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Quilt Puzzle: Up and Away
Documenting Our Community: Quilts for Pulse
Here at the Quilt Alliance, one of the best parts of our jobs is hearing from people who have incredible quilt stories to share. Often, these stories are about the quilts they have made–stories straight from the maker about the joy and work of quiltmaking. But we also love hearing stories about how quilts have impacted communities. One of the reasons the Quilt Alliance founded the Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! project in 2012 was to capture the stories happening all around us that did not quite fit the mold of our Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project. QSOS was launched in 1999 to record the history of today’s quiltmakers in their own voice. Interviewees were invited by volunteers to share a broad picture of their life as a quiltmaker in a 30-40 minute interview recorded on audio cassette or digital audio. In the twenty years since QSOS was founded, over 1,200 interviews were documented and are now archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. A small sample of the collection is now available with transcripts, indexed descriptions and full audio here: qsos.quiltalliance.org/gallery. With support from the quilting community, the entire QSOS collection will be available for listening, searching and browsing on the new site by the end of 2020. Find out how you can sponsor a QSOS interview and ensure its timely transitioned to the new site. In contrast, Go Tell It! is a video documentation project designed to capture the stories of quilt lovers where they gather. Because one does not need to be a quiltmaker to participate in this project, we have been able to gather stories about quilts from family members, collectors, guilds, historians, curators, industry leaders and people who own and love quilts. “Tellers” are sometimes the maker of the quilt they share in their video recording, but just as often, the telling is done by someone else connected to the quilt. The age, style, genre, purpose, size, and origin of the quilts shared in Go Tell It! videos run the gamut from antique crazy quilts to award-winning modern quilts to quilts made for social causes. At QuiltCon 2017, Quilt Alliance staffer Emma Parker recorded three Go Tell It! videos that featured three members of the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild talking about their Quilts for Pulse project. At QuiltCon 2016 in Savannah, Georgia, Sarah Lauzon, Jodi Peterman and Sharleen Jespersen each stood in front of the Quilts for Pulse exhibit and told the story of how their guild went about collecting blocks, quilt tops and finished quilts to comfort and support those affected by the tragic shooting at the Pulse Nightclub on June 16, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Unlike most Go Tell It! videos, these three describe a collective effort – the story of 1,800 quilts, instead of one. The Quilt Alliance was proud to be able to document, preserve and share the stories of the Quilts for Pulse project, and we invite other guilds and groups undertaking community projects, large and small, to consider recording their stories with our DIY Go Tell It! guidelines here. Click on the thumbnails below to switch videos. …
Quilt Puzzle: A China Sky
Your Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! The beautiful quilts in the puzzles have all been entries in past Quilt Alliance quilt contests. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. A China Sky by Dana Zurzolo This week’s puzzle spotlights a quilt titled A China Sky made by Dana Zurzolo for the 2010 Quilt Alliance contest and auction, “New from Old.” Materials and techniques: hand-stitched, quilted, colored with oil-based pencils, fabric markers and thread. Vintage fabrics, prequilted backing, fused flowers. Artist’s Statement My quilt, “A China Sky,” is inspired by a recent trip to China. The red tiled roofs, buildings, trees and sky are drawn and inked onto the fabric using fabric markers and colored pencils. The grandmother’s flower garden blocks and the deep red thai selvage used for the binding are from vintage scraps I have had for years. About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…
Quilt Puzzle: Off The Top of My Head
Your Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! The beautiful quilts in the puzzles have all been entries in past Quilt Alliance quilt contests. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. Off The Top of My Head by Valli Schiller This week’s puzzle spotlights a quilt titled Off The Top of My Head made by Valli Schiller of Naperville, Illinois for the first annual Quilt Alliance contest and auction, “Put a Roof Over Our Head” in 2007. Artist’s Statement Sometimes ideas come faster than I can capture them in a quilt. Wouldn’t it be grand to have a roof over my head to keep the bright ideas from disappearing into the clouds? About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…
Quilters Worldwide Give Up Buying Fabric!
