eQuilter Blog

I belong to many online quilt lists, because I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the quilting world. One of the lists (dedicated to fiber art and quilt art) has regularly, over the years, trotted out that old debate of " What is Art" and "Is quilting a craft or an art?".

Predictably, every time those old warhorses are led out of the barn, we all heave a collective sigh while the newbies flog a repeatedly-resurrected-dead-horse.

However, if you study the work of the great art masters over the centuries, you will find that they took the development of their craft very seriously. Great painters and sculptors spend years and decades developing their craft, so that they can eventually create great art. The two go hand in hand – they are not mutually exclusive.

On the other hand, I have seen modestly presented works of textile art, sold in artsy tourist shops around the world, that have such exquisitely rendered works of embroidery, applique & beadwork, that it transcends much of what we like to call Fiber Art. It is the mastery of textile CRAFT, and an individual expression of textile ART at the same time. If you frame it and hang it on the wall, it becomes Art!

I've seen quilters so anxious to be an artist, that they don't take time to learn their craft. In this age when everyone wants to do everything fast, and we all want immediate gratification, there is something to be said for learning your craft first, so you can later express your creative ideas effortlessly. It is like a musician studying their scales and etudes, so they can play Beethoven later, or even learn to compose music or improvise in a jazz style.

In this world that has become so polarized, perhaps we can choose to participate in a creative expression that embraces, respects and admires ART and CRAFT in the same breath. We can learn traditional techniques and then break the rules to make our own unique version of a traditional artform. We can create beautiful works of art, BECAUSE we have studied and practiced the craftsmanship that we admire in textile museum exhibits.

And…as in the art world…it is ok for us to be inspired by the Art and Craft that has come before us…without being accused of copying. All great artists have been inspired by someone who has gone before them, then growing into their own unique expression of that original inspiration.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with the community of Christchurch in New Zealand. This week we'll send a portion of sales from our New Zealand Import collection to help earthquake victims.

http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate

My neighbor's daughter is doing a semester abroad in Christchurch now, and we were relieved to hear that she is safe. We'll pass on some other NZ disaster-relief organizations in our Tuesday Creative Nudge newsletter.

As you may have guessed by now, I have a treasure trove of images from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and I am enjoying picking out images to match my Creative Nudge topic of the week!

This feisty 167 x 161 cm quilt full of Dinosaurs and Elephants, was the 3rd place winner in the Junior category, by Kaito and Reon Iizuka. (I was just tickled to see one of my Southwest fabric designs in the 2nd place Junior winner!)

Elephants made with Dots and Plaids tooting flowers out of their trunks? A dinosaur with a 3-D ruffled spinal ridge, with a gold lame face and a big smile? Hey why not? Her blue egg just hatched!

As we all know, we are born creative, but growing up often squeezes all the juice out of us. Kids are just oozing wild No-Rules Creativity that explodes out in messy and brilliant expressions of playfulness …but as we get older that joyful explosion is often met with "tsk tsk…"

I would really love to see more quilt exhibits with a Junior category, like the one in Tokyo. The kids section is just as big, and just as beloved as the other parts of the show! These kids are not just copying patchwork quilts – they are making one-of-a-kind WORKS OF ART.

Today I visited with an administrator at a local middle school, and we tossed around a few ideas about starting a sewing club at the school, or at a local center for low-income and minority families. As we read in the news every day about schools budgets being cut, you and I know that is going to include art classes and other creative activities.

Home Economics and sewing classes are long gone from the vast majority of school systems, so it is up to all of us to find ways to pass on our knowledge and love of sewing and quilting to the next generation. Whether it is stepping up to offer classes at your local fabric or quilt shop, mentoring your neighbors' kids, volunteering some time with a 4-H club or Girl Scout sewing badge meeting, donating an older basic machine still in good working condition, or just giving fabric to excited youngsters, it is really up to all of us to bring kids and young adults into our Wonderful World of Color and Fabrics!

So I would like to CHALLENGE my readers to make a commitment to sharing their passion for sewing with some young people this year! Come on! You know you want to!

Please post your ideas here for all of us to share!

If you are already working on a project like this, we'd really LOVE to hear your experience on what works, and what doesn't.

As an artist, I am always wide open to see and hear stories of creative inspiration. Today I heard a story on our Colorado Public Radio that got me kind of choked up – in a good way.

