Quilters Take Manhattan 2016-What An Event It Will Be!

I admit that I am more than a little biased about Quilters Take Manhattan as being an awesome event.  I have been involved with the event as a board member of the Quilt Alliance since the first time we "took Manhattan", and every year it gets juicier.

Okay, I can't promise you will get your hair styled like I did by Jay McCarroll, but hey!

What is it about this event that makes it so unique?  It is really a sort of hybrid of what we love most about quilt shows, guild meetings, workshops, and retreats!  Huh?
Well, look at the schedule of events and maybe you can start to understand what I mean:

This annual fundraising event, now in it’s 6th year in the Big Apple, is a weekend-long series featuring a full-day event at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and evening cocktail party on Saturday, as well as Friday and Sunday tours of the Garment District, area museums, workshops and a Broadway outing.

The Main Event at FIT includes a full day of lectures, interviews, vendors, an exhibition of quilts, trunk shows, and the Quilt Match Manhattan quilt design challenge. QTM 2016 will be held September 23-25 with Main Event speakers Kaffe Fassett and Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi, and emcee Mary Fons.

Plus, you will be in New York! Do you know how great it is to be in NYC in September? Well, it is pretty wonderful, let me tell you. We have so many add-on events: walking tours, a cocktail party, and even a Broadway outing (and no it isn't to Hamilton: we are good but not THAT good).

If you leave a comment here or on any of the participating blogs on this hop you become eligible for a drawing!

Prize for Giveaway:
The QTM Moda Home Ticket provides a chance for those who can’t make it to the Big Apple to experience their own home slice of the event. Value of $35 ($30 for QA members). Winners of the Moda Home Ticket will receive a QTM Goody Bag stuffed full of samples and treats from our sponsors by mail, and email links to footage of the Sunday with Sponsors event, the Quilt Match Manhattan challenge and more.

Past QTM speakers include:

2011: Marianne Fons and Jay McCarroll

2012: Denyse Schmidt and Jennifer Chiaverini

2013: Hollis Chatelain
2014: Amy Butler and Mark Dunn

2015: Ricky Tims and Victoria Findlay Wolfe

 This funnyman (Mark Lipinski) makes it to the party sometimes  You just never know 

who might be here...

Want to read more about previous events? Here are a few other links:

Blog posts about the Quilt Alliance and previous QTM events:

Abby Glassenberg’s While She Naps
Chris Dodsley’s made by ChrissieD
Gretchen’s Amanda’s Baskets

Day 1 - Monday, September 5
Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD
Pat Sloan
AccuQuilt

Day 2 - Tuesday, September 6
Victoria Findlay Wolfe @VFW Quilts
Erin Sampson - Aurifil @Auribuzz

Freespirit Fabric

Day 3 - Wednesday, September 7
Moda Fabrics @Moda Cutting Table
Denyse Schmidt on Instagram @dsquilts
Debbie Jeske @A Quilter's Table

Day 4 - Thursday, September 8
Jacquie Gering @tallgrass prairie studio
Jessica Skultety @Quilty Habit

Gotham Quilts @Fabric Nerd

Day 5 - Friday, September 9
Kim Niedzwiecki @my go-go life
Leslie Tucker Jenison

John Kubiniec @Big Rig Quilting

SaveSave

"Not Fade Away 2015: Sharing Quilt Stories In The Digital Age"

I'm sharing the press release for the upcoming event, "Not Fade Away":  Sharing Quilt Stories In The Digital Age".  I'll be offering a labeling workshop (times two!) with Michele Muska and would love to see you there!  And to sweeten the deal:  "Sacred Threads", which debuts on July 10th at the same location as the conference, will be open for attendees to visit!

Read on......

Quilt history isn't over. Every time a new quilt is made, another chapter of quilt history is written -- or at least it should be. The nonprofit Quilt Alliance teaches quiltmakers, quilt collectors and quilt lovers everywhere how to record history as it happens.

