3 Questions with Deborah Grayson

....................Quilter and dollmaker Deborah Grayson just launched a blog - Urban Wild Flower Dolls. I asked her recently to share a few thoughts on her creations in a 3 Question Interview.

1. Do you see yourself more as a quilter or a dollmaker?

That's like asking me do I consider myself Black or female first LOL. I am both a dollmaker and a quilter simultaneously all of the time and I LOVE IT! Making the dolls influences my quiltmaking and vice versa.

2. You give quilting and dollmaking workshops, what do you enjoy about teaching?

I just love sharing what I know. I enjoy working with other sisters who have a love of quilting and dollmaking. The best way to keep the tradition alive is to document the way that you and Dr. Mazloomi do and to teach.

3. Are you still involved with writing about quilting? Tell us about your blog.

Yes, I am still involved in writing about quilting. I am currently making revisions on an article, Who Can Speak for Others: Race and Place in Debates about Hidden in Plain View, for the Journal of Western Folklore. It's an extended version of a paper I gave two years ago at the American Folklore Society. The essay discusses who has the right to construct and control narratives about quilts and quilting traditions among African Americans, and related to that who is allowed to determine what is authentic and true about the work. There's more to it but that's the gist of it.

My blog, In the Studio with UrbanWildFlowerDolls is what I call my production blog. It is one way I share what I am making in my studio. The blog is also a way for collectors of my dolls and quilts to see what goes on behind the scenes in my work. I am very interested in documenting the process of creativity. There is not a whole lot of written documentation out there about the creative thoughts and processes of African American women artists.

Thank you for the opportunity to let me talk about dolls and quilts! Peace (piece!), Deborah

You can visit Deborah's blog at: www.urbanwildflowerdolls.wordpress.com Enjoy!