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Inspirational!
That was a visitor comment heard during Quilt Fest North at Astley Hall in Chorley. We saw fantastic attendance at Quilt Fest North, which this year focussed on modern, contemporary and art quilts.
We had plenty of talent on show with award winning work, and it was a celebration of patchwork and quilting in the broadest sense of the art and craft. To educate and inspire are key aims for The Quilters’ Guild, and Region 13 certainly did this.
On a gallery visit, it is worth thinking carefully about the pieces in an exhibition. No-one loves everything- we are all different, but rather than saying to yourself “I like/don’t like that”, ask “why do/don’t I like this?” What is affecting you in the piece- does the subject move you? Are the colours singing for you, or overwhelming you?
Now here comes the tricky bit, if you feel inspired, how can you now make something of your own? If you have admired a traditional quilt, using well established traditional blocks, patterns or techniques, then it is fairly straightforward to start to make for example your own log cabin quilt- no-one owns the log cabin block!
When making a more contemporary quilt, it is more difficult. It is all too easy to put an image into AI and digitally re-create it, but where’s the fun in that? More importantly the artist has poured untold hours into refining drawings and ideas, colour and fabric choices and developing techniques in order to make something worth showing. Is it right to simply make a copy?
Of course if you have bought a book or kit, or attended a class, the artist is clearly intending that you share their knowledge and skill, through the product you have bought from them. You are supporting an artist through buying from them, this enables them to continue to develop their work, and show you something else amazing next time you see them. You are buying their pattern that has gone through several drafts and mock ups. You are buying the time it has taken to select and source fabric and thread packs, quite aside from the material and print costs. Of course when you get a kit or pattern, or go to an inspirational show or workshop, it is the art you are focussed on- that’s the exciting bit! Take a moment though, do you need to credit an artist for the quilt you have just made? Before you offer to make a copy of a pattern for your friend, did the artist intend that you could make unlimited copies at no extra cost?
If we don’t treat our artists fairly, it becomes unsustainable for them to make a living. If we lose our artists and teachers, who drives our art forward, who leads workshops or speaks at meetings? If you attend a class or a talk you enjoy, invite the workshop leader to come to your group, or ask if you can buy the pattern for your friends. Supporting each other this way ensures we can grow our community of patchwork and quilting, and sustain our creative talents. Be inspired- go create!
Author Anna Owen.
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Inspirational
That was a visitor comment heard during Quilt Fest North at Astley Hall in Chorley. We saw fantastic attendance at Quilt Fest North, which this year focussed on modern, contemporary and art quilts. We had plenty of talent on show with award winning work, and it was a celebration of patchwork and quilting in the broadest sense of the art and craft. To educate and inspire are key aims for The Quilters’ Guild, and Region 13 certainly did this.