This summer, the Alliance will conduct its second conference on the oral history of quilts, full of up-to-the-minute techniques and inspiring projects. Not Fade Away: Sharing Quilt Stories in the Digital Age will be held on Saturday, July 18 in Herndon, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The conference, sponsored by eQuilter.com, Sacred Threads and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, will feature lectures, workshops, networking opportunities and more. 

Attendees from our 2013 Not Fade Away conference said: 

"Information shared, inspiration invoked, comfort and ease of facilities all came together."

"Combining the conference with a quilt show was a wonderful idea and helped my decision to attend."

"I loved the entire conference. This was the first Quilt Alliance conference that I have attended, and I was blown away by the professionalism and collegial atmosphere. The presentations were top-knotch and I will definitely attend other QA events when I am able to."

"My experience was outstanding! I thought the facilities were ideal, the staff was most gracious & cordial, the online registration process was easy & was handled beautifully."

This year's conference features a packed day-long program on Saturday, July 18, as well as an optional Friday night program. A two-day pass to the conference costs $75 for Quilt Alliance members and $90 for non-members (annual membership starts at $25/year). One-day passes are also available, as well as packages that include a fundraising dinner on Saturday evening.

A ticket to Friday evening's program includes a welcome mixer with appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks, a preview of the Sacred Threads exhibition, and an exciting night of video previews and a special presentation of the work of Donna Sue Groves, founder of the first Quilt Barn Trail in Adams County, Ohio. Filmmaker Julianne Donofrio will preview her film, Pieced Together and answer questions about how she put together funding for this documentary about "How quilt square trails changed America - and saved Donna Sue's life after job loss and breast cancer."

Admission to Saturday's full day program includes coffee and danish breakfast, a boxed lunch, and a full day of workshops, discussions and informal networking sessions on oral history and documentation techniques, challenges and successes. Conference registration includes one-day admission to Sacred Threads, an international exhibition of quilts exploring themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing.

  

Marin Hanson will give the keynote address "One Hundred Good Wishes Quilts: Commemorating and Documenting Adoptions from China" about the tradition of American families making a special kind of quilt to celebrate and commemorate their children's adoption from China.

Shoshana (on left) and Anna (on right) Levin showing off their One Hundred Good Wishes Quilts made by their mom, Michele Levin. Photo courtesy Michele Levin.

Marin Hanson

 Marin Hanson is the Curator of Exhibitions at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum (IQSCM) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She holds undergraduate degrees from Grinnell College and Northern Illinois University and earned her MA in museum studies and textile history with a quilt studies emphasis from UNL. Marin has served on the board of the Quilt Alliance since 2009.

Saturday's program will also include a panel discussion titled 

Using the Family Tree to Piece Together the Story of a Quilt. 

Panelists include Gloria Comstock, Michelle Flamer, Kyra Hicks, Mary Holton Robare and Mary Worrall.

The Alliance's newest video oral history project, Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! as well as the Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories project (launched in 1999), will also be demonstrated. Quiltmakers whose work will appear in the Sacred Threads Exhibition will be interviewed for this short-format video documentation project during the lunch break.

Conference attendees will choose two workshops from the following topics:

• Self-Publishing for Quilters with Kyra Hicks.
• Label It. Today! with Leslie Tucker Jenison and Michele Muska.
• Create Your Own Adventure: Using the Q.S.O.S. Project Database with Christine Humphrey
• How to Conduct Q.S.O.S. Interviews with Pauline Macaulay and Emma Parker 
• Untapping the records and resources of the Quilt Index with Mary Worrall
   

The conference will close on Saturday evening with a dinner to honor outgoing Quilt Alliance president Meg Cox at Amphora Diner Deluxe in Herndon. Meg will share both the story of her life with quilts and some of the most meaningful quilts in her collection, like the one pictured below made by Meg's mother, Jo Cox. 

Quilt Alliance President Meg Cox

Those unable to make the trip to Herndon for the Not Fade Away conference can attend virtually by purchasing a Not Fade Away Home Ticket, which will provide them with online access to video footage of the event after the conference closes. The cost of a Home Ticket is $15 for Quilt Alliance members and $20 for non-members.