It was the story of how Ryan Speedo Green went from being a high school football player, to a Bass-Baritone advancing to the semi-finals Young Artist competition at the Metropolitan Opera in New York this March.

http://www.instantencore.com/buzz/item.aspx?FeedEntryId=124471

His high school football coach told him to take an easy elective to bring up his GPA. Art was full already (full of other football players!) so 2nd choice for an easy elective was Choir. One the first day of choir class the kids were messing around singing in their pretend "opera voices" and the new choir teacher walked in, and pulled Ryan aside.

http://www.operacolorado.org/education/artists/

To make a long story short, the kid had an amazing voice, a series of voice teachers and mentors appeared to guide him on his path, and the first time he heard an opera live in person it just hit him – that this amazing art form was what he wanted to do. One of his teachers told him at age 15 that one day he would sing at the Met. In March he will sing in the semi-finals in New York.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/auditions/national/

So what does a 24 year old African-American football player-turned-opera-singer have to do with quilting, you are wondering? (besides the fact I am betting he has a relative who quilts?!) It is just a reminder that all of us have hidden, undiscovered talents. All it takes is a serendipitous event, a magical moment, a twist of fate ….AND our ability to grasp the opportunity…to embrace the kismet that a newly discovered creative passion can bring to our lives.

That's how I discovered quilting. I had left the fashion design industry in New York, and moved back to Colorado. I was burnt out on the garment industry but still had a deep love for fabric, color and design. One day I saw a quilt magazine on the rack at the local grocery store, and when I opened up the magazine my hair stood on end. I just knew in that moment that this was IT.

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/about_family.html

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with quilting, sewing or crafting? Do you remember the moment when you realized – This is IT! – and the joy that filled your heart?

Every time I work with color, fabric, design and sewing in my studio…. I feel that same joy.

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=166

I hope that eQuilter inspires and supports you in feeling that same kind of passion and joy!

* COURAGE *

That's what it took to create this original quilt which was shown at the
Tokyo Quilt Festival.

She may not know it, but it took a lot of guts to dream up, and then execute such a bold and original piece.

It's an eye-catcher, with its sassy use of color and value. Boston Terriers are a "trendy" dog right now, and I am guessing that the artist might have been working from photos of her own dog. I only know this is a Boston Terrier because Sam's sax teacher has one! I've seen these dogs in licensed artwork lately, which is why I say it is a trendy dog. They are awful cute!

There is no way you can miss this quilt when you walk by. Everything about it screams "Look at me!" and everyone who stops to look…. smiles and giggles.

So I think this brave and witty quilt artist succeeded in her goal with this piece.

Whether we are expressing subtle elegance, or witty zingers – the colors, the value (light to dark) and the design tell a story in our work.

What are you inspired to create today?

*****

I am actually writing to you from my hotel room in Las Vegas tonight, after spending the day at trend seminars, and walking the big fashion trade show. No, I am not going to post all that I learned today, because I was previewing Spring/Summer 2012 trends, and this is how I stay ahead of my competition! *smile* I get a kick out of the fact that most of the larger over-arching trends are things we've already discussed at the Color Marketing Group conferences. It is good to see how they play out over time.

It is very interesting to go to these vast trade shows, and see how various trends are evolving. Some of them just continue to mutate from year to year, season to season. I am looking out for color and print trends, but they are folded into the larger fashion trends such as Boho, Military/Safari, Retro/Shabby Chic, Country (Little House on the Prairie), etc.

One trend I love, and watch closely, is the Mad Men trend. They are predicting it will expand into a Vintage Hollywood / Glamourous Cinema trend in 2012 which I love. My original interest in sewing and fabric came from watching the old movies as a girl. Edith Head was my hero! (…or would that be … heroine?)

I must admit, I have never seen so many tall skinny girls in super high heels, as I see here. They have them modeling everything from evening gowns to swimsuits. It is funny to watch people's expressions as they walk by and see these girls. My reaction is – my feet hurt when I look at their shoes! I am happy to have my comfy black Keens to walk the show.

Speaking of shoes, you wouldn't believe how many variations of Ugg knock-offs I've seen. The one that made me laugh today came in either snowball white or cotton candy pink, with silver metallic zebra stripes, long hairy-fluffy trim on top, and sparkly stuff dangling from unusable laces. Hard to explain – sorry they don't allow photos here. Just use your fertile imagination!

Valentines is a favorite holiday for quilters and fabric lovers. Why? Because we love to make things, for the people we love. Our creativity is inspired by love throughout the year though, because we love to put all of our good wishes into our stitches, and then share that gift of love with another.

