Goodreads Book Giveaway
Franklin Roosevelt's Postage Stamp Quilt
by Kyra E. Hicks
Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Have you read Sew On For You - a quilter's newsletter
Apply for a Quilt Research Grant from the AQSG
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| AQSG Office in Nebraska |
I've been a member of AQSG for over a decade now. This is one of the few organizations that does sponsor quilt-related research. So - if you've wanted to research and document quilts, quilters, quilt guides, quilt trends, etc - here's your opportunity to apply for a grant for up to $2,500.
Here is an opportunity for a quilter, a guild, an undergraduate or graduate student to secure funding for a project. Enjoy!
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Quilt Me Into Memory by Sherrie Theriault
You can read an interview about Sherrie's inspiration for this particular book on the Publish Your Own Quilt Catalog blog. Enjoy!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pinterest - African American Quilt Books & Catalogs
Have you or your guild published an exhibit catalog? I'd LOVE to include it in this board. There is some fantastic work - have a look: http://pinterest.com/kyrahicks/african-american-quilt-books/
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Edna Patterson-Petty Publishes her own Quilt Catalog!
Saturday, June 02, 2012
John Jasper Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt Unveiled in Richmond, VA
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| John Jasper Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt - Richmond, VA |
I recently had a delightful conversation with Mr. Benjamin Ross, Church Historian at the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church.
For those who may be unfamiliar with Rev. John Jasper, he was one of the most well-known African-American preachers of the nineteenth-century, saving and baptizing many at camp meetings. He organized the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in 1867 and served there for 34 years.
Mr. Ross, can you tell us about this quilt?
BR: The John Jasper Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt was created to celebrate the 200th birthday of Reverend John Jasper (1812-1901), our founding pastor. The center panel offers Reverend Jasper himself, with the Bible in one corner and the state of Virginia in the other corner. Jasper traveled throughout the Commonwealth preaching to all who came to hear him.
The quilt is approximately 11 feet by 11 feet. It has eight panels of the sun rotating around the quilt. This is a symbolic gesture of Jasper's famous sermon, De Sun Do Move. There are also eight panels of stars rotating around the quilt. Each individual star represents the number of years that Jasper was a free emancipated man. The green fabric that holds the sun and stars together represents the earth, thus the full title of the sermon, De Sun Do Move, Earth Am Square.
Who stitched the quilt? How long did it take to complete the quilt?
BR: Work on the quilt began in August 2011 by members of the Victory Senior Adult Ministry, with consultation by the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, especially Mary Lauderdale. The quilters who made this quilt are: Phillip Battle, Carolyn Broderick, Nannie Johnson, Ollie Gibbs, Emma Edmonds, Christine Mears, Delores Greene, Gloria Scott, Elaine Wells, Louise Jones, and Barbara Whitaker. We purchased many of the fabrics from Quilting Adventures in Richmond, VA.
Quilting has been a part of church activities for a number of years. The Victory Club of the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church created a 45-panel quilt for our 130th Church Anniversary in 1996/1997.
Celebrating and preserving history seems very important to the church.
BR: Yes, it is. We have the John Jasper Memorial Room, available to the public, with information about the church and its rich history. Virginia Commonwealth University also has an archive of papers about the church and Rev. Jasper.
Mr. Ross, thank you and the Victory Senior Adult Ministry for sharing news of the John Jasper Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt. There's a rich history of churches stitching quilts as commemorative pieces (e.g., Third Baptist Church in Toledo, OH or Episcopal priest Pauli Murray) and we're glad to know about the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, Rev. Tyrone E. Nelson, senior pastor. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Michael Cummings - 30 Years of Quilt Making
Cummings earned a BA in American Art History at Empire College. Early in his artistic career, he painted and made collages and shadow boxes. He taught himself to quilt in 1973 by studying the works of local quilters and reading how-to quilt magazines and books.
Cummings has had varied quilting experiences. Vivian Ayers-Allen was the first gallery owner to display his quilts. In 1997, he was commissioned by the House of Seagram to create a quilt for the famous Absolut Vodka ad series. He has illustrated a children's lullaby book with specially-designed quilted pieces. Hallmark Cards even featured his quilts in the Mahogany greeting card line.
I had an opportunity to ask Cummings about his quilt-making recently.
What keeps quilting as an art form interesting for you?
MC: I have been quilting over 30 years. I love creating stories or narrative quilts. Working with fabrics to construct my art quilts is an exciting adventure. Fabrics allow me to surround myself with colors, prints and textures that constantly are energizing my creative process.
Tell us about your quilt in the Secrets & Stories exhibit.
