Quilt & Bitch: My Summer Vacation 2017

Unfortunately, I had a lady who's head was big, so below was what I saw for the first half of the performance. It was rather tiring to have to move my head to the right and left every time she moved hers.

Below is Sifu Calvin Chin at the podium.

Earlier this week, a friend and I met at the Fuller Craft Museum at Brockton, MA. Yes I was there a few weeks ago, but I didn't mind going again to see additional exhibition. Below are the new ones that we saw.

Below are glass creation by Amber Cowan. Wow. I can't wrap my head around how one would even start this or create this spectacular artwork. The art is full of awesomeness.

I was suppose to go to Brimfield Antique Show last week, but a friend who was driving suddenly fell ill. I think it was a blessing in disguise because it kept on pouring and pouring the whole morning. There will be another one in early September, we may go then. I had also planned to visit the village of Shelburne Falls, MA - but I got worried about the afternoon thunderstorm and decided not to go. Every second Saturday Shelburne Falls has events, maybe next month I'll go.

This past weekend, I also went to the New England Quilt Museum. On display was "The Quilt Takes A Prize". The quilts shown are stunning.

Below is one call "Air Show" by Jonathan Shannon from Phoenix, Arizona - dated 1992. This won, Best of Show Award, AQS Quilt Show + Contest, 1993. Designated one of the 20th Century's 100 Best American Quilts, 1999.

This is the back of the quilt. What a surprise it was when I saw it.

Below is a quilt call "Ricky and Lucy" by Nancy Sterett Martin, Owensboro, Kentucky and Karen Sistek, Port Angeles, Washington, created in 2014. This won Bernina of America, Inc. Best Home Machine Workmanship, 2015 AQS Quilt Show and Contest.

Below is "Fire Dragon Rhapsody" by Ricky Tims, LaVeta, Colorado, created in 2004. This won Bernina of America Machine Workmanship Award, AQS Quilt Show and Contest, 2006.

This quilt is called, "Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining" by Susan Stewart, Pittsbury, Kansas. This won 2011 AQS Quilt Show, 1st Place Bed Quilt-Home Machine Quilted. This quilt is amazing in every level. Stunning, breath-taking, beautiful, jaw-dropping.

This one is created by Hiroko and Masanobu Miyama, of Chofu City, Japan. It is called, "Chasing Bubbles". This was created in 2014 and won "Moda Best Wall Quilt, America Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest, 2015. I have seen this quilt one other time in other quilt shows, and every time I see it, it never ceases to stop me at my tracks. The write up says, "Hiroko and Masanobu Miyama work as a team: she creates the quilt top, he does the applique, and she does the machine quilting. Hiroko writes that she was inspired by the colorful bubbles. She designed the dark watermill to make the bubbles more beautiful. 'I love to express my granddaughters and dogs in beautiful scenery to make viewers happy,' writes Hiroko." Damn, it sure does make me happy.

Below is called, "Paisley Peacock" by Pat Holly of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was created in 2009 and won Janome Best of Show Award, 2011 American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest.

The one below is called, "The Blade" by Doreen Speckmann of Madison, Wisconsin. This was created in 1985 and won first place patchwork professional 1986.

Wow. wow. wow. This one below is called, "Flowers of the Crown" by Shirley P. Kelly of Colden, NY. This was created in 2002 and won at the 2003 AQS Quilt Show, Best in Category, Pictorial Wall Quilt.

I took a lot of pictures of this"Ms. MacDonald Had a Farm" because I thought it was a very fun and cute piece. This was created by a quilt group call, "Hanging By A Thread" quilt group. This won at the 2012 AQS Quilt Show, 2nd Place Group, and Viewer's Choice. This was created in 2011.

Below is called, "Goato & Friends" by Barbara Barber from Andover, Hants, England. Isn't her name a handful? Let's try to say that 20 times in a row. This won the Bernina Excellence in Machine Workmanship Award, AQS Quilt Show & Contest in 1996.

This piece below wasn't part of the exhibit "The Quilt Takes A Prize" but rather the "Threads of Resistance" show which you will see more below. This one is by Nancy Crasco, Massachusetts called Withering Wetlands, created in 1995.

Back to the exhibit "The Quilt Takes a Price" we have "Ancient Directions" by Alison Goss of Durango, Colorado. This was created in 1991 and won RJR Best Wall Quilt Award, AQS Quilt Show & Contest, 1991 and Designated one of the 20th Century's 100 Best American Quilts, 1999. Wow, so starwarsy-like.

Fun. Fun. Fun. This is called "The Beatles Quilt" by Pat Holly and Sue Nickels of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was created in 1998 and won "Best of Show Award, AQS Quilt Show & Contest". Note that Sue Nickels teaches quilting and I have taken her beginning to quilting class.

I love this quilt below. It looks so simple and elegant at first glance, but it is many hours of labor of love. This quilt was created by Sue McCarty of Roy, Utah called, "Harmony Within". It won "American Quilter's Society Best of Show Award" and "2012 American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest".

This one is another one of those jaw dropping quilt. This is by Cheryl See of Ashburn, Virginia called, "Star Struck" created in 2011 and won "AQS Hand Workmanship Award" and "2012 American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest." Those are all little hexagons. The writeup states that "Star Struck includes, 12,256 hexagons, 696 circles, and 378 ovals". Now that's a quilt.

This quilt was created by Karen Kay Buckley, Carlisle, PA and Renae Haddadin, Sandy, Utah. This is called, "Majestic Mosaic". It is indeed majestic. This was created in 2014 and won, "Janome America, Inc. Best of Show" and "2015 American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest".