I am very lucky that I get to see my Valentine every day when I go to work. We are also very lucky that we were able to lure Paul away from the other company he was running, to design our website and manage eQuilter as it grew and evolved over the years. If you've enjoyed the photos I've shared from my travels, you can thank Paul for taking care of the house, kids, pets and eQuilter while I have been traveling over the years.

You might be interested to know that Paul and I met through the personal ads in the Boulder Daily Camera (before online dating sites!) and within 2 weeks we knew we were going to get married and have a family. We both had 50 responses to our ads, but when we met, it was all over.

Paul is happy to stay out of the public spotlight, but he is the Big Brain behind our super-fast website, exclusive eQuilter techie-toys like the Color Finder, and our custom-designed software.

He never complains or gets jealous when I travel, he supports me being an artist and designer, and he fixes my computer glitches in the blink of an eye. What more could a creative gal ask for?

So Happy Valentines to my sweetie, and I hope all of you have or find a Valentine just as wonderful!

This week I am popping over to Las Vegas for one day at a big fashion trade show, to check out trends in textiles, colors and cotton sourcing. Then I am going to sneak out for a "Rat Pack" dinner show so I can listen to those great old Sinatra and Dean Martin songs…

If you haven't yet visited my Facebook page or my photo page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/

http://www.facebook.com/luana.rubin

this week, you might want to have a quick peek at the first batch of photos posted from the Tokyo quilt fest. It is a continuation of what I wrote about Tuesday in my Creative Nudge – seeing the show through the Japanese quilters' eyes.

New photos from Tokyo Quilt Festival at http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/

One of the challenges when we go to a quilt show or art exhibit, is to slow down and really see what is in front of us. We tend to unconsciously go with the flow, look for a few moments, and then move on to the next piece.

I've seen both ends of the scale. I've seen people grow bored after looking at the Sistine Chapel ceiling after 5 or 10 minutes. (HOW is that possible??!!) I've also seen someone stand and look at a painting for an hour, and then come back and look some more.

One of the things that really struck me at the Tokyo Quilt Festival is how many of the attendees really and truly LOOKED at the quilts on display. They didn't stand at a distance and look. They got up very close and looked at tiny details and miniscule stitching. They took out their cell phones and took Macro closeup photos of the piecework and embellishments. They would stand and look for a very long time – longer than people tend to look at shows here in the US.

There is a Zen to Looking. Even though the Japanese quilters at this show tend to be unfailingly polite, in the US, standing right in front of a quilt for so long might be seen as a little impolite.

I had fun watching those who were looking. I found it fascinating, to wait and see what it was that would catch their attention and admiration for such a long time. I finally decided that it was simply a very deep and genuine delight and respect for the work of the artist. As it should be.

My friend Akemi had told me once that at 4 pm the show empties out, because the housewives have to get on the train to go home before their husbands get home. I spoke to several ladies and found that this was often true. Many had taken the train for an hour or more into the city to see the quilt show. They would pour out of the train station by the Tokyo Dome by the thousands in the morning…and then they would all pour back to the train station late afternoon.

So as the show began to empty out, I took that time not just to capture photos, but to slow down and really look at the quilts. I looked at the tiny hand-piecing of vintage silk kimono pieces. I looked at the thousands of tiny quilt stitches on huge intricate quilts. I looked at the vintage indigo ikats and stencil prints that had clearly been lovingly collected, carefully cut and pieced into quilts awash in shades of faded blues…

Here is a closeup photo of a piece that really won my heart, when I slowed down and took a close look. This image shows about a 6" wide section of a small handbag that was part of the handbag exhibition. These pieces are wonders of miniature piecing and stitching – sewn into clever portable pieces of art that can be carried in public.

I couldn't find the romaji of the artist's name (the romanization of the Japanese characters) so I have added an image of her name in Japanese characters so she will get proper credit here.

The more you look at this image, the more you will see. Start with the tiny seed beads, then consider the astonishing miniature applique, 3-D roses, and embroidery. Last week I talked about the play of a rich gold against a subtle mauve. Can you see a similar dance of color here?

I am posting more photos from Japan on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/

Here is Noriko Endo in front of her beautiful Sakura theme Confetti Landscape quilt. See her new book in our Asian book department!

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=205

Gung Hei Fat Choi!

That's from the Cantonese version of "Happy New Year!"

