First off how would you define "Art Quilt?" Really people, isn't anything individually crafted by someone art? I would rather categorize quilters by things like geometric wiz machines, hand applique artisan, modernists, etc. all quilts are art. I don't care if they are applique', pieced, fused, glued, glittered, beaded, sequined. Patterned like a cross stitch or a bargello knitting pattern, and on and on. It's all art. Someone had the idea to translate some pattern or design either from nature, architecture, whereever and put it in fabric. So things are like cave paintings and writing a bit of history in fabric. What makes a quilt a quilt is the layers, it is layered textile art.
My mamaw was the only quilter I ever knew and she did amazing things with a treadle sewing machine, needle and thread. She would look at a picture and make a pattern. So technically she's an art quilter yes? She would sew with bits of this and that wasn't a 100% cotton purist. She was making a blanket to keep her youngins warm. She would use old blankets, old quilts and even old wool coats as batting. Those quilts were loved to death. My mother and her siblings remember them and all kinds of family events because of how special that "art" was. It was functional yes. It served a purpose yes. It was beauty out of rags as my mamaw put it. That was the art. Making a silk purse out of a sows ear. I can hear her in my head as I'm typing. The only thing that was ever a sticking point with her was the quilting. It had to be 10 stitches to an inch. If you did it wrong she ripped it out and did it over. Was very particular about that. But that was it and that was her thing.
When I started quilting my sense of color combinations was very good not sure why but I really didn't make the "omg what was I thinking" kinds of mistakes things really did work well together. I would vary the colors and hues and scales of prints in a very natural way. Then I took a class with a nationally notable quilter and "art quilter" and she told me point blank that my sense of fabric sucked. I was devastated. I wanted to learn her perspective and I admired her work but her attitude left a lot to be desired. Okay I'm not you, I'm me I don't want to be you but I want to understand how you process things so maybe I can grow and evolve into something from it. I will leave her nameless and chalk up my experience to her having a bad day or something. Because I still think her work is amazing. I still would love to be able to have a conversation with her about how her creative process works when she comes up things. What influences her.
Next class I took was with another nationally known teacher and she was like "Wow I love the fabrics you have, you can play for days and never come up with the same kinds of feelings in your work, the textures and colors etc. etc." See where this is heading yet? What's one quilters "omg what were you thinking" is another's "Wow I want to be able to have a stash like yours" its all entirely subjective. That teacher undid a lot of the mental damage the first teacher did and the quilt that came out of her class is one that to this day when i lay it out on the floor (its still a UFO I'll explain why later) I'm still pleased with what I did in that class it still makes me feel proud of the accomplishment and it was like the 3rd or 4th thing I had ever pieced. Because of her I learned there are no quilt police.
Other things I've learned. Juried shows scare the tar out of me. Since to me quilting is a subjective thing how can you place standards on stuff. I trully think there are times when 10 stitches to an inch is too much should be longer stitches used instead of shorter. I think that the quilting on a quilt can have as much flexibility as the piecing and still be "good". It's all in perspective and intention. First thing I ever entered into a competition was within my guild and I was told it was just wrong can't remember all the "wrong" I did but it was just wrong. This is the wallhanging I entered.
Not bad for the 2nd thing I'd ever completed. I took my time and worked really hard on meeting "the rules" the critique on my work was to me just mean. There was nothing constructive about it. I remember at the quilt show one of the guild members taking a family member around and when they got to mine said this is what you "shouldn't do" as a quilter. Most people would have given up. I didn't, I just hadn't found "my thing" its all experimenting and having fun. What I did learn is I really didn't care if I won a prize or received national recognition for anything. I'm a quilter from a long line of quilters and I quilt for the pure joy of the craft. I make quilts for people that have meaning. Let me give you some examples.
First Quilt and one of my mamaws last quilt (hers is the blue one).
Everything I do is different. I've made over 200 quilts over 20+years of quilting I probably have about 20 UFO's and so many ideas for projects and enough fabric to start a small shop. Do I call my self an art quilter? Of course I do. Am I traditionalist, yep I'm that too. Do I win awards and prizes.? Nope I don't care to have my work judged, I'd rather just have it loved. So to those who want all quilters in little categorical boxes my advice is don't. Because if you do they may just revert to the thing you don't want them to be. Better yet let them just be who they are, quilt the way they want, and learn to value what all of us bring to the table either by our naivete', art education, or life. We all make a difference in our unique way. We all color the world with our fabric creations and a piece of our souls goes into everything we make. If we were Voldemort that would be a lot of horcruxes to get rid of now wouldn't it?
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