to her work. &quot ; Fried Circuits Version 1.3&quot ; ; &quot ; System Overload Version 1.1&quot ; ; Bipolar disorder ; Complications ; Computer Series ; Computer technology ; Design process ; Empathy ; Infiltrating ; Magazines ; Manic depression ; Mental disorders ; Overwhelming ; Quilt magazines ; Quiltmaking process ; Simplify ; Special meaning ; Stressful ; Techniques ; Work Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Mental health ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1033 Her beginning in quilting So you would say that you have used quilting to get through a difficult time? Vehslage talks about how she began quilting as a way to occupy her time after going on long-term disability and dealing with the loss of her career. She describes her first quilt, which was inspired by the book &quot ; Impressionist Quilts&quot ; and was based on her mother-in-law's garden. She talks about the special mementos she included in the quilt. Careers ; Commissions ; Difficult times ; Fabrics ; Family ; First quilt ; Gardens ; Gifts ; Impressionist Quilts (Book) ; Jobs ; Learning quiltmaking ; Long-term disability ; Loss ; Mementos ; Mother-in-law ; Quilts Are Forever (Book) ; Quilts as gifts Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Families. ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1307 What makes a great quilt Um, what do you think makes a great quilt? Vehslage talks about what she believes makes a great, artistically powerful quilt, which she says is composition. She talks about what makes a quilt museum-quality. She talks about some of her quilts that have been exhibited in galleries. &quot ; Fried Circuits&quot ; ; &quot ; Keyboard Lockup Version 1.1&quot ; ; &quot ; Motherboard Meltdown&quot ; ; Art quilts ; Artistically powerful ; Artwork ; Balance ; Composition ; Contemporary ; Criteria ; Design process ; Fiber ; Great quilts ; Mixed media ; Museums ; Patterned ; Patterns ; Rhythm ; San Jose Museum of Quilts &amp ; Textiles ; Silicon Valley ; Special collections ; Thinking ; Traditional quilts ; Viewers ; Visual impact Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts--United States--Exhibitions. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1552 Machine quilting versus hand quilting How do you feel about machine quilting versus hand quilting? Vehslage talks about why she mainly hand quilts her pieces. She describes in detail the process of creating some of the pieces in her Computer Series, including one made specially for an XML conference and one made for a CD media company. She talks about her use of computer pieces in her work. &quot ; System Overload Version 1.2&quot ; ; &quot ; System Overload Version 1.3&quot ; ; Appliqué ; Applique ; CD Media ; Childhood ; Commercial fabric ; Computer components ; Computer Series ; Computer wires ; Hand quilting ; Keyboard keys ; Logos ; Lonni Rossi ; Machine quilting ; Markup languages ; Photography/Photo transfer ; Sewing ; Sewing machines ; XML Conference ; Zig-zag stitching Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 1813 Commissions / Business advice for artists So this was a commission? Vehslage talks about how people become aware of her work in order to request commissions. She talks about her quilting schedule. She talks about her work helping other quilt artists sell their work and learn about running a business. Advice ; Articles ; Awareness ; Bartering ; Boats ; Books ; Business ; Commissions ; Exchanges ; Galleries ; Gallery ; Goals ; Hours ; Interest ; Internet ; Pricing ; Quilt business ; Sales ; Schedules ; Selling ; Selling quilts ; Small businesses ; Techniques ; Trades ; Trading ; Women's history ; Women's work ; Writing Art--Commissioning. ; Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 2088 Painting a 9/11 tribute quilt that toured around Costa Rica Do you still do any other mediums? Vehslage talks about continuing to paint, describing a piece she painted as part of a tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She talks about how the collection toured many places, including Costa Rica thanks to the efforts of Carolyn Underwood. She talks about how the women of Costa Rica were taught quilting skills in order to foster economic independence. &quot ; America from the heart: quilters remember September 11, 2001&quot ; ; 9/11 ; 9/11/2001 ; America from the heart: quilters remember September 11, 2001 (Book) ; Auctions ; Boats ; Carolyn Underwood ; Central America ; Costa Rica ; Cruises ; Economic independence ; Exhibits ; Flags ; Half mast ; Host countries ; Houston (Tex.) ; Houston, Texas ; Husbands ; Karey Bresenhan ; New York ; Painting ; Pueblos ; Quilt purpose - Exhibition ; Quilt purpose - Fundraising ; Quilt shows/exhibitions ; Quilting demonstrations ; September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks ; Skills ; Teaching quiltmaking ; Terrorism ; Touring ; Tragedies ; Tragedy ; Travel ; Tributes ; Women ; Workshops Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts--United States--Exhibitions. