In this new showcase I’m featuring four Modern Quilters that you will love!
Virginia Robinson
I began quilting in 2009 after the birth of my first daughter. We lived in Philadelphia then – it was winter, it was cold, and I had a newborn. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I asked my husband for a sewing machine for my birthday. I barely knew how it worked, but I watched YouTube and learned, after a lot of messing up.
I spent the first few years just sewing little projects and making quilts from t-shirts and old pants. I didn’t have much fabric at all, and that was okay. I didn’t need a lot and felt free to sew whatever I wanted because I was using old clothes and scraps.
My first real quilt class was in California, where my family had moved after we lived in Philadelphia. I was so surprised by the difficulty of the techniques and precision – I found it all pretty overwhelming, but I was happy to learn so many new skills. For that class, I made a quilt out of men’s shirts I had bought at a thrift store, and when I finished, I gave it to my grandmother, who inspired me to try quilting in the first place.
After moving to North Carolina and joining The Modern Quilt Guild, I started to find the colors, techniques, and aesthetic I really loved. I have always loved solids – reds and yellows bring me so much joy! – and I have become primarily an applique quilter. The process and options in applique always inspire me, and I like that I use a technique that includes handwork and machine sewing. All of my show quilts are applique quilts; I would be surprised if one day I submitted a quilt to a show that was not applique!
I now continue my quilting journey by teaching others and sharing my work on Instagram. As everything returns to normal after the pandemic, I hope to have more time to sew and create new quilts.
Claudia Scheja
About 30 years ago during my studies of social work I made my first quilt. Patchwork and quilting became my passion over the years. Sometimes it is only the pleasure of sewing, trying a pattern or using a beautiful fabric bundle. And sometimes a memory, a feeling, or a conversation is the beginning of an idea which develops into a new quilt. Some of these quilts were successful at international quilt shows.
I like simple patterns, straight lines, clear structures, simple shapes and always a good challenge, but also to try new techniques and materials. The last years I have often worked with solids, especially the shot cotton by Oakshott Fabrics, their fine sheen and the colourplay of warp and weft make these fabrics so special.
In 2010 I bought my longarm quilting machine. That was the best decision I have ever made in my quilting life. I love to add texture to a quilt in the third dimension. The quilting process is usually open. I start with a rough plan and then I let myself be carried from step to step. I enjoy these hours when I sink in the project and thoughts can drift. I also offer longarm quilting for my customers.
Claudia Scheja Longarm-Quiltservice Hartenkerl 16 59368 Werne Mobil +49 (0)178-5377096 quilterei-werne@t-online.de
www.quilterei-werne.de
Scott Culley
My name is Scott Culley, I grew up in eastern Washington State in the United States. I have a Bachelor of Architecture degree and Bachelor of Design Studies degree, both from the Boston Architecture College in Boston Massachusetts. I currently live with my husband and our two children in Berlin, Germany.
I learned the basics of sewing from my mother, who mended all of our clothes and made our Halloween costumes as a kid. It wasn’t until much later, however, that I gained a deep respect for quilting. As an Architect, a client once showed me the quilting project she was working on. She had used the clothing from her deceased mother as material to turn memories into a lasting usable quilt. The symbolism was powerful; I was soon enrolled in a quilting class. While searching for inspiration, I stumbled upon Violet Craft’s work and saw immediate potential in the foundation paper piecing (FPP) method she uses. Uninspired by the traditional FFP themes of cute animals and flowers, I decided to teach myself how to create my own patterns.
My current themes are of the macabre, memory, and masculinity. I love to integrate lively colors found in advertisements and pop art that grab attention.
My creations represent the contradictions and desires of the voices in my head. Like in architecture where a building’s final existence rests on the creative transmission of ideas from designer to contractor. My entire process, from visualization, research, digital casting, to sewing and quilting, is an expression of my creativity.
Website is www.scottculleydesign.com Instagram is @scottculleydesign.
Belen Parisi
Quilting showed up to me during my first years as an expat in the US, in Texas, when I found myself curiously wandering around a group of traditional quilters that joined weekly to work on their projects. I have had a growing attraction to the act of sewing and embroidering since I was a child, looking at my grandmas and learning from them. So when quilting appeared in my path, I kept my eyes wide open and a whole new world opened in front of me. I started visiting quilting festivals, strolling little Texan towns in search of old quilts, building my own library of quilting books, and spending hours on the computer learning from blogs and platforms.
After making my first quilts from traditional blocks, I realized that quilting could offer me endless possibilities and turn into a truly personal means of expression. That’s how I discovered a lot of contemporary quilters that I admire and fell in love with their work; without a doubt, they inspire me and make me embrace the idea of quilting as an artistic practice. If I had to define my working method, if there is one, I would say that I materialize ideas, feelings, and emotions through intuition and improvisation, and in this way, the design of the quilt comes up as a result of a dialogue between the act of picking up fabrics and materials, the work of my hands frequently adding hand-stitched details, following color hints, and of course including vintage pieces like embroideries and all kinds of second hand fabrics and textiles.
I like combining old and new, and I love to give a new purpose to the materials, because when I do that I can feel the magical power of creating. And in this act I find myself healing. Today, some years after those first encounters, I can affirm that this is the path that I want to walk and for the next few years, I surely plan to keep on working in this direction.