In an unforeseen and shocking move, quilters everywhere today say they are giving up buying fabric. Textile hoarders from coast to coast in the United States and in every country queried confirm that they are done buying and stashing fabric. Seama Ripper, of Paducah, Kentucky told QA reporters “I’ve just reached that point where I have “enough” fabric. I’ve been buying prints, solids and every pattern imaginable for close to 40 years now and I think it’s time to stop the consumption and start using it up.” Pat Quarters of Sisters, Oregon tells a similar story, “I love fabric, but I’ve really developed the discipline now to go into a quilt shop and “just look.” I have plans to finish every UFO in my studio, and then do a major clean up. I’m also looking into giving up chocolate.” Quilt and fabric shops everywhere reacted to the announcement with a collective snort as they restocked the fat quarter bins and bolt shelves. “Bless their hearts,” said Sydney, Australia shop owner, Ida Liketoseethat. Online retailer “Cutsy” CFO Freeda Eshop reports spraying coffee all over her screen upon reading the news report. “A trigger warning would have been appreciated–it’s really hard to get coffee out of keyboards. Hysterical though!” Happy April 1st, friends!! (Pick me up a spool of thread when you go by the shop today!) And consider spending another $30 today to become a Quilt Alliance member! We’d be honored to have you on the team and you will receive all kinds of amazing incentives AND support the work to Document, Preserve and Share the rich history of quilts and their makers. Win/Win and that’s no…
Quilt Puzzle: National Quilting Day
Your Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! This month, we’ve got a new challenge for you! See below for clues. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. The Spirit of National Quilting Day Passing on a Tradition by Rhonda Denney This week’s puzzle spotlights a 20″ x 20″ quilt made for our 2013 TWENTY quilt contest by Rhonda Denney of Canon City, Colorado. The theme of our contest that year celebrated our twentieth anniversary as a nonprofit organization, and Rhonda beautifully distilled the past, present and future of quilting in her entry. Artist’s statement: This quilt recognizes 200+ years of quilting in America and twenty years of the Quilt Alliance organization uniting the quilting world. Each corner contains a version of our evolving American flag. The twenty quilt blocks along the border symbolize the diversity of quilt creativity and twenty years of the Alliance. The center recognizes the importance of sharing quilting skills to ensure that this unique medium continues on through new generations of quilters. Quilting matters! About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…
KidsQuilt Puzzle 01
KIdsQuilt Jigsaw Puzzle Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! This is our very first KidsQuilt puzzle for you and we’re starting with a game called Rock the Block! See below for clues. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. Rock the Block! Rock the Block is a quilt block guessing game. Each puzzle features the image of a popular quilt block and the name of that block. The clues below will give you hints about the shape, theme, design or name of the block shown in the completed puzzle. Clues Clue Number 1: Our first Rock The Block puzzle spotlights a quilt block that is made up entirely of straight lines, just like the boards used for the walls of a house. Clue Number 2 Our mystery quilt block has a square at the center, like the fireplace in the center of a house. Clue Number 3: The name of this block is the type of house that Abraham Lincoln was born in. Think you know what the mystery quilt block is called? Solve the puzzle to see if you’re right! Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…
Quilt Puzzle: Name That QSOS Interviewee 04
Your Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! This month, we’ve got a new challenge for you! See below for clues. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. Name That QSOS Interviewee! This week’s puzzle spotlights a quiltmaker who was interviewed for the Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories oral history project on August 5, 2011. This interview is one of the first 20 interviews added to the new QSOS website to launch our QSOS 20th anniversary year. The Quilt Alliance is in the process of a major update for the project that will include searchable audio recordings and transcript, interview summaries and keywords and photos. The entire collection is still viewable on the QA website here, but this new site, when completed (hopefully by early 2020), will make the collection of more than 1,200 QSOS interviews with quiltmakers far more accessible online. Visit the new QSOS site with sample interviews here and consider making a $25 donation to sponsor an interview! Clues: Excerpts from the Interview Excerpt 1 Interviewer: Tell me about the quilt you’ve brought today to talk about. Interviewee: The quilt that I’d like to talk about is the one hanging over here behind us called “Everything but the Kitchen Sink.” I started it about 15 years ago. I was an occasional quilter, and then I became a mother. There was at a point where I was making a lot of quilts and children’s clothes for my daughter Beatrice. I wanted to make her quilts when she was a baby. But I would never make the perfect quilt for her. I ended up making her about 20 quilts. None of the quilts were ever good enough for my daughter, so I cut them all up and accumulated many orphan blocks along the way from doing so. I was looking at quilts but not really knowing much about making a quilt. The only quilts I had in my house were the crazy quilts my grandmother made. And so