Saving Our Stories

Stories are full of power.

They bind us to people, places and objects in a way that few other methods do.

They inspire us to be better, they incite us to action, they compel us to give, they change our minds or they confirm our knowing.

And the re-telling of stories, calls forth the greater forces of love, mercy, generosity and strength.  And through these forces, we connect.

Being the needlework junkie that I am, I like all things to do with a needle and thread.  That being said, I tend to prefer needlework that tells a story...

Often, as a viewer attending a quilt or needlework show, I am left wanting more.  Beyond just the name of the artist and title of the work, I want to know why they made it?  For whom?  What are they trying to say?

This past weekend I was lucky to spend time with two organizations who believe in the power of story.

On Saturday, I attended the one-day conference, Not Fade Away: Sharing Quilt Stories in the Digital Age.  The conference was sponsored by the Alliance for American Quilts, a non-profit organization who has been documenting and saving the stories of quilts for the past 20 years.  You can read more about their oral history project, Quilters' S.O.S. (Save Our Stories), here.  As each quilt interview is completed, you can also read the transcript of the interviews on the website...all of the audio files as well as pictures of the quilts are being archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

The day was filled with interviews of quilters sharing their stories and a series of different workshops of which I took two.

One workshop was on Self-Publishing using Create Space (owned by Amazon) -- loved it! And the other workshop was a training on how to conduct my own QSOS interview.  You can read how to get involved and download the Guidebook for conducting an interview here.

The conference was well-organized and I would definitely go again.  Luckily for all attendees, they partnered with the Sacred Threads Quilt Exhibit so that our meeting was held in the same building as the 2013 show.
All I can say is Wow!  

I haven't been to tons of quilt shows...maybe just a dozen or so...but this was the first quilt show that set my soul on fire.

The quilts on display dealt with personal and/or spiritual subject matter with categories that included Joy, Spirituality, Inspiration, Grief, Healing, and Peace.  Hanging beside each quilt was a statement that described the spiritual journey the artist took in making their quilt.

It was an intimate exhibit...and the lack of ropes allowed the attendee to get up close and really see the details on each quilt.  Photography was not allowed but I was able to find some (not all) of my faves online...

Change Your Mind by Karen Cunagin
Mother and Child Crazy Quilt by Debra Spincic
Memories by Jennifer Day
St. Francis Preaches to the Birds by Barbara Curiel 
My Friend is Bi-Polar by Laurie Ceesay
Not Just Blue by Susan Walen

To say I was moved is an understatement.  Many times I was able to empathize with the maker who expressed their joy or grief or sorrow with needle and thread.  The Sacred Threads Quilt Show is held through this weekend in Herndon, VA.  If you live anywhere close by, I highly recommend going.

I wouldn't have gone myself either had it not been for my blogging needle friend, Allie Aller.  She was the one who invited me since she is on the Board of the Quilt Alliance and was planning to attend.

Allie and Susan, a bit dewy from their ride on the Mount Vernon Trail

Our story began in 2006 when I first started blogging.  Her blog was one of my favorites as I was eager to devour as much crazy quilting knowledge as I could.  At the time, Sharon Boggon of Pintangle was running a "100 Details in 100 Days" on her blog and Allie had decided to follow along, interpreting Sharon's detail as a seam treatment onto her Crazy for Flowers Quilt.  I followed Allie and worked on my Tea Therapy block.

So from these connections a friendship was born.  Fast forward to today and Allie has now turned "pro" in the quilting world. She's a nationally-renowned teacher, author and has just recently offered an online Crazy Quilting class through Craftsy.    If you are the least bit interested in crazy quilting, I highly recommend it.

Allie and I took advantage of being in Northern Virginia and biked along the Potomac River on the Mount Vernon Trail.  We had read wonderful things about the trail ride and it did not disappoint.

On Monday, we took an emergency trip to New York City for the day.  That's because Allie had found out that Tinsel Trading was moving and they were having a huge sale!

Antique Metal Ribbon at Tinsel Trading Company, NYC

It's true.  They are moving on August 31 and it is unclear as to how much of the current inventory will be moving to the new location.  That means...if you're anywhere close to NYC, you might want to stop in there for the sale...there were some great deals to be had.  Fingers crossed that the store will still emphasize vintage notions and supplies for the enthusiastic artist but there are no guarantees.

As for Allie, we always have fun and it's easy to pick up where we last left off...laughing and sharing and dreaming.

Thanks for coming Allie.  I hated to see you leave.