Thursday Feb 3 is Chinese New Year, so that makes today New Years Eve. This is the Year of the Rabbit, which is supposed to be a calmer year than the preceding Year of the Tiger.

The Rabbit symbolizes graciousness, good manners, good judgment, kindness and sensitivity to beauty.

Those of us who collect colorful fabrics have an appreciation and sensitivity to beauty. We have an eye for that one special piece that speaks to us from the crowded shelves or the flea market stalls.

Which brings me to my Creative Nudge Photo of the Week. It was just a few days ago that I got up at 6 am to catch a train with friends, and travel to a once-a-month flea market in Kawagoe, about an hour out of Tokyo. I went with some avid bargain hunters, and we all had a different sort of treasure in mind when we arrived early at the flea market in front of the temple.

I spent about 2 hours at the flea market, but I was more interested in taking photos, than buying things. I photographed bins full of indigo and ikat fabrics, vintage kimonos & obi sashes, blue and white antique porcelain, pre-war stamp collections, trays of glass beads and wooden dolls, matriarchs in winter kimonos and fur collars, young people dressed in vintage pre-war costume, handwoven baskets, iron teapots, and jumbled kitschy toys from the 50's with the barest cutesy glimmer of what would become Anime.

How fascinating to see all of this! – so different from what I would find in a local US flea market. I mean, yes obviously it is going to be different, but to have the experience and take my time to gaze at all of it without rushing…that was a real luxury. It made me think about how immersing ourselves in another culture's aesthetic waters – without rushing – is perhaps not a luxury but a necessity for those of us who like to look for something special in the midst of the hodgepodge.

..and it doesn't necessarily have to be in another country. I've had the same experience traveling to New Orleans, Seattle, Florida, etc.

So here is my treasure that I brought home – out of all the flea market photos I took – this one is my favorite. I didn't even think for a minute about buying the vase and trying to bring it home, because all I really needed was the inspiration of these gorgeous glazed colors. Maybe someone reading this will post on my blog and tell me about this piece, but the color speaks to me so directly that I can feel the smile of the artist when it was removed from the kiln and the glowing hues were seen for the first time. What I really love is the play between the strong golden yellow, and the subtle mauve accents. I am going to have to go play with this color combination now.

I'm wrapping up my quick trip to Tokyo,
and as usual I am blown away by the craftsmanship and the Japanese aesthetics that are on display here at the Tokyo Quilt Festival.

I always have my eye out for different embodiments of visual trends, and one thing that really struck me after walking the show, is how ubiquitous the visual language of dots and stripes has become. The night after I walked the show, I was dreaming about the philosophical meaning of stripes and dots all night!

The dots were often appliqued circles, some as small as buttons, some pieced with curved seams, but they contrast enough (by color, value or dimension) to really stand out as a DOT.

The stripes were present in so many ways –
printed stripes that were pieced into the quilts, parallel lines of straight stitching that created a stripe-like pattern, and string-pieced strips of fabric that created an overall ombre effect.

It is the 10th anniversary of the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and I saw a theme of little houses over and over again. There were tiny embroidered fairy-houses in group quilts, there were three-dimensional houses that multiplied into a fabric village, and there were graphic images of fanciful gingerbread houses.

Ladies were taking closeup pictures of fine stitching, with their cell phones. Groups of quilters clustered around intricate quilts, seriously discussing the techniques used. There were more people getting close to the quilts and inspecting the fine handiwork, than there were people standing at a distance to take in the big picture!

That says it all perhaps. Here in Japan most of the quilts are all handmade, and it is truly mind-boggling to look at some of these large pieces that are hand-pieced, hand-quilted, and hand-embellished. A different lifestyle for most of these quilters, that makes for a different culture of hand-stitched quilts. If you've seen the Japanese quilts at Houston, you know what I mean!

Somehow I managed to fit in a half-day trip to the temple flea market at Kawagoe with Mary Koval, and Carol Veillon of Quiltmania(French Quilts), then Noriko Endo's gallery exhibit. Today I took the subway to the Costume Museum and the National Opera House. Tomorrow I'll catch a contemporary quilt exhibit in Ginza with my friend Akemi.

I am still sorting through my photos (and recovering from something that I ate that didn't agree with my vegetarian tummy!) so by Tuesday in my Creative Nudge I'll have a bunch of images posted on my photo page and my Facebook page, with comments on my blog. I am flying home Monday.

To my American, French and Japanese friends here who made my trip so memorable – Arigato!