I love this quilt. I don't remember if I've seen this one before or a different rendition. This one is called, "Sweetheart on Parade" by Diane Gaudynski from Pewaukee, Wisconsin. This was created in 1997 and won "Bernina Excellence in Machine Workmanship Award AQS Quilt Show & Contest, 1998".

I remember now, I saw one at the MFA in 2014 when the MFA in Boston had the "Quilts and Color" exhibition which was from the Pilgrim / Roy collection. Similar but different. Don't envy me that I can remember something I've seen and pinpoint it a few years later.

This quilt below is called, "The Value of Gears" by Judith Phelps of Battle Ground, Washington. This was created in 2013 and won "Moda Best Wall Quilt, American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest, 2014". The detail of this is stunning.

So that is the first part to the visit to the New England Quilt Museum. One of my quilting goal and dream and what I strive for is to have one of my quilt displayed in one way or another at a museum.

* Content Warning - The section below may contain language and pictures that maybe offensive to some readers. You have been warned *

The second part of the visit to the New England Quilt Museum was the opening of "Threads of Resistance". There is also a publication that is available for sale called, "Threads of Resistance: a juried exhibition of fiber art created to protest the Trump administration's actions and policies".

There were a lot of people who attended the opening.

"Equal Means Equal" by Jessica Levitt, New Jersey

"Next Target?" by Gillian Moss, California

"Gusher" by Tanya A. Brown, California

"Seeking Refuge" Do Palma, Wyoming

"I Pledge" Sara Kelly, California

This one below is called, "The Kiss" by Maryte Collard, Lithuania. It speaks volumes.

"The Kiss" Maryte Collard, Lithuania.

"Speaking Out" Linda L. Friedman, California

"Our Fractured Homeland" Tricia P. Deck, Massachusetts

The quilt below in black says, "My mother voted for a man who bragged about non-consensually groping young women like me. My grandma says, never talk politics with family."

Her write-up says the following.

"In recent years, my mother's politics have shifted, and she has made it clear that she doesn't want to discuss her politics with my brother or me. This election has been deeply troubling, and has raised ethical questions that I cannot shrug off as 'just politics'. It has created a tangible discomfort in our relationship.

This quilt is an attempt to communicate my heartache over this political divide, as expressed in words, artifacts, and abstract mark making. There are seven phrases embroidered and visible with varying levels of ease, articulating a combination of facts and questions. This quilt is made with a curtain that my mom helped me buy, and that she hemmed for me by hand. These stitches are present in testament to my mother's deep love for me. They remind me of the countless ways that my mother continues to show her love and care for me. There are two curtains layered in this quilt, and the object, 'Curtain,' has many powerfully evocative meanings, in reference to seeing clearly, division of public and private, separation, 'blinds,' concealment, privacy etc... Employing the techniques of layering, hand quilting and tying knots, the same threads that are used for language now express visually many of feelings I am unable to articulate in words to my mother and in embroidered text on this quilt. I feel tied up in knots over this misalignment of values and truths; unraveling, invisible, transparent, snarled, confused...

This work was made with the hope that spending time meditatively and in connection with these objects from my mother - that I could find a way back to loving language with her, while simultaneously holding true to and reaffirming my values as an American. It was also made with an awareness that this divide is echoed in many families across the country."

"There's Something Between Us" Heidi A. Parkes, Wisconsin

"Patriotism" Amy D. Sullivan, Massachusetts

"Privileged Times" Martha Wolfe, California

"Nevertheless, She Persisted" Dawn Allen, Massachusetts - That's senator Elizabeth Warren

"She Persisted' Betty Busby, New Mexico

"What Does an American Look Like?" The Pixeladies: Deb Cashatt, California and Kris Sazaki, California

"Nevertheless, They Persisted" by Do Palma

"The Disgrace - Words and Deeds" by Barbara Brandel

"Speak Up, Speak Out" Sarah Ann Smith, Maine

"Game Over" by Tanya A. Brown, California

"Equality" Kerri Green, Texas

"Unplugged" Kelli N. Perkins, Michigan

"100 Days" by Jamie Fingal

"Resist Tyranny" Leslie Tucker Jenison, Texas

"Listen Louder Than You Sing" Shannon M. Conley, Oklahoma

"Zahra, Age 5, Surian Refugee, Sandra Bruce, California

"We Walk Together in Search of Liberty", Claire Passmore, United Kingdom

"Liberty Marches" Susan Bianchi, California

"Not So Safe" Amy Dame, Canada

"Women's Rally, Greenville, SC January 21, 2017th" Denny Webster

"Still Yearning" Lyric Montgomery, North Carolina

"Liberty Assaulted" Judy Coates Perez, California

A number of quilts were sectioned off from the main area due to the subject matter. Below is the picture of the small room where the quilts were located.

This quilt below, "Poisonous Words" by Susan Brubaker Knapp spoke to me. Read more about this piece on the "Threads of Resistance" website.

"Roe v. Wade Must Stand" Cyndy M. Rymer, California

"Political Power Grab" Sara Mika, Pennsylvania

So if you get a chance to see it in it while it is touring, please go and see it. These pictures do not give the quilts any justice. It is a powerful statement that all these artists have, and we have to listen.

I am moved by these quilts. I myself would like to make one, but hubby questions me by asking, "Do you really want to memorialize this negativity?" I am unable to answer yet. Thus, I have not done anything. The thought is still churning in my mind. Maybe I'll make one, maybe I won't.

Quilt & Bitch

Quilts

Monday, July 17, 2017

My Summer Vacation 2017 :: Part Cinq

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