P.S.  I found this great online resource by an Quilt Appraiser on "What to Put on a Quilt Label"...it's worth a read and much of it translates needlework as well.  The only task I might add is the importance of taking a picture of yourself, the maker, while you are in the process of making the item as well as little note about your process.

P.P.S.  My own life story is taking me on the trip of a lifetime to Scotland.

I'm a bit excited with all things Scotch at the moment and I'm afraid my enthusiasm will be bubbling over onto this blog in the next few days.  Just preparing you...I'm leaning toward tweeds and plaids and thistles and heather...oh yeah, and scotch!

Mrs. Rose is going to hang tight until September when life settles back into a routine...roses need stability in order to bloom and I'm anything but stable at the moment!~

Re-discovering Love

Yesterday, I had my nieces over to embellish tote bags. While I was pulling out supplies for their day, I discovered this Valentine's Quilted Jacket that I made over 10 years ago...

Except I never actually sewed the pieces into a jacket.

I suppose that finding it means that I'm supposed to finish it.

I have thought I might like to embellish and bead it but then I'm not sure how to quilt it to the sweatshirt backing if I put all of that embellishment on it...

Maybe I should quilt it first and then embellish it but that might look funny.

This is where I get stuck because I'm not really a quilter. I have no problem sewing the blocks but then making it into something is my Achilles heel.

I really love hand applique though...and I'd forgotten about that.

I put a lot of what I love into these blocks. Like this popcorn tub I made in honor of my husband Jim. He makes the best homemade popcorn ever and it's his favorite food...

And this block tells you exactly how long this project has been in hiding...

That was Jack's hand at 3 or 4 years of age, compared with his hand this morning.

Jack is home sick today so I'm nursing him with the healing tea and some Valentine's donuts...

I hear they have loads of healing properties.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone...

I hope you celebrate someone or something you love today.

I wish I could go...

Kirsten is creating in overdrive for her opening June 17. And I was hoping by sharing this that some of my Northwest North American BNFs could go?? Go to her very inspirational blog to see more of her work and what washes up on the beach to inspire her.

I love how she uses a combination of machine and hand embroidery.



I love how she builds up her backgrounds...And I love how she interprets low tide...


Jack graduates from eighth grade today and goes for a CT scan of his foot. Thank you all for your good wishes an sympathy for both him and me! I haven't had much e-time the last few days so I'll chat and visit you all soon. And let's all pray that the Top Hat in the Gulf is working...

[Note: All photos used in this post are copyright by Kirsten Chursinoff and are used with her permission.]

Decision Portraits

I first came across the work of quilt artist Susan Lenz-Dingman through another blogging needle friend and her sister, Wanda Lenz of Wanda's World (Wanda lives in Germany.)

She engages in many innovative and compelling techniques like her stained glass art series and her grave rubbing art quilts.

But it is her Decision Portraits series that captivates me the most.


Susan's intent is to portray important, everyday decisions. There is no judgment in her work, she merely wants to document the decision made. She uses a xylene transfer method on tea-stained muslin designed to give the quilt a newspaper look. The result shows a specific person but also suggests others in the same situation. Each work is suppose to be both individual and universal.

And I was blown away by how effective this artistic method is when I had a very strong personal and emotional response to this portrait...(read more about it here)


Many of you know that I lost my Mom to acute leukemia two years ago. She was 70 years old.

When I saw this portrait of this woman who had survived aggressive treatment, I was moved by her story and delighted for her outcome.

But I found myself scrolling down through all of the other portraits, searching for the alternate decision...for the person who either chose aggressive treatment and died because of it or for the person who refused further treatment and let life takes its own course.

I didn't see either one. So I contacted Susan and asked her if she would be interested in stitching a portrait of someone who refused further treatment.

You see, my mother went through two 6-week in-hospital stays -- with only a one week break in between-- on the Hepa Filter unit for leukemia patients at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. My mother's diagnosis was very dire. She had about one year to live with a 50% chance of extending her life if she chose to participate in a clinical trial that gave her the best chance for remission.

At first, her answer was "ok. yes, of course" because the diagnosis was new to her, she hadn't had time to process what it all meant and, of course, she wanted to live...to live to see her granddaughters and grandson grow up...to still be part of her family.

During the first six weeks of treatment, they used chemotherapy to kill off all of the bad cells and the good cells within her bone marrow...and then we waited for her good cells to begin to grow back. It was miserable for her. After all, it had had only been one week from the time of her initial diagnosis at her annual doctor's check-up in Florida to her first inpatient stay at Hopkins. And then she was almost killed by the aggressive treatment...weakened, loss of sleep, sick, loss of appetite, loss of hair...misery.

