M, quilt maker

How have you got this idea : family tradition ? school ?

  I sewed a few things at home when I was younger, such as a pair of pants, etc. My mother and sisters sewed dresses occasionally. After my father died, my mother moved into a smaller house, and I helped her get rid of things she no longer needed. One item that remained was my grandmother's sewing machine cabinet, and no one wanted to take it, but no one wanted to see it go away. So I took it. Then, when we moved to Boone, NC, we found a small sofa in a dumpster. Since I now had a sewing machine, I bought upholstery material and made cushions for the sofa.

At Christmas, we didn't have money for gifts, so Georgie asked me to make something for her. I used the remaining upholstery material to make a quilted floor mat for the bathroom. Georgie liked it so much, that she showed it to friends. One friend told me to come to her house, where she showed me a book called "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" about African-american quiltmakers. The book taught me that I could make a quilt however I wanted to.

After that, I made 3 quilts in 3 months. I didn't know how to do it, so I hung out at the local quilt shop pretending to look at merchandise while the quiltmaking classes were in session. The owner was very nice, and helped me when I asked questions. So, when each quilt was finished, I showed it to her. She was very supportive.

The quilt shop sponsored an exhibition at the local university art museum. The owner of the Quilt Shop, Todd Prescott, encouraged me to enter my quilts in the show. All 3 were chosen to be exhibited. At the gallery opening, the juror who chose the work for the exhibition, Joe Cunningham of San Francisco joethequilter.com found me and started asking me questions about my quilts. He really liked them, and we became friends. He helped me a lot. He interviewed me for a book he was writing about men who quilt.

How are you perceived as a man in the quilt making witch is more often a women activity ?

 I sewed a few things at home when I was younger, such as a pair of pants, etc. My mother and sisters sewed dresses occasionally. After my father died, my mother moved into a smaller house, and I helped her get rid of things she no longer needed. One item that remained was my grandmother's sewing machine cabinet, and no one wanted to take it, but no one wanted to see it go away. So I took it. Then, when we moved to Boone, NC, we found a small sofa in a dumpster. Since I now had a sewing machine, I bought upholstery material and made cushions for the sofa.

At Christmas, we didn't have money for gifts, so Georgie asked me to make something for her. I used the remaining upholstery material to make a quilted floor mat for the bathroom. Georgie liked it so much, that she showed it to friends. One friend told me to come to her house, where she showed me a book called "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" about African-american quiltmakers. The book taught me that I could make a quilt however I wanted to.

After that, I made 3 quilts in 3 months. I didn't know how to do it, so I hung out at the local quilt shop pretending to look at merchandise while the quiltmaking classes were in session. The owner was very nice, and helped me when I asked questions. So, when each quilt was finished, I showed it to her. She was very supportive.

The quilt shop sponsored an exhibition at the local university art museum. The owner of the Quilt Shop, Todd Prescott, encouraged me to enter my quilts in the show. All 3 were chosen to be exhibited. At the gallery opening, the juror who chose the work for the exhibition, Joe Cunningham of San Francisco joethequilter.com found me and started asking me questions about my quilts. He really liked them, and we became friends. He helped me a lot. He interviewed me for a book he was writing about men who quilt.

I think quiltmaking was a man's activity in Scotland, where some people think european quiltmaking began. It's a man's activity in parts of africa. Men also quilted in Appalachia, although women quilted mostly. I don't notice anything different because I am a man. Sure, there are a lot of women who quilt, but I love women and love being around them. I have never felt that other men thought I was a sissy because I quilt. Maybe I'm blind!

I'm just in a chapter... The book is called "Men and the Art of Quiltmaking" by Joe Cunningham. It should be available in October 2010, published by American Quilter's Society.