MC: The quilt is titled "President Barack Obama." After President Obama won the election, I felt that a quilt celebrating his election, [that] historical moment and providing an African American prospective was required. I wanted to address the racial issue and the fact that he is from an interracial marriage. Black and white are dominate colors in the quilt and symbolize Black and white America. I also divided his image into those two colors. I used another fabric with printed images of New York City scenes from the 1930s representing an urban environment, where he once lived. I wanted him to be surrounded by proactive civil rights activists that made history themselves and helped to enable him to be elected. I chose quotes that are hand-painted onto the surface of the quilt. These quotes are by James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Langston Hughes and President Obama's favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. These quotes hopefully provide viewers with some background related to struggles and pains that came before and still remain in a racially divided America.
There are 21.3 million US quilters, according to the latest Quilting in America industry survey. Ninety-nine percent of "dedicated quilters," those who spent more than $600 per year on quilting, are women. Dedicated quilters are 6.2% of all US quilters. Quick math indicates there are about 13,200 dedicated male quilters. I can visualize the art quilts by Joe Cunningham, Edward Bostick, Raymond K. Houston, Michael James and John Sims.
What advice would you give to a young boy or young man who is interested in textile arts?
MC: As a male quilter, I have found that people are inquisitive about why and how I started making art/quilts. You need both creative skills and business skills, if you plan to sell your work. Business skills include marketing, promotion, bookkeeping and computer skills. You have to believe in yourself. Know that you are part of an ancient tradition in the global family of men and boys, working to create both functional and decorative items.
Thank you, Michael. The "Secrets & Stories" exhibit is on display at the Visions Art Museum in San Diego until July 22, 2012. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
International Black Doll Show & Sale May 26 in Philly
Special thanks to the (very cool!) Black Doll Collecting blog for correcting me on the location of the show - which will be at the PA Convention Center.
California quilter Sandra Johnson's First Quilt Show
Orange County, California Sistah Quilter Sandra Johnson was featured in her FIRST quilt exhibit in February 2011 at Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana, CA. Her quilts in this show were inspired by the Gee's Bend quilters. Sandra, thank you for posting this YouTube video. We eagerly await your future quilt exhibits! Enjoy!
Gifted: Art Quilts Featuring African American History Makers
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Women of Color Quilters Guild in Dayton, OH Stitch Harriet Powers' Lost Lord's Supper Quilt
There are times when I am just speechless and extremely humbled.
As you may know, I've been researching Georgia quilter Harriet Powers for the last few years and wrote a book about how her two known Bible-themed quilts survived more than a century to be housed today at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Smithsonian American History Museum. In the course of my research, a copy of an 1895/86 letter by Mrs. Powers was uncovered in Keokuk, Iowa. Mrs. Powers wrote that in 1882 she "... composed a quilt of the Lord's Supper from the New Testament." For reasons outlined in the book, I believe in the possibility that a quilt by Mrs. Powers could have been sold to a woman in Keokuk - and that, if true - that quilt may have been sold at an 1959 auction in Keokuk.
Last year I couldn't shake this thought that a quilt by Mrs. Powers might still be somewhere in a family's collection. To help get the feeling out, I designed what I thought Mrs. Powers' lost Lord's Supper quilt might look like. Elyse Whittake-Paek took my funny stick-figure sketches and drew proper quilt blocks. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi then took the quilt blocks and made the quilt now on the book cover.
Mrs. Harriet Powers' spirit was indeed in the project! Recently Dr. Mazloomi shared the photos below of quilts lovingly stitched by members of the Women of Color Quilters Network, Dayton, Ohio chapter. These sistah quilters are Christians and know well the Bible stories in the Lord's Supper Quilt. I LOVE how they took the patterns and made the designs their own! Don't you agree? Look at how unique each interpretation is! Congratulations, ladies!
As you may know, I've been researching Georgia quilter Harriet Powers for the last few years and wrote a book about how her two known Bible-themed quilts survived more than a century to be housed today at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Smithsonian American History Museum. In the course of my research, a copy of an 1895/86 letter by Mrs. Powers was uncovered in Keokuk, Iowa. Mrs. Powers wrote that in 1882 she "... composed a quilt of the Lord's Supper from the New Testament." For reasons outlined in the book, I believe in the possibility that a quilt by Mrs. Powers could have been sold to a woman in Keokuk - and that, if true - that quilt may have been sold at an 1959 auction in Keokuk.
Last year I couldn't shake this thought that a quilt by Mrs. Powers might still be somewhere in a family's collection. To help get the feeling out, I designed what I thought Mrs. Powers' lost Lord's Supper quilt might look like. Elyse Whittake-Paek took my funny stick-figure sketches and drew proper quilt blocks. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi then took the quilt blocks and made the quilt now on the book cover.
Mrs. Harriet Powers' spirit was indeed in the project! Recently Dr. Mazloomi shared the photos below of quilts lovingly stitched by members of the Women of Color Quilters Network, Dayton, Ohio chapter. These sistah quilters are Christians and know well the Bible stories in the Lord's Supper Quilt. I LOVE how they took the patterns and made the designs their own! Don't you agree? Look at how unique each interpretation is! Congratulations, ladies!
