*Sweet Land of Liberty, Editorial

Greetings You Mavens of Cloth,

Welcome back to BLOCK! There are some wonderful things to share this week:

Standing in solidarity next to Paiute artist and activist, Fawn Douglas, at the Women's March, Las Vegas. See Douglas give her remarks, here.

First, I'm delighted to announce that an article of mine featuring quilter Chawne Kimber, has been published in The Modern Quilt Guild's new publication, Modern Monthly!  For those of you not already familiar with Chawne (pronounced, Sean), she's a force in modern quilting, who's identity politics quilts and precision piece work are profoundly relevant, calculated, and inspiring works of art.

This past week also marked a profound moment in U.S. history, with the largest peace protest ever staged in support of women's rights, i.e. human rights. The event, as you well know, took place the day after the Presidential inauguration, and joined together millions of people across America (and the wider-world).

I couldn't have more proud to have attended the sister-event in Las Vegas, to have marched along side dear friends, and to have stood in solidarity next to people like the Paiute artist and activist, Fawn Douglas. I found my faith in America renewed by the experience, and gained greater clarity of that which divides us as a nation. Not surprisingly, these ideas came to me as the old epigram about weaving cloth:

Like warp and weft, two distinct types of thread are weaving the American cloth at present. And while the needs, hopes, and wants of one thread of opinion has always laid atop the other, throughout each moment in American politics, we have managed to find common ground where they intersect, since our nation was first founded. What was clarified for me last Saturday however, is that the fight we are embarking on from this point forward, with the election of new POTUS and his toxic team of cabinet appointments, with the infiltration of fake news (especially where Russia is concerned), with the normalization of rape culture (#monumentquilt), and so on - is that we are now in a battle over which threads of opinion (and therefore which set of values), wins the right to be the warp.

The warp, after all, is the yarn held under high tension. It's unyielding and reliable, the structure upon which the weft freely floats across, and weaves itself throughout. Progress is made by both types, no doubt. But what the Women's March demanded, and what it will continue to demand, is that the common threads of equality, freedom, justice, and so on, are the warp upon which we weave our own liberty.

A-

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Quilts in Honor of Lady Liberty:

Lady Liberty, by Beck Hortense, 1987. Made in Topeka, Kansas. Collection of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum.

Image from the Library of Congress digital archive. Caption reads: Famous historical quilt. Washington, D.C., Aug. 17. Joseph's coat of many colors had nothing on this unique quilt which is now being completed by Mrs. Ethel Sampson of Evanston, Ill., after six years of collecting. Parts of wearing apparel from President Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt, members of the Cabinet, diplomats and notables from all over. From Hollywood Bing Crosby sent a tie while Mae West and Shirley Temple contributed parts of dresses...August 17, 1937.

Celebrating the creative contribution of America's immigrants: Former tailor, Carl Klewicke, immigrated to America in the early part of the 20th century and spent twenty years producing this quilt; a treasure among the collection of the American Folk Art Museum included in their traveling exhibit, Self Taught Genius. The museum's online exhibit page tells the story of the Original Design Quilt, c. 1907, and why Klewicke created this remarkable piece: As recounted in the March 18, 1879 edition of the Corning (NY) Journal: "On the evening of March 1st, an infant girl about three months old, was left on the door step at the house of Carl Klewicke...The child was well dressed, and an extra pair of shoes was in the bundle of clothing left with it. Mr. and Mrs. Klewicke, having no children, adopted the foundling, and are already quite proud as well as happy in its possession." It is this adopted daughter for whom the extraordinary quilt was made.

Ship of State, by the Peet sisters (Cordelia Peet, Jane Hull, Helen Lind, and Lois Sage), 1908-09. Probably made in Kent County, Michigan, United States. Collection of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum.

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Modern Monthly: Feature Article!

Check it out! Read my feature article on the amazing Chawne Kimber, in the MQG's new Modern Monthly!