Discounts for groups of ten or more are available. Contact Debby Josephs for more information at admin@quiltalliance.org or 828-251-7073.

Not Fade Away attendees can also take advantage of a Museum Bus Tour on Friday, July 17 (9:00 am - 5:00 pm). The tour will stop at three museums, and participants will get to see special exhibits at each, including the DAR Museum's "Eye on Elegance" show. This trip is offered by Sacred Threads and tickets are $75/person. Information and ticket sales for the bus tour can be found here: http://sacredthreadsquilts.com/html/bustour.html

The Not Fade Away conference is made possible by support from these generous sponsors:

 

Seating for the conference is limited so early registration is encouraged. Not Fade Away conference details and online registration can be found on the Quilt Alliance website here: http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/support/NFA2015tickets.php.  

Quilt Alliance Recap for 2014

Please visit this link to see all the great things that have happened through the Quilt Alliance this year.  

The Alliance is in the wonderful position of having a dollar for dollar matching grant from a private family foundation.  I'm so proud to be supporting this wonderful organization.  Please consider a tax-deductible contribution.  Thank you.

A Little Thank You.....

from the Quilt Alliance

This is the time of year that many of us reflect upon the events of the year as we head into the holiday season.  As an artist who makes quilts I like to reflect upon my path and give thanks to some of the individuals who made a difference along the way.  There are so many!  

If you are like me, there are a few standouts:  those instructors or perhaps even a family member who influenced you to become an artist.  

Here are a few of mine:

A rare photo of my grandmother working on a quilt at her sewing machine.

circa 1968

My grandmother, Maude Alice Mundell Tucker.  By the time I came along she was no longer a farm wife.  Instead, she had become the town seamstress in a small north central Kansas town.  She made every piece of clothing I wore until I convinced her to stop making double-knit pantsuits for me (I tended to be more of an Esprit de Corps-girl).  But my grandmother always had a quilt upstairs in the frame.  Unfortunately, I did not learn to quilt from her, but her love of textiles and quilts absolutely influenced me and drew me in.

Edith York.  Edith worked on the night shift in Labor and Delivery at the hospital where I practiced as an RN from the late 70s through the early 90's.  She was the second quilt maker I was influenced by as she would come into the lounge and work on her quilts before her shift began.  When I expressed interest, she encouraged me, even suggesting that we attend a block of the month series together.  I consider her my first real mentor.  She died a few years ago, and I miss her.

Ardeth Laake.  Ardeth is my husband's aunt.  Also an RN, I took a real shine to her when I married Tim.  Ever-humble, she was probably one of the most amazing quilt makers I have ever known, to this day.  She was a needler for Elly Sienkiewicz, the renowned author and creator of so many Baltimore Album quilts.  Ardeth attended the IQF with me in 1992 and it was the first time for both of us.

Libby Lehman.  When I attended my very first International Quilt Festival in 1992 I listened to her speak as part of a lecture series that also included Debra Lunn (another artist who influenced me to begin dyeing my own cloth, but that is another conversation).  Libby's unconventional take on creating quilts that had traditional roots really turned my head.  Later, when I was able to take a workshop with her I realized what a patient, giving instructor she is.  I like to believe that her style of instruction has influenced my own.

Hollis Chatelain.  Over the past 10 or 11 years I have taken an annual series of workshops with Hollis.  Taught in a series, these range from drawing, color theory, design, and more.  Hollis teaches them in the style of a college intensive.  For 5 days every year I buckle down and leave my ego on the doorstep.  As a result, I have learned to look at my work and consider it from a very different point of view.  The days are tough and the hours are long.  I always think of a line from the film, "A League Of Their Own", when Gina Davis says she is going to quit because "it just got too hard".  Tom Hanks responds, "Of course it is hard.  If it wasn't hard everybody would do it.  It is the hard that makes it GREAT".  I think that describes my time with Hollis.

