Michael Cummings - Satin Doll

One of the VERY first story quilts I ever saw was Michael Cummings' "Grandma's Porch" years, and years ago at the California African American Museum. This queen-size quilt showed his grandmother waving from her front porch. You could even see a Spirit peeking out the screened front door. And, there was a chicken on the roof. I so wanted to touch the quilt and wave back to Grandma. Michael made the cloth rock!

I acted a complete fool when finally meeting Michael in person when he came to speak to the creative staff at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. I got to speak to him. It was like meeting a rock star! There was a display in the corporate waiting area of Michael's quilts AND collage paintings. I studied those pieces over and over during the course of the exhibit. What imagination he has.

I learned from Michael the power of creating quilt series. Do get a chance to visit his new website at www.MichaelCummings.com.
The quilt image here today is one of Michael's quilts - Satin Doll. 85" x 85". Fabrics include cottons, satin, silk, rayon, textile paint, photo transfer and African prints...machine sewn and constructed using the applique method. I love his homage to his favorite female jazz singers and great Harlem jazz clubs of old, see the names in the borders?

Michael - Happy Birthday!

Martha Ann's Quilt is HERE!

Taking a moment for a personal shout-out .... my new children's picture book, Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria, is HERE! Visit my website to order an autographed, FIRST EDITION copy. I hope you enjoy this true story of a 19th century quilter. By the way, did you know there's only TWO children's books about ANY African American quilter.... this one and Mary Lyon's book on Harriet Powers. Enjoy!

Beginner's Quilt by Geoffrey Philp

Recently I stumbled onto the poetry of Miami, FL poet, Geoffrey Philp and was heartwarmed by his Thanksgiving offering. Geoffrey has published Twelve Poems and A Story for Christmas, and the thriller, Benjamin, My Son. You know me, I had to ask if he'd composed any poems about quilting, quilts or quiltmakers. He had not. Then, to my utter surprise, a second email arrived hours later .... the poem below, composed yesterday about his mother and uncle. Thank you for sharing your words with us Geoffrey!

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Beginner's Quilt by Geoffrey Philp
(for Kyra)

When my mother began this quilt,
she started with the Roman Stripe,
the simplest pattern, so she could learn
to embroider even the most difficult fabrics:
my grandmother's torn comforter,
a shirt she starched and ironed over coals
for her brother's interview in Bethel Town
before he drowned, pieces
that had been abandoned
on the scrapheap, behind the dumpster,
the ones no one wanted
and weren't from the same color family,
for she could only see shades of light,
medium, and dark which she measured,
folded, and stitched into her tapestry of love.

Gee's Bend Quilts - mini earrings

This weekend I visited a local Book Art Fair - wonderful limited editions and one-of-a-kind books. One item for sale were miniature Gee's Bend Quilt books as earrings! The mini book cover, about the size of a nickel, opens and include text inside. There are ten different quilt designs. The covers of each pair will show two different quilt designs. Unfortunately, one can't order specific patterns. The earrings retail for $25 (postpaid by check or money order) from Shoestring Press, 3 Monte Vista Road, Orinda, CA 94563.

Quilting in America 2006

The quilt industry survey, Quilting in America 2006, has released topline results.

• Total quilters in the US now exceed 27 million! Up from 21.3 million in 2003.
• Total quilt industry spend.... $3.3 billion!
• The average "Dedicated Quilter," who spends over $600 per year on quilting-related purchases, represents 4.7% of all quilters... AND... account for 88% of total quilting expenditures!
• She, the average Dedicated Quilter, is about 59 years old, well educated (72% attended college), has quilted for 13.5 years, and spends $2,304 annually on quilting.
• She owns 2.6 sewing machines. Now, I thought this was silly until I stumbled over my second sewing machine on the way to the kitchen.
• She also purchased an average of 98.7 YARDS of fabric at a cost of $816.60 in the last 12 months. I'm sure that the THREE BOLTS of Nelson Mandela fabrics I purchased this summer DOES NOT count because I shared the yards with others!

Do these statistics represent you?