'Enlighten the Cloth' Summer Workshop @  Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

Head's up: Summer quilt workshop at Haystack! A West-African Appliqued Experience, with WILLIAM ADJÉTÉ WILSON. Summer session #3: July 16-28. Find out more, here.

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Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

#Laughter is the Best, Editorial

With only one more week until the inauguration, I thought some serious humor was in order. Because for me, this feels like the calm before the storm - the waiting game before a big prognosis, the scene in The Return of the King when Gandolf and Pippin are looking out towards the horizon at Mt. Doom - just ten days before he's unleashed.

Too dark? Too morose? Okay, as I was saying about humor, it's definitely in order around here! So enjoy the post, and stay tuned for next week's patriotic salute to the one and only leader I'll be following with any real moxie the next four years - Lady Liberty. 

A-

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Superior Threads is a pilgrimage for many quilters out here in the West - a good excuse to take a road-trip with friends, or make an intentional stop on your way somewhere else. Check out this comical parody they made back in 2014.

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Jon Stewart Says, "You Had Me at Quilt."

I'll fully admit that this clip isn't a knee-slapper, as much as it is extremely humorous to see the reverence these two have for a good quilt in old fashioned storytelling! Watch the snarky and wonderful Sarah Vowell on Stewart's old Daily Show. She even references her visit to Lolani Palace in Hawaii, and seeing first-hand The Queen's Quilt, created by Queen Lili'uokalani during her internment after the overthrow of the monarchy.

Post on The Daily Show

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Who's More Tired?

NEW TV LISTING/ TLC

9 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. CST

A mom in Akron who's trying to get the kids school clothes bought, finish her part of the church quilt, and lose 10 pounds. Versus Scott, a guy who just got back from a double shift washing dishes at Perkins while hungover. 

Originally published by The Onion

11 Old Lady Hobbies That Are Perfect to Try in Your Twenties...

Orignally published on Bustle/ By JR THORPE

#7: QUILTING!

Why You Want to Learn It:

The appeal of quilting is self-evident. You are making a snuggly possession to wrap around yourself and sleep underneath. Plus quilts are complicated to create, so making one gives you serious bragging rights. "Thank you for leeting me sleep on this insanely comfortable quilt!" "You're welcome. I made that, you know; no biggie, though."

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Amish Woman Knew She Had Quilt Sale the Moment She Laid Eyes on Chicago Couple

LANCASTER, PA - Repeatedly referring to them as "easy money," Amish quilt shop proprietor Mary Stolzfus, 43, said Monday that as soon as she noticed Tom and Helen Foreman's matching Chicago Cubs baseball hats, she knew she'd be able to move three, possibly four quilts. "One look and it was 'Choo choo! Here comes the money train, right on schedule," said Stolzfus, adding that she ordered her daughters to "put on a little dog and pony show" for the easy marks by having them sing the traditional Amish song, "In Der Stillen Einsamkeit." "These rubes are all the same: give 'em a little 'no electricity' this, and some 'butter churn' that, and cha-ching, you've got enough barn-raising money to last you a month." 

Originally published by The Onion

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Header image: I Love Lucille Ball, fabric by Loom Showroom.

Thanks for visiting BLOCK!

New Year: New Home!

Happy New Year: Happy House Warming!

Welcome to BLOCK'S, New Year: New Home, Holiday Housewarming Post!  How great is it to arrive somewhere festive, without having to play host, bring anything, or even get out of your pajamas? 

A lot is happening. I'm writing a lot. I'm sewing. I'm interviewing amazing people, even traveling! Each part is being squeezed in (if not stolen), as usual, and perhaps not as gracefully as I would always prefer. But what more could I ask for? Between these opportunities, having a wonderful family, and great friends, I'm starting 2017 blessed and grateful.

My resolution for 2017 (verses my fictitious one, involving something to do with giving up cheese), is to continue exploring examples of creative bravery in art making - creating an even more dynamic space about the meaning, making, and metaphors of quilts.