Nancy Crow.  Although I have just begun to study with Nancy she is an artist I had admired and respected for as long as I can remember.  I took my first-ever weeklong workshop with Nancy in October of this year and I can honestly say I worked harder than I have ever worked and I adored every second of it.  I plan to continue studying with her and look forward to seeing how this influences my own artistic path.  Her passion is contagious.  I love her directness.  I think Nancy and Hollis are similar in their no-nonsense, direct styles and I find it quite refreshing.  I respect their honesty and their individual artistic voices.

Jane Dunnewold.  Although Jane is not mainly known as a quilt maker, she has made many quilts and has certainly influenced a legion of them.  She is really the mother of the art cloth movement.  I cannot really say enough about how she has impacted the scope of my work as an artist.  In addition, I have the good fortune to call her a close friend.  Her gentle style of instruction, her ability to summarize her thoughts and make sense of complicated information is truly admirable.  

My respect for each of these women knows no bounds.  I have so many more I want to add to my list, but these women influenced me at some critical juncture in my own path.  I urge you to consider who is on your own personal list.

As a board member of the Quilt Alliance I have opted to honor my personal mentors by making a contribution to the the organization.  What better way to honor them?  The mission of the Alliance is to preserve the stories of quilt makers and their work.  Stories of people who have made a contribution to our unique subculture no matter how small or widespread that mark might be.
Here is Tess Harper's lovely poem memorializing two of her personal quilt heroes.

Won't you join me by honoring your own with a $25 contribution?  If you do you will be eligible to win several wonderful prizes so it might be an early Christmas gift to you, as well.  Thanks in advance.

I would love to read who has influenced you along your path.  Please leave a comment here and be eligible for another giveaway!  I will draw a name from the comments left below on 12/15 at midnight.  Leave a comment prior to be eligible for the drawing.  Happy holidays.

"Our Roots Run Deep"

Greetings!  I am waaaaaay behind with my blogging, but I have been chasing my tail back and forth across the country for the past 6 weeks.  I'll try to put together a photo diary of what has been happening.  Before I left for the first (of three recent) trips to NY I created this quilt, which is to be auctioned off next month as part of a fundraising event for the Quilt Alliance.  The Alliance is celebrating 20 years, so each of the entries were to be 20 inches square.

My piece is created from "leftovers" from a larger quilt made earlier this year, "From The Redwood Forest:  A Moment In Montgomery Grove".  I'll show you some of the cloth as it was being created.
I wasn't as good about documenting my process with this quilt as I should have, so apologies in advance.  Sometimes I feel like I need a 3rd limb to photograph work-in-progress!

The background cloth (silk broadcloth)

is being created using thickened dye spread with a palette knife

stenciling with thickened dye...

Here is the first quilt prior to finishing.

I trimmed a significant portion from each side.

It was with these "trimmings" that I created the Quilt Alliance piece.

This piece was constructed by trimming the remnants from the larger quilt,

then piecing them together using monofilament and a zigzag stitch

Once pieced, I imagined I could see portions of a tree.

Using paint, I accented the negative space behind the tree, and

singled out portions of the base to resemble roots.

I mounted the construction onto a piece of green silk-cotton Radiance wrapped 

around felt.

If you have a QR scanner, you can listen to me discuss the quilt.

This label is created by Stkr.it

I love these!!  Article coming in a future Quilting Arts magazine issue.

Now, I admit that it is more than a little terrifying to paint over a quilted construction, at least the first time you do it.  I'm reminded of a favored quote by the wonderful dancer & choreographer, Twyla Tharp:

"Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet we do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to the ability to entertain the uncomfortable."  

Quilters Take Manhattan Tickets On Sale Now

Please visit the Quilt Alliance website to sign up and to read all the details!

My good friend, Hollis Chatelain, is the keynote speaker for this amazing event. 

View some of her amazing work here.