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 2538 Conclusion Um, is there anything else you wanted to add? Vehslage talks about her connections with her fellow artists at Art Quilts at the Sedgwick. The interview is concluded. Art Quilts at the Sedgwick ; Groups ; Sedgwick Cultural Center ; Supportive ; Women Artists ; Arts and crafts. ; Decorative arts ; Quilting. ; Quilts--Design. ; Quilts. ; Textile artists ; Textiles 17 interview Carolyn Lee Vehslage talks about how her career as a computer network engineer, as well as her friendship with fabric designer Lonni Rossi, led to her Computer Series of quilts, which include her &quot ; Fried Circuits&quot ; and &quot ; System Overload&quot ; series. Vehslage talks about the special meaning of the quilts in her Computer Series, in which she is attempting express her feelings about how technology complicates our lives. She talks about how the series is also an expression of her experiences with bipolar disorder. She talks about others' reactions to her work. Vehslage talks about how she began quilting as a way to occupy her time after going on long-term disability and dealing with the loss of her career. She describes her first quilt, which was inspired by the book &quot ; Impressionist Quilts&quot ; and was based on her mother-in-law's garden. She talks about her work helping other quilt artists sell their work and learn about running a business. Vehslage talks about continuing to paint, describing a piece she painted as part of a tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. No transcript. All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. audio Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2019oh0259_qsosart0017_vehslage_ohm.xml 2019oh0259_qsosart0017_vehslage_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7cs2jsjcl6h Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Le Rowell Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Carolyn Lee Vehslage talks about how her career as a computer network engineer, as well as her friendship with fabric designer Lonni Rossi, led to her Computer Series of quilts, which include her "Fried Circuits" and "System Overload" series. Vehslage talks about the special meaning of the quilts in her Computer Series, in which she is attempting express her feelings about how technology complicates our lives. She talks about how the series is also an expression of her experiences with bipolar disorder. She talks about others' reactions to her work. Vehslage talks about how she began quilting as a way to occupy her time after going on long-term disability and dealing with the loss of her career. She describes her first quilt, which was inspired by the book "Impressionist Quilts" and was based on her mother-in-law's garden. She talks about her work helping other quilt artists sell their work and learn about running a business. Vehslage talks about continuing to paint, describing a piece she painted as part of a tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019oh0259_qsosart0017 AQATS19119-017 Subject The topic of the resource Arts and crafts. Quilting. Quilts. Quilts--Design. Artists Decorative arts Textile artists Textiles Quilts--United States--Exhibitions. Art--Commissioning. Families. Mental health Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Title A name given to the resource Carolyn Lee Vehslage Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 23, 2003 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/e75ee5255d74c7db327b445f368017a8.jpg d291cf1dc82f33c991acf69d65995fee Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ohio QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carolyn Mazloomi Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Karen Musgrave Interview Date 4/21/09 Transcriber Kim Greene Interview Format audio OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=OH45069-001Mazloomi.xml Interview sponsor Name of interview sponsor Susan Quinn Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound **This transcript was created by QSOS volunteers and was reviewed and, in some cases, edited by the interviewee. It may not exactly match the audio recording. For citations and interview quotations, please refer to the audio-recorded interview.** Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave and I'm conducting a Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Carolyn Mazloomi. Carolyn is in West Chester, Ohio, and I'm in Naperville, Illinois, so we are conducting this interview over the telephone. Today's date is April 21, 2009. It is now 9:03 a.m. Carolyn, thank you for taking time out of your day to do this interview with me. Please tell me about your quilt "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many." Carolyn Mazloomi (CM): That quilt was inspired by the Selma to Montgomery March that occurred in 1965. When I think about being a citizen in this country I think about the right to vote because that is one of the greatest treasures of being an American, that freedom and that right to vote. It was because of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march that there was legislation that got African Americans the right to vote. That Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights lasted three weeks and one of the turning points of that march was what we call "Bloody Sunday." "Bloody Sunday" occurred March 7, 1965, when there were 600 civil rights marchers that headed out east of Selma, Alabama, on US Route 80 and they only got six blocks. There was a bridge, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and when they approached that bridge to cross, the state and local lawmen attacked the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas. They drove them back into Selma and that was a big turning point for the civil rights movement because there was a lot of media there and across the nation local well national television shows were interrupted with a broadcast of what was happening in Selma, Alabama. It was the first time America, the nation, got an opportunity to see really what was going on with the civil rights workers and people were horrified that these marchers were beaten down like they were. Initially this march started out with 600 