Dorothy Holden - Quilter

The Alliance for American Quilts has been documenting, preserving, and sharing our US quilt heritage since 1993. One fascinating project is Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories, an oral history project. One 2006 interview by Le Rowell is with award-winning sistah quilter, Dorothy Holden. If you have a moment, read the interview and learn about Dorothy's work with teaching children to quilt and of her joy in quilting!

Apron Chronicles

Did you see CBS Sunday Morning today for the feature on EllynAnne Geisel, who has a book and exhibit on aprons? I have a COLLECTION of aprons started when I lived in Kansas City, filled out from eBay, none over $15. I still look for those with positive African American images. Do you have an apron collection?

Ethel White - Quilter, Solo Show

Wisconsin quilter, Ethel White, is featured at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fabric Arts in a solo exhibit titled, "The Village Connection: Quilts by Ethel White," until December 31. (Photo includes both Mrs. White and Kay Walters, museum president)

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profiles Ethel White, who started quilting three years ago after visiting "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" show at a local museum. She has created about 35 quilts to date! Before quilting, Mrs. White owned Ethel Mondays, a tailoring shop where she stitched clothing, coats, choir robes, wedding dresses, and hats.

Congratulations to Ethel White!

Harlem Toile de Jouy

Did you catch the Post article about Designer Sheila Bridges, interior designer for President Bill Clinton's NY offices, and the introduction of her Harlem Toile de Jouy sheets and wallpaper?

I wish there were bolts of the Harlem Toile de Jouy designs available as just cotton fabrics .... suitably appropriate for quilting!

What do you think of this toile design? Would you like to see more? Would you quilt with it? Do share with us!

USAToday - 10 Great Places for Quilts

Ayesha Court writes today in USA Today of 10 Great Places to be Enveloped by Quilts. Read where you can see notable African American-made quilts in museum collections nationally: Birmingham Museum of Art, Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, MS, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta (photo is of quilt by Philly's Lorraine Mahan for the President), the Guggenheim Museum in NY and more!

Freedom Quilt - Vote Today!

It's Election Day - and what better quilt demonstrates our right to vote then Jessie B. Telfair's "Freedom Quilt" (photo from the American Folk Art Museum, NY). Telfair (1913 - 1986) of Parrott, Georgia stitched this and other 42 block freedom quilts in the mid-1970s through 1980s. She did so to capture in cloth her feelings about losing her job after she tried to register to vote.

Grad Student looks for FL Quilters

Qadira Michele Davidson, a quilter since 1991 and painter, contacted me recently. She's a graduate student at Florida State University, Department of Art Education. She's "conducting a research study to find out more about contemporary African American quilt making in Florida and from the results draw implications for theory and practice in art education at the K-12 level."

If you are a Florida quilter and would like to share your experiences with Qadira, feel free to email her at qql0682@garnet.acns.fsu.edu or take her online survey at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=273262746149 All surveys must be completed by December 1, 2006.

Edward Bostick - NY Quilter

Today I learned about the creations of Edward Bostick, a self-taught quilter from Beaufort, South Carolina, who is a member of the Quilters of Color Network of New York. Mr. Bostick's grandmother, Ollie, quilted as did a great aunt, and two aunts. His quilts have been featured in a solo show at the Brooklyn Central Library in 2005 and the Borough of Manhattan Community College in February 2006 (photo). Marvelous quilts!

My African Village - Free Pattern

Congratulations to Kansas City quilter and textile artist, Sonie Ruffin! Andover Fabrics is offering 19 prints Sonie designed - the My African Village Collection. You can download a free quilt pattern featuring Sonie's fabrics by clicking here.

Enter Your Quilt - Black Creativity 2007

Last night I received in the mail a Call for Entry application for Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry's Black Creativity 2007 juried exhibition. This event is in its 34th year! Categories for entries include ceramics, folk art, painting, drawing, photography, print, video, sculpture, and.... of course,.... textiles. Click to view the 2006 exhibit winners, including Robert Lewis Clark (photo).