Because of the lack of white blood cells, she was totally at risk for infections and had to be in completely sterile environment throughout the course of her treatment. Which meant she had limited visitors and was unable to see her friends or grandchildren.

When she began to feel better, they told her she could go home for a week but that she had to come back again for another six weeks of treatment. She groaned. She wept. She left the hospital and went back to Florida...got her affairs in order...had a week of freedom. And then returned to the hospital, where she was almost killed for the second time.

By the end of the grueling 12 weeks, I think she would have pulled out her own hair if she had had any. She was released from the hospital, and only had to come back for transfusions and weekly blood tests to see if the leukemia had returned. She had a great Summer and we partied at the beach where she celebrated her 70th birthday and 50th wedding anniversary. It was possible to be in remission for a year and we were hopeful.


In the end she wasn't that lucky. Her leukemia levels returned in October and her doctor prepared the admission papers for another round of chemotherapy and torture. And my mother said No.

I'll never forget that day. My Mom's doctor was a wonderfully energetic and accomplished leukemia expert named Judith Karp...and she was almost the same age as Mom. They had a good relationship because Dr. Karp could relate to my mom's strong-willed nature and her hatred for a clinical environment that removed her self-control.

So, there we were in for a routine visit and Dr. Karp was busily writing her orders and clinical notes. Head down, her eyeglasses perched on the tip of her nose...ready to admit my mother for her Round 2 and Mom said No.

Dr. Karp stopped what she was doing, dropped her pen, pulled her glasses off of her nose, turned, looked my mother straight in the eyes and said, "no...Are you sure?" I got the impression that she didn't hear this every day. This No.

And my mother, with moist but determined eyes, said Yes. And my father and I slowly watched the scene as tears puddled in our own eyes.

And Dr. Karp said. "You, my dear, are a very brave woman."


When we left that day, Dr. Karp gave my mom a long, meaning-filled hug. She kissed her on the cheek and said, "You've got guts". Mom laughed and thanked her for all she'd done. We left the office and we didn't see Dr. Karp again though she did oversee Mom's care when she was on hospice.

My mother had about six more months to live; four of them good. To be in the home that she loved, surrounded by her family and by the life that she had built for herself. The last two months were harder, but I was proud of her.

Proud that she chose to die at home rather than die in the hospital like so many others do. She was brave to refuse further treatment. It's not a choice that many people can make. And it's one of the most difficult.

For 10 years, I was lucky to work as an administrator with some of the country's best geriatricians providing health care to senior citizens. And I applaud them for the work they do in explaining the unbelievable risks that seniors undertake when choosing to aggressively treat diseases. I admire geriatricians because they get patients to think about their own death and how they'd like it to go.

Death is never pretty. But there is a way to do it more gracefully. I think my Mother found that grace and she died in her own way, the way she lived her life.

I am delighted that, after getting permission from my Dad, Susan will be stitching Mom's decision...Refused Further Treatment.

Susan is on a short time frame as she prepares for a solo exhibition (Sept. 10-October) at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston. It will spotlight her Decision Portrait Series during the MOJA 2010 Festival. And she still needs more portraits. You can see the list of desired portraits here on her blog and here's what she wrote to me just yesterday...

"There are still lots of portraits on the list, but the ones I'm most interested in are Divorced with stitched words reading Irreconcilable Differences; State of the Economy with stitched words reading I never thought I'd accept food stamps; and any of the ones about "aging" and/or "beauty"....like tanning regularly, having cosmetic surgery, taking Viagra or Botox, etc. "

If you're interested, you can email Susan here. She needs a signed release form and a high-resolution image (the higher, the better) and she needs to finalize everything no later than mid-June.

Thanks for listening to my story and I'll update you here when Susan has finished Mom's portrait. I sent her the picture you just saw above.

Countdown to a Quilt and a Cure

There are 13 days left to make a donation to help find a cure for breast cancer.


For every $10 you donate, you receive TWO chances in the drawing to win this quilt...

To see MORE pics of the Quilt and it's blocks
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CLICK HERE
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This quilt is appearing in the premiere issue of Art Quilting Studio Magazine...pretty cool.


And, if you happen to not win the quilt, there are over 60 consolation prizes that have been created by artists for a Runners-Up drawing...

To see ALL the Consolation Prizes donated by artists,
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CLICK HERE
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In order to donate via PayPal,
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CLICK HERE
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Or Mail to:
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Monica Magness
PO Box 2206
Madison, AL 35758
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And visit GIRL GONE THREAD WILD (Monica's blog) for more details.

You might remember that I contributed this nest...

And then my friend Carol suggested it be a votive holder...