Thelma Patterson stands behind her quilt!
This quilt above was made by Verita Robinson!
This quilt above was made by Barbara Dammons!
Happy Mother's Day to the WOCQN - Dayton, Ohio! Enjoy!
Limited Time - Free Kindle Yo-Yo Flags Quilt pattern eBooklet
For a limited time only - you can download this free YoYo Flag Quilt Pattern by Mary Lou Danielson.
Note: Though free at the time of posting, prices may change at any time. Please
verify that the “Kindle Price” is $0.00.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Secrets & Stories exhibit at the Visions Art Museum in San Diego
P.S. This quilt in photo is by Weneanne Ke'aka Stitt and is titled "Birdland".
Senior Crafters Earn Online
Thanks to the article "Seniors Get Crafty for Online Fun and Profit" by Rebecca Rivas, we get to meet seniors like Ioni Dodson, who in retirement, is combining ecommerce and her crafts to showcase her work on etsy.com. Also featured in the article is Dabanga dos Santos, another sister crafter who is sharing her work online. Enjoy!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria - Free Kindle Copy
Note: Though free at the time of posting, prices may change at any time. Please
verify that the “Kindle Price” is $0.00. If you see a price for “Prime Members”
or “read for free,” then the book is NOT
free any longer.
Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or you can
download a Kindle Reading App for free for your computer or smartphone! Enjoy!
Update: Thank you! I appreciate all who may have participated. I was overwhelmed with the several thousand downloads of Martha Ann's story! Thank you!
Update: Thank you! I appreciate all who may have participated. I was overwhelmed with the several thousand downloads of Martha Ann's story! Thank you!
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Free Bonus Quilt Block - The Lord's Supper Pattern Book
In celebration of Spring, here is a link to a free, bonus quilt block - The Angel protects Daniel in the Lion's Den. This block is in the design style of Georgia quilter Harriet Powers. One can use this block to make a pillow to go with the quilt I designed in "The Lord's Supper Pattern Book." Or, I suppose a Sunday School class could also use this block for coloring (smile)!
Don't you think illustrator Elyse Whittaker-Paek did a wonderful job capturing Mrs. Powers' style? Hope you enjoy the pattern. Happy Spring!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Be a Quilter + Author by Publishing Your Own Quilt Catalog
So excited! I've been working on a new quilt project.How would you like to be a quilter/artist + author this year?! If you know how to use Microsoft Word, have Internet access, and at least a dozen digital images of your quilts or other textile art, YOU CAN make your own quilt catalog! And, if you are a cloth doll maker, a mixed media artist, a quilted postcard maker and more - you are welcome to participate as well. If your guild is hosting an exhibit, the steps here can also show you how to easily create a catalog of your guild exhibit!
I will host a series of blog posts showing step-by-step how you can create your own 24-page, full-color catalog - and have it for sale on Amazon.com.
Take a moment to visit the PublishYourQuilts blog and sign up there for emails of each post. The series will start on Monday, March 26. Is this something you might be interested in? What would you want to be sure to learn? Leave a comment here so that I can be sure to include in the series of posts! Enjoy!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Nike's Black History Month - limited edition shoes - Does LeBron quilt?
Nike is celebrating Black History Month with an international flare. They are focusing on three different, emotional moments for players of color from the USA, Brazil, and Kenya. For the US side, the moment is the Women's Basketball team won gold at the 1996 Olympics.Nike has also issued a limited edition set of Black History shoes. Yeah, I know this is a quilt history blog. But, check out the LeBron 9 BHM shoes. What a fabulous kente cloth inspiration. It reminds me of the 1998 landmark exhibit "Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity" Have a look here at the Nike Insight site to see the other shoes in the Black History 2012 collection - they also have a quilt-theme going on.
Quilters on the court!? Football great Rosey Grier did needlepoint. Do you think that LeBron quilts? What kind of quilts would LeBron stitch? Traditional, story? hand or machine? What say you!? Enjoy!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Lynch Quilt Project with LaShawnda Crowe Storm
Are you familiar with The Lynch Quilt Project? This community quilt project is lead by artist LaShawnda Crowe Storm of Indianapolis, IN. (Her 2004 quilt in the photo here is title "Her Name Was Laura Nelson.")The Lynch Quilts Project is a community-based effort meant to explore the history of lynching and consequences of racial violence. You don't have to be in Indianapolis to participate - visit TheLynchQuiltProject.com website to learn how you can take part. Specifically - LaShawnda tells me they are looking for volunteers to finish the last 100 blocks (out of 440!) for one of the pieces for the Quilt IV segment.