Unfortunately, you'll need to act fast! The entries are due November 6. Call the museum at 773-947-4161 for an entry form. I've had a quilt to be included in a past exhibit. It really is a marvelous opportunity, and the museum does an excellent job of hanging and promoting the show - which attracts artists from across the country!

Update! Carole Lyles Shaw has received a 2007 Honorable Mention award for her mixed media collages titled "Memories and Dreams: Fragments"! Congratulations Carole!

That Black Girl Art Quilts

The 11th Annual "Storytellers in Cloth" retreat is set for this week - November 2 - 5 in Southbury, CT. I've been to one of the retreats before - warm fellowship, lots of creative energy, around 100 quilting sistahs! Kudos to Michelle Lewis and Gloria Douglas for their loving organization of the retreat each year! This year there's three days of workshops, including African masks in cloths by Sandy Bright, Flowers in the Round by Juanita Yeager, How to make designer mudcloth journal by Lisa Shepard Stewart, Continuous Cut Binding by Barbara Brown, and Photo Memory Quilt making by Lauren Austin. Lauren, who has quilted for 30 years, has the website, That Black Girl Art. Her quilts, like the "Stormy Weather" quilt here, are stunning!

Happy Halloween! Pumpkin Cheesecake

Doesn't this Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake pie look delicious? Check out this recipe from Stephanie Phillips. Happy Halloween!

Michelle Curney Willis

Michelle Curney Willis, of Stone Mountain, GA, has been stitching for a dozen years. Michelle is from a family of quilters... both her grandmothers quilted... her mom is now a quilter... and even her sons quilt! You can tell she loves the creative process. One of her creation is this quilt celebrating Spelman College. See more of Michelle's quilts at www.CurneyCrafts.com

Walter Mosely - Quilt Connection

Are you a Walter Mosely fan? I enjoy his Easy Rawlins mystery series – and hope Denzel Washington will reprise the role in a future feature movie. Well, Pat Turner, recently shared with me that Mosely’s “The Man in My Basement,” which takes place in Sag Harbor/Bridgehampton area, includes the character Narciss Gully, an African American antique dealer, who is a Ph.d and quilt scholar writing a book on black quilters. In the book, Charles Blakey is offered $50,000 to allow Anniston Bennet, a rich white man, to “rent” Blakey’s basement. The money will go a long way to helping Blakey keep his family’s home. Turner does recommend the book with some reservations; the female characters seem to follow superficial stereotypes. Fairly explicit sex scenes.

Bisa Butler - Quilts in Galleries

Bisa Butler, sistah quilter in New Jersey, has her quilts in two galleries: The Hearne Fine Arts Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas and the E & S Gallery in Louisville, KY.

"My work has always had that kind of hybrid quality because I was a painting major at Howard. I started adding fabric to my paintings because Romare Bearden did that in some of his collages. Little by little the fabric took over the canvas," Bisa shared with me recently.

"My first gallery show was at the Essex County College gallery where my father works. The opening night was so much fun, and I got such positive reinforcement and love from people who just stopped through that I realized all the years I had been hiding my work away I was really missing out on something," Bisa said.

"At that time I really didn't realize that quilters were stigmatized somehow or categorized as crafters and not as artists. I think that is prejudiced and silly. I think that the Gee's Bend show opened up the eyes of many gallery owners about the art of quilts, and of course Faith Ringgold's work. I did have one really embarrassing meeting at a gallery where the owner told me he didn't think there was a place for my type of quilt. He accepted that the qualities of the Gees Bend quilts were the African American quilt aesthetic and that my pieces were not apart of that. I also remember him saying that all sorts of people are now calling themselves "Fiber Artists" and he wasn't sure if they were really artists at all. I felt like my face was about to fall off at that point. I wanted to cry but I just accepted the criticism and was able to walk out of there with some dignity left. I knew deep down that he was wrong."

Bisa continued, "After that I went to the October Gallery in Philadelphia. They do a First Fridays event where the artists pay for wall space. If I remember it was $100 for a 10 x 10 wall space and the work can hang for the whole month until the next Friday. That event is really fantastic for new artists because all of the galleries are open and free to the public. Black, White, young, and old all come out to browse, shop, listen to music, and enjoy the snacks. Some people criticize commercial galleries like the October Gallery but they really helped me to gain my confidence to approach other galleries."