people, but by the time three weeks later when they actually got a court order to set out to Montgomery [Alabama.] there were over 3,200 people and then they ended up, the final count was 25,000 marchers. Twenty-five thousand people from all over the country came to join in that march and that would not have happened had not the news been broadcast across the nation that people were being brutalized just for attempting this civil rights march. That was a catalyst of this voting rights act so that was the inspiration for my quilt because when I talk about the President [Barack Obama.] standing on the shoulders of many, it took the sacrifice of many African Americans, not only during this period in our history but from slavery until this period in our history., many sacrifices, politically and socially to get to this point that we have an African American elected to the highest elected office of the land. That was the inspiration and in particularly I think about Congressman John Lewis because I vividly remember seeing him as a young person watching this on television, seeing him get hit in the head by state troopers and mauled by the dogs and now this man is a United States Congressman and he was one of the inspirations for that piece as well because he is a very gentle, very gentle spiritual soul who had been through so much and indeed the President stands on many shoulders. When I started out making the quilt I wanted a map in the quilt to indicate geographically the route of the march and the quilt is appliquéd, is hand and machine quilted. Very seldom now I have the opportunity to make quilts because I'm so busy doing other things, however, it was important to me to participate in this particular exhibition because of the occasion. KM: Tell me more about the exhibition. CM: Roland Freeman called me initially when he had the idea of an exhibition ["Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebration of our 44th President" at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.] and asked me if I would find quilters to participate in the exhibition. I suggested that the quilts be in small format because the quilters only had a month to make the quilts and it was during the Christmas holiday and Thanksgiving holiday and people were really, really busy and didn't have that much time. I looked to members of the Women of Color Quilters Network to pool artists who might be interested in the project and who that I knew could create work in a short period of time that would be during Thanksgiving and Christmas. I told Roland Freeman after I got the list together and contacted everybody that he was getting the best of the best, the best that Women of Color Quilters Network had to offer. One of the things too that I asked for artists when making these quilts, I told them that this is not just about the physical image of President Obama. I didn't want to see 44 quilts that are portraits of the President because this exhibition that they were creating for was about more than the image of one man. Actually it was about the journey of African Americans as they weave their way through the social and political politics of this country. It is about the journey, it was about the journey of African Americans in this country from the slave ships to the White House. I wanted them to address that story, because that's how President Obama was able to be the president. We've been through so much in this country socially and politically and economically and every strata, every facet of this country being African American and African American culture is woven through it so I wanted to see the artists address this history and they did not disappoint me. The quilts are some of the best works to ever come out of the Women of Color. KM: Is "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many" typical of your style? CM: That quilt is typical of my style. I enjoy making story quilts. I enjoy making narrative quilts. I find the work more interesting if I have a theme or a story in which to work from, some theme that I want to address in my quilts. Usually the quilts are either based on something political, of a political nature or they address issues that are close to my heart. Personal issues that I enjoy, such as music. My quilts either deal with music, jazz particularly, or women's issues because I'm very much involved in both. KM: What are your plans for this quilt? CM: I have no plans for it. [laughs.] It's been in the show and I've received the quilt back maybe a month or two ago. I have no plans to show it again. That's that. It is here and it will be in my collection. I collect quilts. I have over 700 of them [KM remarks "wow."] and not mine, [laughs.] but I have over 700 quilts. That quilt is historically important to me so I probably will just keep it in my collection. KM: Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. CM: My interest in quiltmaking has been more from the aspect of an organizer. 