that’s how this quilt started, I was trying to mimic what my grandmother did. Mimicking what her process was. Because it was the only thing I knew, from watching her quilt as a child. Excerpt 2 Interviewer: What do you think that this quilt says about you? If someone came upon this quilt, what do you think it says about you as a quilter? Interviewee:…Everything I had went into it, along with my everyday life. Maybe it says, I’m open to the life throws at me? I’m a painter by trade previously so I was trying to figure out the color balance and make it all work. It’s been a complete learning experience so it kind of sums up a wide portion of my life including getting married, having a family, moving to New York, it accumulates everything. Excerpt 3 Interviewer: So your interest in quilting was originally sparked by your grandmother? Interviewee: Yes, definitely, and by the basic needs of growing up on a farm. My father had an upholstery business in Minnesota and I grew up on a farm in MN. My motherwas a seamstress for Fingerhut for a while. I don’t know if anyone knows Fingerhut out here. But that’s why my grandma had all theses quilts made out of polyester double-knit. My grandmother was a crazy-quilter. In MN you had about five of these quilts on your bed, because it’s cold and we did not have heat in our house. We heated our house with wood stoves. So we would have about five of these quilts on our bed and they stayed there all night long. The weight of them is unforgettable and comforting. Think you know who the mystery QSOS Interviewee is? Now solve the puzzle to see if you’re right! About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…
Quilt Puzzle: Name That QSOS Interviewee 03
Your Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle Tip: for best results, solve puzzle on this page on a desktop computer or laptop. If you are solving on a mobile device, click on the puzzle piece icon in the lower righthand corner to solve on the Jigsaw Planet website. Welcome to another quilt jigsaw puzzle from Quilt Alliance! This month, we’ve got a new challenge for you! See below for clues. Be sure to sign up for our blog notifications, so that you don’t miss any of the upcoming puzzles. Name That QSOS Interviewee! This week’s puzzle spotlights a quiltmaker who was interviewed for the Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories oral history project on March 7, 2008. This interview is one of the first 20 interviews added to the new QSOS website to launch our QSOS 20th anniversary year. The Quilt Alliance is in the process of a major update for the project that will include searchable audio recordings and transcript, interview summaries and keywords and photos. The entire collection is still viewable on the QA website here, but this new site, when completed (hopefully by early 2020), will make the collection of more than 1,200 QSOS interviews with quiltmakers far more accessible online. Visit the new QSOS site with sample interviews here and consider making a $25 donation to sponsor an interview! Clues: Excerpts from the Interview Excerpt 1 Interviewee: Like any exhibit, one of the most interesting parts I think of doing a quilt show is to stand next to other people and hear their comments, especially if they don’t realize that you made the quilt, whether it is yours or someone else’s, because you really learn the inside of what quilters are thinking. I have often thought that there should be a tape recorder in the back of quilts and then play it later. Excerpt 2 Interviewer:Tell me about your interest in quiltmaking. Interviewee: Oh, Karen it goes back to the Stone Ages now. My quilting started in New Orleans of all places, although as a little girl I have always done patchwork. I was gifted with a lot of energy and I think to keep me out of my mother’s hair she would give me needle and thread and so I’ve always done stitching. I did the doll clothes thing. I guess I was always with a needle and thread going through cloth. It just always intrigued me, and I really didn’t have any question about what I would do when I went to college. Excerpt 3 Interviewer: How do you want to be remembered? Interviewee: Oh my, I told my group in Wilkesboro, someone asked me that or I guess it came up in the course of my conversation, and I said I guess I will always beremembered for the full proof knot, it was one of the things I taught on one of the very first shows, my full proof knot for quilting and dog ears. I don’t think anyone has come up with, when you cut off the extension of a triangle, those little things fall off and I have always called them dog ears, but that is kind of in jest, but I think what I would love to be remembered for is probably the comment that people say when they saw me doing patchwork on TV is like, well I can do that, if she can do that, I can do that. I guess that is what I would like to be remembered, that I’m really basically an ordinary quilter that was able to transcribe the fun, the excitement of doing it through a television screen and then many people can say, well I can do that. I guess that is what Iwould like to be remembered for. You are getting me all very emotional about this Karen. [laughs.] I guess the bottom line is that for many of us quilting is an emotional thing. I guess that is the bottom line. Think you know who the mystery QSOS Interviewee is? Now solve the puzzle to see if you’re right! About Quilt Alliance We rely on the generous support of donors and members like you to sustain our projects. If you support our mission of documenting, preserving, and sharing the stories of quilts and quiltmakers, join us by becoming a member or renewing your membership, making a donation, or learning how your business or corporation can become a supporter of the Quilt…