I am the proud owner of two giclee prints of her quilts:

Also at the main event at the Fashion Institute of Technology:

Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! Interviews with Semper Tedium

Semper Tedium, left to right: Amy Orr, Katherine Knauer, Paula Nadelstern, Robin Schwalb. Photo credit: John Woodin.

The tongue-in-cheek phrase Semper Tedium celebrates the ritualistic act of creation for its own sake. Paula Nadelstern, Katherine Knauer, Amy Orr and Robin Schwalb meet twice a year for cherished artist retreats which reinforce their shared dedication to integrity of construction and pursuit of unique personal visions, in spite of societal pressure to work faster and produce more. 

Each of these 4 lauded artists will celebrate some of her work and talk about how this type of "slow craft" philosophy affects her technique and the final product. 

Go Tell It at the Quilt Show! is a new Alliance project designed to capture the stories of quilts where quiltmakers and quilt lovers gather. The protocol for Go Tell It! is brief and personal: one person talking about one quilt in front of one video camera for three minutes, recording the most essential and compelling details of the quilt according to the "teller." Documenting, preserving and sharing these stories online via video is another way the Quilt Alliance provides education and inspiration to today's quilt lovers and tomorrow's historians and genealogists.

We are excited to present live Go Tell It! interviews with the members of Semper Tedium at this year's event.

There are so many add-on events this year!  I can't wait!  I will be offering a fun little workshop called "Random Acts of Stripping" at the fabulous City Quilter shop in the heart of Manhattan.  One hundred percent of the proceeds from the workshop will go to the Quilt Alliance to support the mission of the organization.

Here is the info about my workshop:

Random Acts of Stripping with Leslie Tucker Jenison
Friday, September 27, 11:30 am-2:30 pm, at The City Quilter
Tickets: $50 per person. Limited to 12 students.

  

Take strip-piecing to a new destination in this fun and productive workshop. Using jellyroll pre-cuts and/or your own cut strips learn a different way to create large pieced shapes. Each student will have a unique set of pieced blocks of varying sizes to use in a quilt. These shapes may be joined together or used with large negative space for a very modern look.

Students should bring:
Pre-cut strips of fabric (prints and solids that are compatable) Bring the equivalent of 1 jellyroll.
4-6 fat quarters or a layer cake set of solid cuts (these do not have to be the same color but should be compatable with the prints in the).
*Note: I'll be working with solid strips and print fat quarters, which is my preference. Either is fine, but it is good to have a combo of prints and solids that coordinate!
Machine thread
Fabric scissors
Nippers

This is where all three of the event-related workshops will be.

City Quilter is awesome!!

Two other workshops will be offered by my good friends:  the fantastic Frances Holliday Alford and the ever-gorgeous Mark Lipinski!  Check the Quilt Alliance website for all the details and links to sign up. Don't hesitate because many of these events sell out quickly!!  See you there!

Quilt Alliance Auction Is Underway!

Our annual fundraising auction of quilts on eBay is underway!

Please stop by and place a bid!

Here are the dates for each auction week.
Auction Week 1: Monday, Nov. 12 – Monday, Nov. 19 2012
Auction Week 2: Monday, Nov. 19 – Monday, Nov. 26 2012
Auction Week 3: Monday, Nov. 26 – Monday, Dec. 3 2012
Auction Week 4: Monday, Dec. 3 – Monday, Dec. 10 2012

This is my house-shaped quilt, similar in size to the auction quilts on eBay.

This quilt was auctioned off at the Quilter's Take Manhattan event in September.

Meg Cox is the new owner!

"Home Is Where Your Story Begins"

by Jamie Fingal

First Place Winner & previous Grand Prize winner!

This quilt is one of so many wonderful choices to bid on!

Check them out on eBay!