25 years ago I founded the Women of Color Quilters Network and that's been my life work and the making of "He Stands on the Shoulders of Many" was a departure for me because the past four or five years I haven't been able to make that many quilts because I've been involved with running the Women of Color Quilters Network and that's like a full time job, so it doesn't leave time for much of anything else. I started the organization as a means to let African American quiltmakers know about the cultural significance as well as the monetary value of their quilts. We started out with nine people and over the years it's grown tremendously. One of the things that we do is present quilts, quilt exhibitions to museums around the country. We give workshops around the country to children and youth, try to interest them in learning to quilt because when you think in terms of the quilt population of African American quilts within the realm of quilting in this country, there are not that many of us so it is important to me to try and interest young people in learning how to quilt. That is very important, because I think about the future. KM: You mentioned Women of Color Quilters Network, do you belong to any other art or quilt groups? CM: I am on the board of the Studio Art Quilt Associates. I'm a member of a local quilt guild here in my city, West Chester, Ohio. I'm a member of the Women's Caucus of the Arts. The American Quilting Association. I'm sorry the National Quilting Association. That's it so far as quilting organizations. KM: Why is it important to you to belong to these groups? CM: I'm interested in communing with other quiltmakers. I'm interested in learning more about quiltmaking. The Women of Color Quilters Network is about preservation. Outside of that with other groups I'm interested in the camaraderie, I'm interested in learning. I have never had time, I've never had the opportunity to really take any quilt classes. I'm totally self-taught so I enjoy reading about techniques, I enjoy being around people that utilize new techniques and I can see pretty much what's going on and hopefully take away something that I can utilize in my own work. It's about learning and it's about camaraderie. I often say in my travels, and I travel across the country at least once a week. I never meet a stranger in the quilt community. Quilters are very special people. It doesn't matter what region of the country you are in or what group of people, quilters are just very special folks. You don't know any strangers. KM: You curate, you write, you lecture, you collect, what is your favorite thing to do? CM: My favorite thing to do is curate shows and write the books that accompany the shows. I think it is important for the sake of history to have these shows and especially have the books that commemorate these exhibitions because it is like a footprint that, especially for the network, for the African American quilter, like a footprint on the canvass of American quiltmaking. It documents our participation in American quiltmaking and that is very important to me, it means everything to see that African American quilters are duly recorded in history, quilt history as being active participants. Especially I'm interested in the maker of contemporary quilts within the African American community because prior to ten years ago there was not that much emphasis on the contemporary quilts made within the African American community, most of the emphasis was on improvisational quilts. It is very important for me to see that these contemporary quilters carve out a niche in history for themselves to make their presence known and to let people know that African American quilting is more than improvisational quilting. We as a community participate or rather make all types of quilts, not just improvisational quilts. There are people that make traditional American Patchwork and appliqué quilts, as well as art quilts and the improvisational quilts. That has to be documented and it has to be written about so I see myself as an instrument to make that happen. This is how I like to spend my time and it is my favorite thing to do. KM: Whose works are you drawn to and why? CM: I have many favorite quilters and of course I think, well for the most part there are American quilters. I admire the quilts of Gwen Magee from Jackson, Mississippi, the stories that she addresses, the issues that she addresses in her quilts are important and they make people stop and think, as well as being well crafted. Her quilts are impeccable, the technique impeccable. I like the quilts of Marion Coleman, again these are narrative quilts. Again, she is one that tackles issues and I like to see that and they are well crafted. Another favorite quilter is Penny Sisto who is not only, she is a dear friend as well and I always look forward to seeing new quilts by Penny Sisto because they are very dramatic, visually dramatic as well as being seeped in stories. Both she and Gwen Magee, and then there are two young quilters within the Women of Color Quilters Network, Carolyn Crump and-- [door bell rings.] Oh my gosh did you hear that? KM: I did. CM: Just one moment. KM: That is okay, go ahead. [laughs.] CM: I'm expecting an exhibition bag. KM: Go right ahead. CM: Gosh. Okay, I have someone to take care of that. I'm sorry. KM: That is okay. You had Carolyn Crump. CM: Yes. They are serious art quilters that make abstract work, they both dye and paint their fabrics, they use all types of interesting techniques. Carolyn Crump's work is three dimensional and just mind boggling in it's form. She has not been exhibited that much but hopefully within the next eighteen months she will have several major exhibitions and her work will be introduced on a national level. Both she and Sonji Hunt I think are going to do very well, very well in the quilt world because their work is so unusual. So unusual, so I think people are going to be in for some big surprises with these two young folks. Those are my five favorites. KM: That is a wonderful list too. You mentioned collecting quilts and that you have more than 700 quilts. What criteria do you use for purchasing a quilt for your collection? CM: Most of the quilts are African American made quilts and they are African American contemporary quilts