My thanks to all of you who have and continue to encourage me. I appreciate it in ways I hope you see reflected here. Here's wishing you a creative and courageous 2017!

Aimée

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- BLOCK'S Top 5 - 

Best Insta-Inspiration for 2017!

I've alway enjoyed paying keen attention to all things quilt related on the internets - especially the brave, innovative, and esoteric. But I also find the nets to be a complete time sucker of creativity, when I'm really honest with myself. It's one of the reasons I return regularly to my favorite sources for inspiration. I'm alleviated of any guilt, and get a creative fix.

So, with this in mind and without further adieu, here are my top 5 Instagram feeds to follow in 2017:

#2. "A quilt with coinciding color swatches indicating what plants, minerals, and insects, were used to dye the fabric," posts Maura Grace Ambrose of Folk Fibers. This feed isn't just about quilts. It's about how to create a life. It's about soul.

#4. With 95.8K followers, Spoonflower is (by far) the most popular Instagram feed in my top 5 - but for good reason. The DIY fabric printer makes virtually anything possible in quilting. Plus, they have an environmental statement worth its salt if you order their organic fabric line. 

#5. The International Quilt Study Center and Museum (IQSCM - or, Quilt House, for short) is my pick for best museum to follow. Granted, its Instragram feed isn't nearly as wonderful as its larger website (to say nothing of it's project, World Quilts). But, this way you'll be up to speed on exhibit happenings and behind-the-scene moments.

#1. Completely Cauchy is Chawne Kimber's feed; a venerable feast of precision piecing, snapshots of life, and glimpses into topics informing her groundbreaking art.

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Some of you will already be familiar with my top picks - especially the MQG crowd. Take Chawne Kimber, who's compelling identity politics quilts, precision piecework, and thoughtful diaries, have some of us returning to her online spaces (Completely Cauchy & @cauchycomplete) daily. While The Monument Quilt, by Force, a community activist project shining a light on rape culture and sexual assault, may still be understood by many as simply a news story - not as a living/breathing effort seeking on-going engagement. The expanding quilt is designed to, "coincide with legislation, court cases, protests, and other acts of resistance against rape and abuse." Which means, it requires our attention and participation to succeed (#monumentquilt).

Outside of my own way of surfing the web for inspiration, I know I still miss a ton. So I'd LOVE to know your top 5 as well. If you have a gem worth sharing, please do!

patchworkandpixels@protonmail.com

#3. The community activist project known as The Monument Quilt, created by survivors of sexual assault, continues to effect real change and will culminate with a display at the National Mall and along the U.S. /Mexico Border in 2018. It is astonishing just how many social, cultural, political, and economic hurdles this quilt project tackles, simply because it tackles sexual assault. Follow the project on Instagram at #monumentquilt.

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Fashion Icon that Primed Gallery Walls for Quilts

- Gloria Vanderbilt & Cooper's Bedroom -

A Few Thoughts on the Art History of Quilts, by Aimée

Above images: Cooper's Room, one of Gloria Vanderbilt's many famously decorated bedrooms. As it appeared in the February edition of Vogue magazine, 1970. Source.

Patchwork pillows from recycled fabrics, with curtains underway. My own take on Cooper's Room. Stay tuned for updates...

In 2010, well-known CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, penned a lovely tribute in Vogue, about his mother, the fashion designer, decorator, artist, and heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt (GV). In it, he describes his childhood experiences growing up under his mother's profound influence, and specifically recalls the visual impact of one of her many famously designed bedrooms - a room inspired by quilts.

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"The one I remember most was a bedroom my mother covered entirely in patchwork quilts: the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, she’d even glued quilts to the floor and had them coated with polyurethane. It was like being inside a collage. I’ve never seen anything like it since."

