Teaching Modern Quilting: Quilts As Art

Last night, I met with seven precious ladies in my first Modern Quilting Class at Wilson Community College. I’m humbled and blessed to be their guide to the world of stitching. Six are beginners and one is a quilter ready to make her quilts into works of art. So, I’m back to journaling my journey and blogging with a purpose.

What is our essential question when considering quilts as art? What is our design problem to solve? How do we transform quilt making into an art statement? What strategies can we use to share the personal quilt narrative into a timeless universal story?

I teach what I’ve been taught. Cynthia Bringle taught me the Penland Experience lesson of making three. “When learning a new art process, make at least three objects using the process before you drive down Penland Mountain, so you’ll own it when you get home!” Cynthia’s lesson works for me and for my student’s who follow my advice. A painting professor and mentor, Jim Starrett, taught me to “always begin with a triptych.” As an artist, I continue to work in a series of at least three. I find there are no shortcuts!

Since, I’m a teaching artist my responsibility is to instruct using guided practice. I’ll blog my process and thinking in the coming weeks. I have many resources from my last university teaching gig. Links to teaching materials shared with my students will be available in each blog and on my website Indigo Fibershed. Remember: It All Starts With A Simple Stitch!”