but then on the other side I collect all types of quilts, everybody's quilts but most of them are African American. The quilt has to touch my spirit, it has to speak to me. I have to be able to live with it. I rotate the hanging of the quilts in my home and in my studio and when I can wake up and look at it first thing in the morning and want to see it all day long then I know okay that's the quilt for me. I have to be able to live with it. It has to touch my spirit. It has to mean something to me. That's the criteria. I have no criteria in so far as technique. I don't look for particular artists, the quilt has to speak to me. That's the criteria. It is a totally, it is a spiritual thing. I have a wide range of quilts. I have quilts by Faith Ringgold as well as most of the major artists within the Women of Color Quilters Network. There are few favorite artists like Marion Coleman and Faith Ringgold and Carolyn Crump. For my favorite artists I may have several of their quilts. It's like candy. It is like chocolate. [KM laughs.] I can't have just one. I think that's my personality too, compulsive. I can't have just one of anything. My favorite quilters I may have several of their quilts or dozens. [both laugh.] It just depends. KM: You mentioned your studio, so describe your studio. CM: My studio is in my home on the lower level. It's 1,100 square feet and I have. It serves not only as my studio space but my husband calls it "My Art Gallery" because I have many of my favorite paintings downstairs and the work that I love I have to live with it, I want to see it, I want to be surrounded by it. I want to see it first thing when I wake up in the morning. I want to live with it because it makes me happy. In my studio I have not only quilts but I have my favorite paintings up as well and my sewing machine that I'm sort of; I'm compulsive about organization as well, so everything has to be in its place and all the fabrics are arranged according to color. I guess like every other quilter, we are very picky about our studio space and how it looks and how it's arranged that it can work best for what we do. My studio is like my sanctuary as well. My office space is on that level as well. There is one corner for my computer and books and whatnot. I could actually live there and not come up for air for a couple of weeks. [laughs.] It truly is a sanctuary. It's an environment that I enjoy. The quilts are scattered out all over my home. KM: What do you think is the biggest challenge confronting quiltmakers today? CM: For the art quilters it's acceptance of the art form within the larger art community. I think that is a challenge for some quilters. Different groups though have different challenges. The Women of Color Quilters Network and the African American quilters that belong to that organization have a totally different set of challenges and that is just the acceptance of the work period. Any kind of work that they produce if it is not improvisational work. The challenges vary with the group, it depends on the objectives, organizations, and the objectives of the quilters themselves. KM: How have you seen things change in the 25 years that the Women of Color Quilters Network has been around? CM: There have been lots of changes in so far as first of all technology has brought so much to the quilt world, introducing new tools and new ways of doing things, new materials that are all incorporated into quilts and quiltmakers using these tools and materials to create quilts so that has been huge. It's made quiltmaking easier and technically more challenging and it's brought about a more sophisticated type of quilts, a different kind of quilts. I think the greatest change has been in technology. Then the again another change is seeing more quilts in museums. It's now like old hat. 25 years ago you didn't see that many in museums that would devote entire gallery to quilt exhibitions or space for quilt exhibitions and now you see that a lot and it's become quite normal to see the country's museums have quilt exhibitions. KM: Why are quilts and quiltmakers important to you? CM: Quilts are important because, physical quilts are important to me because they give me joy, they bring me joy, they bring me joy. That's the first thing and then the second thing I think about the historical aspect of quilts. I'm interested in recording that history, that is important to record quilt history because it gives us a window into American society, families and lives and social structure of people living here in this country. It is fascinating and it's important. That's what is important and then the quiltmakers themselves, people. There is just a wide variety of people that I've met and everybody brings something interesting to the table so that's been an interesting point for me, meeting quilters of all races, gender across the country and sharing that common love of quiltmaking. KM: You talked about quilts speaking to you. What do you think makes a quilt artistically powerful? CM: The first thing I look at are the images in the quilts. I look at the image and the colors speak to me, color combinations speak to me and I look at the craftsmanship. The first thing I see, I see the image. The next thing I see is the color. Then I'm going to hone in closer and look at the technique. The graphics grab me first. If the quilt, as a buyer, as a collector, if the quilt is not well made I don't care how strong the graphics are, then that's not a quilt I'm going to take home. KM: What are you working on right now? CM: [laughs.] Currently I'm writing three books, two of which are behind schedule. Actually