Mahalo!

The last day of the exhibition "Kalakoa, Discovering the Hawaiian Scrap Quilt" at Latimer Quilt & Textile Center was March 5th, and I wanted to take the time to say thank you. Mahalo!

Thank you first and foremost to the Board of the Friends of Latimer Quilt & Textile Center and President Carol Weber, the Center's staff, the members, and everyone who attended.

Thank you to everyone who assisted in the research. Thank you to the American Quilt Study Group and Blanket Statements newsletter Editor Jill Wilson for publishing my research. Thank you, Generation Q Magazine for publishing the story behind the research.

Thank you to the sellers who were graciously willing to part with these wonderful treasures, especially to the seller in Pahoa whose description of the item led me down the rabbit hole.

Thank you to friends and family, especially the ones who kept it a secret for so long; and to everyone who was willing to listen to the crazy idea that there was another distinct tradition of quilts in Hawaii. Very special thanks to my friends in and from Hawaii, and those who spent time there, who generously shared their stories.

If I missed anyone, thank you, too! It was a delightful, fun, exciting experience and I hope the first of many exhibitions of these quilts. Recently I received a box of vintage Hawaiian scraps. After all this talk about Hawaiian scrap quilts, it's really nice to have the scraps. Most were cut with pinking shears, and the shapes are so odd. Just like I've been saying...the oddly shaped cutaways from garment making influenced the improvisational style in American and Hawaiian quiltmaking.

Opening Reception Tonight

The opening reception for “Textiles: Contemporary American Quiltmaking” is tonight, from 5pm to 9pm EST, hosted by Gallery EOSS at the Watermark Gallery. This gorgeous show features ten award-winning artists whose elegant and offbeat contemporary quilts successfully jump from the beds to the walls. 

Featured artists are: Melissa Averinos of West Barnstable, Massachusetts; Teresa Coates of Portland, Oregon; Lynn Harris of Chelsea, Michigan; Mandy Leins of Saratoga Springs, New York; Tricia Royal of Chicago; Maria Shell of Anchorage, Alaska; Denyse Schmidt of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Gail Weiss of Portland, Oregon; Victoria Findlay Wolfe of New York City; and Sherri Lynn Wood of Oakland, California.

"LITE BRITE" by Maria Shell, Anchorage, Alaska

Originally I was hoping to be there in person, but I was not able to make it. So, I will send my greetings from the West Coast and wish everyone a happy Friday evening in Rhode Island. It's a beautiful show, and I think you'll enjoy it. 

"Green Cross Series #4" by Gail Weiss (#3 is part of the show)

“Textiles: Contemporary American Quiltmaking” will be on display from March 18th to April 10th, 2016, hosted by Gallery EOSS at the Watermark Gallery at 250 Taunton Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island. Many thanks to Peter Cameron of Watermark Gallery for opening up his beautiful space for our show. For more information, please contact Mark Goodkin, Gallery EOSS, phone: 718-501-4155; e-mail: mark_goodkin@yahoo.com. 

Textiles: Contemporary American Quiltmaking

"Fruit Salad" by Maria Shell, Anchorage, Alaska

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Goodkin, Gallery Owner Phone: 718-501-4155
e-mail: mark_goodkin@yahoo.com

Gallery EOSS / Watermark Gallery Featuring Contemporary Quilts
East Providence, RI— Most people recognize a quilt when they see one, but a new wave of contemporary quiltmakers is making a huge splash, and their work looks nothing like your grandmother’s patchwork quilts. Modern quilting, a new branch of American quiltmaking, represents the latest evolution in the nation’s longest unbroken tradition of women’s creative expression.

"Red" by Teresa Coates, Portland, Oregon

Gallery EOSS will host an exhibition at the Watermark Gallery, “Textiles: Contemporary American Quiltmaking” featuring ten award-winning artists whose elegant and offbeat contemporary quilts successfully jump from the beds to the walls. The exhibition will be guest curated by Bill Volckening, a longtime quilt collector and author in Portland, Oregon who attended Rhode Island School of Design in the 1980s.