And it looks lovely that way. Thank you, dear Carol.

I'm thinking of making a votive nest from the materials not used in my Daughter's Valentine...to keep me company while I'm working...and light my way.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Sidetracked by Korean Textiles

I wasn't even going to post today. I have too many things on my to-do list -- that was, until Cindy Powers of Dancing on Temple Tops sent me into a tailspin when she posted about Korean Embroidery.

From Cindy's blog

In particular, it was her mention of pojagi (or bojagi) which had me on a mad search for more information. See, pojagi are not unlike our modern day "crazy quilt" -- where remnants of beautifully embroidered hanbok (traditional korean costume) were sewn into wrapping cloths called pojagi.

It turns out that on my trip to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, I had found and photographed these two contemporary examples of pojagi (which now, I believe are by artist Chunghie Lee, someone let me know if I'm correct) .


Of course, at the time, I had no idea what they were. I just thought they were beautiful and they reminded me of the work of Karen Ruane of Contemporary Embroidery.

Unasu on Flickr has posted pictures of some of her mother's pojagi work and here is one of my favorites...


And another one of my favorites from her Mom --


though it is less traditional pojagi and more reminiscent of cathedral windows -- but isn't it stunning?

I also went to my Silken Threads book and found this information about pojagi:

The patchwork wrapping cloths (pojagi) that served as common household items in the Choson period may have developed from forms used in Buddhist contexts. A number of exquisite patchwork cloths made from early Chinese fabrics have been preserved in Tibetan temples, where they were used for covering altar tables and wrapping scriptures....The popularity of patchwork furnishings in Tibet no doubt can be attributed to the lack of domestic silk production in this region as well as the Buddhist renunciation of material wealth. Korean pojagi were created in several different forms, each for a specific use. Those with attached strips of cloth were intended for wrapping gifts, those with loops in the middle of the cloth functioned as food-tray covers, and those with tassels on the corners were used as table covers.

Evidently there were many types of pojagi some more elaborate and embroidered silk pieces used for the royal classes and other more common types made from ramie and cottons used by the masses. It's fascinating to me...the Japanese have become very interested in this art form and antique pojagi are being prized by collectors...who knew?

For $500, this antique piece found here could be yours!



Here is a great little video put together by a student at the Seoul Women's University.

And I can't help but share these pictures from my inspiration file of contemporary Korean hanbok published in Vogue Korea in 2007. Who knew that they would be seen here today when I put them aside so many months ago??



Now I really must get back to the tasks at hand...Hope you enjoyed this tour of Korean needlework...

Note: Cindy just emailed me with this additional piece of info...

The difference between pojagi and american patchwork is that the
seams are somewhat like a flat fell so that the resultant patchwork
is finished on both sides. Rather than being padded and quilted, the
patchworked fabric is light, floaty and airy. Often they are
displayed on lightboxes or over windows so that the light can shine
through like stained glass windows.

Happy Dress Day!

I have dresses on the brain this morning. Last Friday, Allie commented about Audrey's little black dress and Barbara C commented that it reminded her of paper dolls. Later that day, I stumbled upon this finished quilt.

It was the result of an internet collaborative where each woman took a simple design and dressed it up. You can read all about it and see each individual dress close-up on HollyDolly blog.

And Debra Spincic has been re-fashioning some of her old clothes into everyday dresses. Now, the thought of wearing an "every day" dress intrigues me...I have to find one of those...and I wonder what my husband would say....

For years, I've been collecting images of dresses. Here are some in my file though I can't source them, sorry!

And this is one that is inspiring me to create a purse...by new designer Lindsay Mason. I love all the different fabrics and styles that Lindsay puts together in her fresh and fun designs.


I'm also lucky enough to own two dress sculptures by fabulous glass artist, Kathleen Holmes. Kathleen uses vintage needlework pieces in her glass sculptures to create beautiful art. This one is my current fave called Garden Infanta


And this one is the one I'm lucky enough to have in my living room....


And Karla Nathan sells dresses made out of vintage wallpaper and trims in her etsy shop...


And I can't leave a discussion of dresses without showing you this Dress Lamp Tree by UK photographer Tim Walker. Stunning.

I have just a few stitches left on my October Bead Journal Project. Yesterday, I spent the day biking 60 miles to Annapolis and back.


Thankfully, this nice young mid-shipman named Casey was kind enough to pose in the photograph so you would know we were actually there in the home of the U.S. Naval Academy. If only he had been in "dress" uniform, then it would really fit this post!

Today, my needlework guild is having a HUGE Swap and Flea Market so I have to go!! Hope you have a dress-up type of day!