one is two years behind schedule so I'm writing these three books, I'm curating two new exhibitions, I'm in the process of organizing those exhibitions now so the next year and a half is pretty full for me with the books and the exhibitions. I started my own publishing company three years ago and initially I started out wanting this company just to publish the books for the Network, for the Network exhibitions, however it is not panning out like that, we are starting to do more books for other folks so that is keeping me pretty busy too. All the publications are quilt related though so that is a good thing. I find myself doing everything but making quilts and that kind of makes me sad but maybe when I finish all of my projects I can come back around full circle to where I started and that's making quilts. KM: How do you balance your time? CM: [laughs.] That is a good question. How do I balance time? There is no balance. [both laugh.] There is no balance. I wish I could find a balance. You just do what you have to do and if things fall short you just try and catch up with it the next day. A nice happy balance and a happy medium for me would be the inclusion of making more quilts and having time to actually sit down and sew but it is not like that, so all I can do right now is just curate shows and write books and then there is a lot of traveling in between that. Those two events, these two jobs just kind of consume my life right now so there is nothing else. I don't find that there is any balance in life. I often say there is no such thing as a "super woman" and there isn't. I feel I can't do it all, but I try and do the best that I can with the jobs that I do and balancing family in between all this other, all the other things. KM: What does your family think of your quiltmaking and your involvement in quilts? CM: [laughs.] I have three sons and they are all grown and they appreciate my quilts and my husband appreciates my quilts. They've always appreciated my quilts. I'm sure all of them wish that I had more time for them because I travel so much, as well as being involved with the books and the exhibitions, so I'm sure they wish I had more time for them. I can't say that they are selfish like that because that is not selfish, that is just human nature as the nature of family. They do recognize the importance of quiltmaking in my life and they appreciate my quilts so I'm lucky in that aspect, they appreciate my quilts and cherish them and recognize them as art works, important art works. KM: How do you want to be remembered? CM: My legacy and so forth with quiltmaking will be the founding of the Women of Color Quilters Network and finding a recording the contributions of African American quiltmakers to American quiltmaking, especially for the contemporary African American quiltmaker. It's important for me that I do everything that I can to record their works, to exhibit their works so that they have a place in quilt history. KM: Is there anything that you would like to share that we haven't touched upon before we conclude? CM: Not really. I probably will think of a hundred things when we hang up. [laughs.] KM: Isn't that human nature. CM: I can't think of anything right now. KM: Do you think of yourself more as an artist or a quiltmaker or do you even make a distinction? CM: I don't make a distinction. I've never really made a distinction. To me there is the big brew-ha-ha between the definition of art and quilts and craft and quilts that doesn't enter into my realm because I think everything we create if it is a feast to the eyes, it's art. I don't make a separation. I've always looked at quilters as artists because they are creating. I don't care whether it's traditional or art quilts or contemporary quilts or improvisational quilts, everybody, every artist that's made those quilts, they are artists, they are creating art. There is no difference between those words. It's just a play on words. We are all artists and that's how I see it and that's how I've seen it since day one. KM: I think this is a great way to conclude. I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to share with me, and we are going to conclude our interview at 9:49. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context OH45069-001 Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Title A name given to the resource Carolyn Mazloomi Description An account of the resource Carolyn Mazloomi talks about her quilt 'He Stands on the Shoulders of Many', a story quilt made for the 2009 exhibit "Quilts for Obama" at the Historical Society of Washington, DC, as well as the Women of Color Quilters' Network, which Mazloomi founded in 1985. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio legend Quilt history Women of Color Quilters Network http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/f0a64ac4e9f675feb25effc6382cdef9.jpeg af10615ef2d3a2ca3997ac1e6c362839 http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/0105ebbeb2a7871c984d4261beda2aa7.jpeg aeb6a3de8ae3eb49984a9b87cb5bcf2d http://qsos.quiltalliance.org/files/original/fecd9a208b176be96cf3a02b4c466dd0.jpeg a23c5c699694fc6b6b6af796bdf9dfcd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Georgia QSOS Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Cathy Fussell Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Emma Parker OHMS Object http://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/viewer.php?cachefile=Interview100779.xml Interview Date February 18, 2021 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cathy Fussell Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 18, 2021