Comments on: A Sunday in Las Cruces

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 01:12:09 +0000

A fun post, Kathleeen. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

My sister is into charity quilting and is doing some neat things with this, documented in her new blog at Zig Zag (http://sewinggeek.blogspot.com/)

Quilters do a great job to use muda from others, incorporating others’ waste into things of beauty. That is worth a lot.

By: Gigi

Gigi — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:33:08 +0000

What gorgeous works of art! I really love the portrait quilts. I *detest* quilting (I made one for my MIL last year) but really admire those who do it and do it well. The time and patience that go into each quilt is just mind-boggling to me. Just getting the colors right takes a lot of talent which I do not possess.

By: Cheryl Smith

Cheryl Smith — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:05:03 +0000

Thank you for recognizing the quilting world! The pieces you’ve chosen to share are wonderful. I never tire of seeing a quilt.

I have been in the textile industry for over 25 years, many of which were spent in the product development area of a circular knit manufacturer in Toronto. Fabric has impassioned me from a young age so quilting seemed like a natural progression.

I took up quilting as a hobby in the early â€˜90’s. It is an amazing world and you are right. It is a valid needle-trade. It is also a very vast industry, a billion dollar industry and an industry unto itself. This is due in part to the eagerness of quilters to expand their horizons. There is a never ending quest to find something new: a new technique, new pattern, new print, new thread, new gadget and on and on and on!! They travel miles to attend quilt shows, attend workshops, and link up with fellow quilters. They approach quilting with such alacrity. It is infectious. Every year tens of thousands of quilters from around the globe travel to their Mecca. The two biggest shows are in Paducah, Ky (www.americanquilter.com) and Houston, TX. (www.quilts.com) Both of them play host to quilt aficionados, with vendor booths, fashion shows, workshops, seminars and just plain networking. Both Paducah and Houston have serious competitions, with cash prizes being doled out in the 10’s of thousands of dollars.

Quilting is now a solid part of my life. I have purchased what is referred to as a long arm quilting machine. This is an industrial size machine that performs the actual quilting. Fellow quilters bring me their “quilt tops” and I do the actual quilting for them and I have now branched out and quilt small yardage runs for garment makers and interior decorators, many of whom cannot manage the usual minimums imposed by manufacturers.

And your comment on seam allowance: a quarter of an inch. No exceptions!! lol

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 15:11:58 +0000

Quilting is one of those places that is hard to be lean. There is always scrap from cutting into new fabrics and rather than throw them out, they are saved for a future project (muda). If you’re old school like me then you recycle old clothing as well giving the fabric new life. There is something spiritual about working with the cloth, arranging it into patterns, feeding it through the machine and then stitching by hand.

Remember those deconstructed men’s jackets? In a quilter’s hands they become works of art to keep off the winter chill.

For several years I’ve been trying to convert the craftiness of quilting into the couture of fine clothing. Everyone knows how labor intensive quilting is. I just bought a couple of industrial machines at auction. Maybe that will speed things up!

By: christy fisher

christy fisher — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:53:39 +0000

These are fantastic and beautiful pieces! Thank you for sharing them! One piece (the one with the clothesline) has inspired me to do a skirt and/or dress with a clothesline border.
The picture quilts always facinate me.
Quilters are usually ahead of the curve when it comes to using new media. I noticed some digitally printed fabric on the Samuel Beckett quilt.
Quilters also have become masters of a lot of computer programs, such as Adobe, and I love it that they are merging the oldschool techniques with modern tools.
Love it!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:31:31 +0000

Actually, the photography is not that bad. I’ve seen much worse. I see overhead lighting, due to some shadows, which can be challenging. Then, possibly some loss of value due to your own flash, although I really can’t tell for sure if you used yours. Seems like it though, due to some wash. “Impossible Triangle” is simply out of focus. Did you only capture one shot of each? Most digital cameras have a simple menu to select indoor/outdoor and flash/no flash. Also speed, which should be on “auto” or 100 due to the absence of movement of the subject matter. Plus, most cameras come with editing software to easily correct values. Most are really easy to use these days. Try uploading to your computer, launch editing software and look for an “auto-correct” tab, at the very least. I think they are fine for these purposes.

There is a very large and dedicated quilting community in Iowa, with many permanent collections in and around the Des Moines area. I have always been impressed and inspired by their work. Like hand-made rugs, they seem to be a throughback but, really, they are not. I too adore the more pleasant and genteel qualities of older, more rural people. I hope to be one someday. Sounds like a perfect Sunday. Thanks.