Featured artists will be: Melissa Averinos of West Barnstable, Massachusetts; Teresa Coates of Portland, Oregon; Lynn Harris of Chelsea, Michigan; Mandy Leins of Saratoga Springs, New York; Tricia Royal of Chicago; Maria Shell of Anchorage, Alaska; Denyse Schmidt of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Gail Weiss of Portland, Oregon; Victoria Findlay Wolfe of New York City; and Sherri Lynn Wood of Oakland, California.

"Centerline" by Denise Schmidt, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Denyse Schmidt, whose appearance on the Martha Stewart Show helped fuel the Modern Quilting movement, studied graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design. Schmidt, Melissa Averinos Lynn Harris, Mandy Leins, Victoria Findlay Wolfe and Sherri Lynn Wood have all penned bestselling books. They are among the biggest stars in the world of contemporary American quiltmaking, and they approach quiltmaking as fine art.

"Big Box Stars" by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, New York, New York

“Textiles: Contemporary American Quiltmaking” will be on display from March 18th to April 10th, 2016, hosted by Gallery EOSS at the Watermark Gallery. A reception will be held March 18th, 5pm to 9pm. For more information, please contact Mark Goodkin, Gallery EOSS, phone: 718-501-4155; e-mail: mark_goodkin@yahoo.com. 

Wordless Wednesday: Polyester Love

Big Heart

Penny Barnes has a big heart. Recently she showed it, sending this gorgeous heart quilt made of very fine, soft flannels. Penny is a quiltmaker and long-arm quilter who lives in Iowa, and we are friends through Facebook. Some day I hope to meet her in person. 

A little over six months ago, Penny lost her husband, Don. It was a heart event, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. He was 62. 

Quiltmakers rally around their own in difficult times. It's just what quiltmakers do. A Facebook group of friends from around the globe made heart quilt blocks, and Teri Lucas assembled the blocks into a quilt for Penny. My block was a drawing, partly unfinished to represent an incomplete love story.

Approaching the six-month anniversary of Don's death, my heart attack was an upsetting reminder to Penny. So, she did what a quiltmaker would do; she pulled out some extra special flannels she'd been saving for just the right occasion, and sat down at the sewing machine.

Six days after she heard the news about my untimely visit to the hospital, there was a package from Penny at my door. I was amazed when I opened it.

There was a lovely personal inscription on the label. In addition to that, Penny said the quilt was a reminder to take care of our hearts, physically, mentally and spiritually. It was also a reminder that beautiful things can come from a heart that is hurting. The days she spent working on the quilt were difficult, but she got through them by focusing on creating. Thank you, Penny, from the bottom of my heart!

This very special 'Big Heart' quilt will be on display this weekend only, Friday and Saturday at the 22nd Annual Airing of the Quilts, to start the spring show season here in the Portland metro area. For information about the 22nd Annual Airing of the Quilts, click here. 

zine-O-rama

I love working with magazines. In the last few months, I appeared in Quilters Newsletter, Quiltmania, American Quilter, Simply Moderne, Generation Q, QuiltCon Magazine and Pratique du Patchwork, mostly with features I'd written before Thanksgiving.

I keep track of press on my Facebook collection page. There is a photo album called "press, etc." where you will find close to 100 photos of press items related to my quilt activities. I get requests from editors and publishers, and when responding, I try to offer something fresh each time. It is useful to look back at older press. I find it helps me avoid being repetitive.

my article about Hawaiian Scrap Quilts in Generation Q Magazine

The latest article is in Generation Q Magazine, which should be hitting the newsstands and mailboxes any day now. "Kalakoa! The Wild Child of Hawaiian Quilting has Royal Roots" is about the Hawaiian scrap quilts. It is not my first article on the subject. 

Blanket Statements, American Quilt Study Group

Earlier this year I published an academic research article about these quilts in Blanket Statements, newsletter of the American Quilt Study Group. The new article in Generation Q is more personal and anecdotal, and tells the story about how I discovered the tradition. 