A Tribute to Virginia Avery (and an e-burst from Quilt Alliance)

I am shamelessly cut/pasting a portion of an e-blast from the Quilt Alliance. I was fortunate to have taken a workshop with Virginia Avery in the early 90's called"Move Over Matisse".  It was a very liberating and fun experience, and I enjoyed every minute of my time with this amazing woman.  The quilt world owes much to thiscreative force of nature, who certainly walked this world to the beat of her own unique drum!

www.QuiltAlliance.org Weekend eBurst  September 7, 2012      Why We Do What We Do:   The story of an incredible life, documented safe and sound.   Virginia Avery in her home in Port Chester, New York, showing one of her quilted wearables. Virginia Avery, a pioneer in the American Quilt Revival period beginning  in the 1970's, passed away yesterday, September 6, just three weeks  shy of her 100th birthday. "Jinny" was internationally known for her quilts  and wearable art, and was also an accomplished jazz pianist--her band  played on the Today Show and for UN delegates.  Explore Jinny's Quilt Treasures web portrait to watch her video interviews  and mini-documentary, and see photos of her quilts. The documentation  of this incredible life is what the Quilt Alliance is all about.   We thank all of our supporters who allow us to save quilt history for future  generations. Funding for Jinny's quilt story was generously provided by  Jinny Beyer, Lake Mills Studios, RJR Fashion Fabrics, Karey Patterson  Bresenhan and Nancy O'Bryant Puentes. In-kind support came from Michigan  State University Museum and MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters  and Social Sciences Online at MSU. Thank you for investing in this project  to document the life of this great artist. Here is a short excerpt from Jinny's Quilt Treasures web portrait-- a testimonial  from Jinny's longtime friend (and fellow Quilt Treasure) Bets Ramsey recounting  a special visit to Jinny's studio in Port Chester, New York: The studio was stacked high with all the necessities for a fabric artist.  Orderly chaos. Jinny was working on a vest for her granddaughter's  present and other projects were in sight. Jinny has a love of bold,  bright colors and uses them to great success in her work. With years  of experience she is sure and quick in planning and executing a design  and the results is always smashing. I am sure her enthusiasm guarantees  success in her classes. "Of Thee I Sing Baby." Circular cape made as an invitational piece for the birthday of the Statue of Liberty, sponsored by the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, 1986 - from March 1998 issue of Quilters Newsletter Magazine. We also recommend: A tribute to Virginia Avery by Karen Alexander on the Quilters Hall of Fame Blog The Quilt Show: Alex and Ricky visit Virginia at her home in 2007   Click here to join or renew online or download a mail-in form.

Cruise & Use the Quilt Index: Browse by Pattern video on The Quilt Index Youtube Channel We hope you will be doing some actual traveling next week to  attend our Quilters Take Manhattan event in the Big Apple.  And if you can't make the journey this time--you can attend  virtually by purchasing a "Home Ticket." For $25 you'll receive  the event goody bag and first access to video footage from the day.  Tickets still available but going fast: reserve your spot today!    Hope to see you soon! Amy Amy E. Milne, Executive Director The Alliance for American Quilts information@quiltalliance.org      PS. Facebook users, don't forget to "Like"  the Quilt Alliance page!

Alliance For American Quilts becomes the Quilt Alliance!

Since it was founded in 1993, the mission of the nonprofit Alliance  for American Quilts has been to document, preserve, and share the stories of quilts and their makers.  The vast majority of the  collected stories so far have come from American quiltmakers,  and their rich histories across four centuries.  But the phenomenal quilt rennaisance that began in the 1970s, has lately gone global.  Both the craft of making quilts and the study of historic quilts are booming worldwide, flourishing everywhere from Europe to Asia.  The Alliance wants to follow this vibrant trail of quilts wherever it leads and has already added international offerings within existing projects.  Fittingly, the organization's board of directors has now voted to change the nonprofit's name to Quilt Alliance, to reflect the broader focus.

I'm so excited to share this press release with you!  As a board member I've been looking forward
to the day when I could share this information with my readers.  Please stop by the Quilt Alliance
website to read the entire press release.  I'm so proud and honored to serve on the board of this
wonderful organization.  Documenting the stories of quilt makers, no matter what type of work they
create, is a huge passion of mine.