You can read the December 2011 Indianapolis Recorder article about the project by clicking here.
Lynchings as a theme in quiltmaking is not new. Click here to see April Shipp's "Strange Fruit Quilt" or Gwen Magee's Southern Heritage; Southern Shame quilt.
Black Moses Barbie video
Guess I was influenced by the lynching quilts .... here is a thought-provoking video part of Pierre Bennu's "larger series of paintings and films deconstructing and re-envisioning images of people of color in commercial & pop culture." And, if you are looking for a connection between Barbie and quilts .
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Kwanzaa Harambee Fabric from Kweli
It's that time of year! Innovative holiday fabrics from Kweli - this print is Kwanzaa Harambee and is available on Spoonflower.com. Enjoy!
Meet Lori Greene Mosaic Artist
WOW - was visiting other blogs and came across Lori Greene, a mosaic artist in St. Paul's, MN. Lori is also a 2010 Bush Artist Fellow. Here is one of her pieces. Do take a moment to visit her blog at http://greenemosaic.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 04, 2011
StorybookQuilts.org creates a new Coffee Tree Quilt
What a wonderful surprise I recently received! The quilers at StorybookQuilts.org take children's books with quilting themes and make actual quilts to share during story time at local schools. Students get to read the actual book and see the quilt. Here is the quilt inspired by Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria. Take a moment to visit the site and two dozen plus story quilts there! Enjoy!
Thursday, September 01, 2011
From July 21 to September 18, 2011, the quilt "Douglass' Kansas Color Light Artillery Battery (Union) Soldiers" quilt will be on display at the Spencer Museum of Art. This quilt is a collaboration between Sistah Kansas quilter Marla Jackson and ninth-graders from Michel Loomis' English class at Central Junior High in Lawrence, Kansas. According to the museum's press release, the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, depicted in the quilt, was the first black regiment to service with American Indian and white troops. Way to go kids! Enjoy!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Laverne Brackens, Texas Quilter is an Award Recipient!
Congratulations to Laverne Bracken of Fairfield, Texas for receiving one of nine 2011 National Endowments for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships for her quilting. You can see more of Mrs. Bracken's quilt at the Quilts and Stories by Sherry Ann blog. You can click here to read about seven other African American quilters who have been Fellowship recipients in the past. Enjoy!
AAQOC Quilts at the Lakeview Library in Oakland, CA
This is the last week that 29 small quilts from the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland are on exhibit at the Lakeview Library, 550 El Embarcadero, in Oakland, California. This is the 8th year the guild has participated in displays at this library. The exhibit is open to the public from Aug 3 - 31, 2011. Enjoy!
Monday, August 22, 2011
“African American Quilters of Los Angeles: A Tradition of Pride” - opens Sept 7, 2011
If you are going to be in the Los Angeles area, “Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity,” an exhibition at the California State University, Dominguez Hills University Art Gallery opens Sept. 7. This exhibit will explore the art of making kente, its symbolism in the cultures of Africa, and its expression of identity in African American communities.
Concurrently, at the University Art Gallery will be the exhibit “African American Quilters of Los Angeles: A Tradition of Pride” curated by African American Quilters of Los Angeles (AAQLA) vice president Estelle Hamilton and the University Art Gallery, and will feature 30 quilts, including those by Ree Adams, Anne Bastiste, Olga Chachere, Linda Country, Linda Gardner, Ernestine Hadley, Estelle Hamilton, Lou Holland Jones, Debra Knox, Sharon Mathews, Judith Nash, Emma Quinn, Elvis Smith, Toni Terrell-Randolph, and Audrey Williams. An anniversary shout-out to AAQLA, which is celebrating 25 glorious, stitching years in 2011! Both exhibits run through October 18, 2011.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Chris Clark, Alabama Quilter 1958 - 2011
My prayers are to the family of Chris Clark, a popular Alabama quilter and folk artist, who passed away Tuesday from diabetes. I first became acquainted with Chris' distinctive painted quilts when I was researching Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook. I was able to speak with him on the phone and hear him share how he first got started quilting. He also let me know one of his quilts was used for a musical CD cover, Laser's Edge American Sampler (1999). I was able to see one of Chris' quilts in person at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. WOW - what he could do with a nine-patch block and paint! You can see more of his quilts at:
According to the Birmingham News, Chris is survived by his wife Deborah Clark; his daughter, Tameika Clark; his mother, Kathleen Clark; and father, Ocie Clark Sr. You can leave a note to his family on Chris' memorial page on Legacy.com. (The photo of Chris here is from the Birmingham News article. Blessings.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Vlisco African Prints - Fashion Catalog July 2011
Just saw the new Vlisco ad campaign on their website. There is video of the runway show! And, if you click here, a copy of the catalog with fashion photos like the two here. Can you see a quilt made from these fabrics!? Enjoy!
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