Generation Q Magazine

Looking ahead, there will be many other publications, and a book coming out in May. As the publications arrive, I will do my best to post them. It helps me track of what I've done, a good reminder to keep it fresh.

polyester top from Nyima

This wonderful, string-pieced polyester quilt top was one of two vintage tops gifted to me last year by Nyima Lhamo, aka Andrea Balosky. Nyima is still living in Mungpoo, Darjeeling, India. Our friend Carolyn Platt sent them from Camp Sherman, where Nyima had them in storage.

There wasn't time to take photos right away, but I took a few snapshots. My friend Gloria admired one of the fabrics in the other top when I posted the pictures, so I sent it to her and held on to the polyester top. Eventually I sent a belated thank you to Nyima, but hadn't had a chance to take photos until this week.

The back was so interesting, I had to photograph it just like the front, with full view and detail photos.

My recent articles about improvisational quiltmaking and Hawaiian scrap quilts talk about the connection between garment making and patchwork. The foundation string-pieced block is part of that discussion. String piecing and crazy piecing both involved piecing on cloth foundation.

It took a lot of scraps to make this top, and the fabrics are really great. The one I love the most is yellow with psychedelic pooches and flowers. What a riot!

The foundation fabric is also very interesting. Scraps were used in the top and in the foundation.

Each block is six inches square, and the top is approximately 75 inches by 89 inches, maybe a bit smaller when accounting for stretching.

I can see why Nyima liked this top. The fabrics are so interesting, and the blocks are so simple but they create such a complex design. Of course, the polyester fabrics are vibrant as the day they were made.

Made in Vermont

This sensational "New York Beauty" quilt was made in Vermont by a talented gentleman named Jim Brown. I found it on Etsy a few weeks ago, and had to add it to the collection because I will be having two exhibitions this year and wanted to add a couple new quilts to the mix. The quilt is large, 96" square. According to Jim, it is a variation of a pattern seen in American Patchwork and Quilting.

Jim thought this pattern would look stunning in a Red, Black, and White combination. Points are paper pieced. Cotton fabrics, Warm & Natural Cotton Batting. Machine quilted by Tessa Atwood of Hummingbird Hill Quilting. This quilt won a 3rd place People’s Choice Ribbon and a Vendor’s Choice Ribbon at the 2014 Bennington Quiltfest held in Bennington, VT. Jim was very kind to send more information, which I will keep on file, and you can also learn more by visiting his Etsy shop. 

little cutie

This little cutie is about 13 inches square. I found it at the Portland Antiques Expo Sunday. You don't see doll quilts every day, and sometimes they are not exactly what they appear to be. Most of the time, you can tell if it's right; the scale, the materials and finishing.

I washed the quilt as soon as I got home, and it was probably the first time I'd wet-washed a quilt without having to fold or bunch it up. A lot of the yellowing came out. It's still not perfect, but brightened up a lot, and there didn't appear to be any color loss beyond what was already evident.

The patchwork is small scale, what you would expect to see in a doll quilt. It looks like it was all done by one hand at one time, with matching binding and backing fabrics. The prints well aligned directionally, and the details suggest all original work rather than showing any repair or repurposing. Circa date is 1910. At the Expo, I also found a 1970s polyester crib quilt and will share that one as soon as I get photos. I got to this one first because it's something you don't see every day.

Tom Korn in Quilters Newsletter Magazine

Another article has arrived, and this one is a feature about Tom Korn in Quilters Newsletter Magazine. It is in the April/May 2016 issue, not yet on the newsstands, but heads-up, it's coming soon.

You may have noticed a lot of articles coming from me lately. Don't worry, I'm not working too hard. Most of them were written before Thanksgiving. They are just coming out now, one by one. I think there were 8 articles total. The Quilters Newsletter article about Tom Korn is a favorite. I write about my own collection often, so it is very nice to have an opportunity to write about someone else, particularly someone I admire so much.

Tom makes remarkable ribbon quilts; large scale replicas of military pins. The first time I saw one of his quilts, I was totally blown away. It's been wonderful getting to know Tom, and what an honor to write about him for Quilters Newsletter, the mother of all quilting magazines. Congratultions to Tom, and may he enjoy continued success. To check out all the latest news, magazines, videos and web extras from Quilters Newsletter, click here.