Bisa - thanks for sharing your story! To Black Threads readers - feel free to leave your comments about Bisa, and the challenges and celebrations you have in getting your quilts shown in galleries.

Cyril E. Carter, Jr Quilter & Vet

The Indianapolis Star reported yesterday that Mr. Cyril E. Carter, age 59, a Marine, Vietnam veteran, and Purple Heart award recipient, passed away last week. Mr. Carter needed a low stress hobby after learning he had a heart condition. He started to quilt and specialized in baby quilts, and even entered his quilts into the State Fair. Blessings to the Carter family.

The Traveling Quilter

Have you visited the Traveling Quilter online? Since 2000, Evelyn, who is currently based in Las Vegas, travels to quilt shows and guilds to sell fabrics, books, quilt kits, patterns and hosts workshops in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. The center quilt in this photo is from a pattern, "Tavia" by Jannie Rees, you can get from the Traveling Quilter. Happy Sewing!

Robin J. Miller - Jazz History Q

Have you met Robin J. Miller? She is a NY art teacher and mixed media artist using decorative papers. She's also the author and illustrator of the 36-page "The Jazz History Quilt" book. Best wishes on the book, Robin!

Clarice Boswell - Lizzie's Story

Dr. Clarice Boswell, author of Lizzie's Story: A Slave Family's Journey to Freedom, will present "Pre-Civil War Quilts: Their Hidden Codes to the Freedom of Slaves Through the Underground Railroad" at a lecture in Codiz, Kentucky on Monday. You can click HERE to see the various quilts Dr. Boswell uses in her lectures. You can click HERE to read details about the book, Lizzie's Story.

Sarah Mary Taylor quilts

This week I received a postcard notification of the upcoming November 4 Slotin Auction in Buford, GA. Their folkart auctions usually include a selection of African American-made quilts. Sure, enough, there's more than a dozen available, including this hand-stitched Frog Quilt by the late Mississippi quilter and dollmaker Sarah Mary Taylor (est. $500 - $800). You can see more of the distinctive Taylor style at the Gordon Gallery.

Hattie Schmidt - Ray Charles quilt

This week's Wilmington Journal features an article about Hattie Williamson Schmidt of the “First Culture African American Quilting Circle” in North Carolina. Mrs. Schmidt is shown here with her story quilt of singer Ray Charles.

300 Million & Baby Quilts

Well - today the US will hit 300 million people, according to the Census Bureau!

Think of all those baby quilters! Visit BrownToes.com for infant quilts - for about $60.

Chicago Needles & Thread Guild

Chicago's Needle and Threads Quilters Guild will hosts its 2006 quilt show, "A Harvest of Quilts," on October 21 - 22 at Fernwood Park Fieldhouse. The guild is Illinois' oldest African American quilt guild. Visit the website to see quilt postcard and quilt journal photos! Adrianne Bryant-Roberts (who stitched the block here) is the current guild president.

Wednesday Night Quilting Sisters

The Wednesday Night Quilting Sisters Ministry at Detroit's Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, is hosting their 20th Anniversary Quilt Show "Then & Now" on October 21, 2006 from 9am - 5pm. Story quilts, African masks, vendors and more! The quild was founded by the late Dr. Sarah Carolyn Reese. The current quild president is Pearl Ephraim Cook.

Huntington Museum of Art

Opening today at the Huntington Museum of Art (West Virginia) is the nationally-touring exhibit, "Threads of Faith: Recent Works from the Women of Color Quilters Network," curated by Carolyn Mazloomi, showcasing 33 contemporary African-American quilts, including the Michael Cummings quilt at right. The show will be on display through December 31. Sistah quilters Theresa Polley Shellcroft and Tina Williams Brewer will share their story-quilting experiences in Masters Quilting Workshops on November 3 - 5. If you can't make it to West Virginia, try to get the out-of-print exhibit catalog, which is now selling for $295 on Amazon.com!