-Anderson Cooper

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Quilt mavens reading this post will, no doubt, find this bedroom impressive in scale, but also thought-provoking. For one thing, GV glued old quilts to the floor and lacquered them. Sacrilege? Inspiring? She was affluent, but a working artist. Does that matter? Worthy questions for another post, I'll admit.

But what's also worth considering is GV's impact on the art history of quilts.  Because, at it turns out, Cooper's Bedroom, as it was referred to in Vogue back in Feb. 1970, has a place in it.

GV after all, is the niece of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, founder of the Whitney museum - who had fought for and won custody of GV when she was ten years old, and who was also a significant champion of women artists and folk art. Furthermore, GV herself was (and remains) a famous fashion designer and creative; a huge cultural influencer.  Therefore, given that this room was designed and photographed in 1970 and that, "GV's lacquered floor was inspired by one [made of paper] she had seen years earlier in the apartment of Juliana Force, the first director of the Whitney Museum" (referenced from the blog The Peak of Chic, from the book The World of Gloria Vanderbilt, by Wendy Goodman), means that GV was shaping popular cultural opinions about quilts, at the same time the exhibit Abstract Design in American Quilts was in its planning phase.

That exhibit, as many of us well know, was seminal for catapulting popular affection for quilts into the mainstream, and re-contextualizing quilts in proximity to art. But similarly to Cooper's Bedroom, it did little to place quilts in the category of art. Slim context was provided throughout the exhibit. Names, process, narrative, these ideas were excluded entirely from display. Supplanted titles, dimensions, and a date, was what a viewer had to go by. Definitely not art.

And yet, what is becoming increasingly clearer, is just how well primed the pump was (prior to the Whitney exhibit) for the general public to so enthusiastically accept the inherent artistic attributes of quilts on account of popular culture. And for this, GV and other cultural influencers, ones using quilts for a variety of creative reasons at the time, deserve some credit. 

Larger thanks, however, will remain on reserve for whomever or whatever sees quilts formally accepted as art writ large, as a reflective medium for expression, as reflective as painting, photography, sculpture, even music.

In the meantime my friends, I (just like you) will go on loving quilts every time I see their influence anywhere. And as far as the recycled denim pillows I just finished are concerned (and the matching curtains in production to boot) I suppose I have the-one-and-only Gloria Vanderbilt to thank, for giving me the courage to go whole-hog. 

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Footnote: For further context on quilt exhibition practices prior to the exhibit, Abstract Design in American Art, see the International Quilt Study Center's World Quilts: The American Story. I would also like to make reference to Janneken Smucker's book, Amish Quilts: Crafting an American Icon, who remarks on the Whitney's exhibition history and GV's patchwork inspiration for "Cooper's Bedroom."

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Happy New Year! And thanks for visiting BLOCK!

Mother's Dream Quilt Project

Gun Violence in America: Mom’s Demand Action, originally published on December 13th @ quiltblock.tumblr.com.

Quilts as a metaphor for justice, and as a conduit for garnering empathy around a cause, continues: 

And when is it demonstrably obvious that empathy is what’s lacking? When a country like our can't pass responsible gun legislation because it puts the wants of the few above the safety and justice of others. And the organization Mom's Demand Action isn't standing for it anymore. 

One of the organization’s many efforts putting a stop to gun violence in America includes the Mother's Dream Quilt Project, which brings together survivors and loved-ones who have experienced it first hand to create deeply personal testimonies in the form of pieced blocks. Bee's are taking place in states across the country, and the completed quilts are being used to leverage the organization's larger policy-shaping efforts at specific venues. 

So much of today’s quilt activism can break your heart; how often the metaphors of the medium are called upon to bring voice to the unconscionable. But this must go on - we must continue piecing the world together through peace and justice. We must bind together what the irresponsible, the ignorant, the greedy, and narcissistic, would otherwise tear open without a second thought for what is right, moral, justice, and kind.

I made a financial contribution to Mom’s Demand Action today. I hope you will consider doing the same, and participate in the quilt project should you or a loved one be a survivor of gun violence.