Quilting Inclusion: Community Quilt in Collaboration with Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Utilizing the timeless art forms of quilting and embroidery, I expanded the fields of both community art and disability studies through a collaborative quilt project with Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities (WCBDD). During a facilitated workshop, six artists with intellectual/developmental disabilities decorated triangle quilt pieces with images and phrases about their favorite recreation, athletic, and self-advocacy opportunities offered at WCBDD. Following this workshop, I utilized embroidery art to embellish and enhance the drawings and colorings done by the participants as well as creating three triangles to showcase the WCBDD mission statement. The nine triangles were then hand-stitched together into a pyramid shape, representing the WCBDD logo. Finally, the quilt was hand assembled and presented to WCBDD. Through the displaying of this community quilt, the creative and applied research elements of this project will continue to promote diversity and inclusion throughout Bowling Green. Although the final quilt is ultimately a gift to WCBDD, the community at large will hopefully benefit from the showcasing of this quilt on BGSU’s campus as well as other staple Bowling Green locations. Viewers of this quilt will hopefully be positively impacted by the talented and dynamic artwork of my friends from the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities for years to come

Quilting and Sharing: Promoting Lifelong Learning and Service to Others

Lynne Hall, an occupational therapist, educator, and quilter based in Kalamazoo, MI, provided the cover art for the Winter 2020 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Four Patch Posy” is a 45” x 55” quilt made from cotton. In her 50th year of occupational therapy practice, Lynne’s philosophy is rooted in lifelong learning and service to others. The quilt aesthetic provides Lynne a creative medium to serve in her community. With her person-centered approach, Lynne facilitates human potential in the clients, students, and community members she serves. Success in both occupational therapy practice and quilting require a holistic understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Technological Advancements in the Quilting Arts

As it has in every area of life, technology has improved all parts of the quilting process. Throughout history, inventions and discoveries have continued to make the quilting process quicker than before. Quilts are not just for utilitarian purposes as they were thought of for centuries, but are also a form of art. The recognition of quilts as such has not always been acknowledged. Through historical and current facts and additional supporting information, the quilt as an art form will be demonstrated. Documentation is presented partly in written form and partly in the form of a lap quilt. The quilt project submitted has six panels. Each pair of panels represents a specific needlework skill – applique, embroidery, and crazy quilting. Each of these skills is represented in two ways – machine-made and hand-made. This comparison will show that quilts are now made faster than before and, in some instances, even more aesthetic. Other parts of the quilt were also constructed with the help of technology. Three different modern-day machines were used in the creation of the lap quilt, demonstrating that the making of a quilt is indeed improved by technology

What Happens in Romania... Comes Back to the United States and Becomes a Quilt

Our senior thesis project is a quilt that chronicles our experiences on the Maymester trip to Romania through the Honors College, during which we were able to shadow surgeons in the Oncology Hospital and General Surgery III Hospital in Cluj-Napoca. In our quilt, we included some of the most common surgeries we saw while shadowing Romanian doctors: breast removal, gall bladder removal, appendix removal, removal of a section of the large intestine, and removal of the uterus. The final product of this quilt shows every level of the abdominal muscles and organs from the anterior skin to the kidneys. To help our success in creating this quilt, we enlisted four professors that are experts in each of the different aspects of our project. Dr. Richard Showman was the Biology Director of this thesis, helping with both the biological and surgical aspects of the body. Dr. Showman accompanied us on our trip to Romania as his second trip there, and is familiar with the procedures we saw and the biology behind them. Dr. Erika Blanck, the second faculty advisor on the trip to Romania and the gross anatomy professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, acted as the Anatomy Second Reader for this thesis. With her assistance, we gained access to the gross anatomy lab to study the cadavers to create a more comprehensive quilt. In the lab, we took measurements of the entire body and the organs in the abdominal cavity to create a more accurately sized body. To gain better insight into the art aspect of the quilt, we were advised by two members of the art department faculty. Sara Schneckloth is an associate professor with a sincere interest in the combination of anatomy and art, and was our Art Director for this thesis. Andrew Graciano, also an associate professor, is interested in a more theoretical approach to the combination of science and art, and was our Art Second Reader for this thesis. Our quilt portrays a patient’s body on the operation table, similar to the scene we witnessed repeatedly in Romania. The majority of the body is covered by “sterile” material with just the abdominal cavity exposed, as is the norm for surgeries targeting a specific part of the body. The abdominal organs are covered with each layer of muscle visible and able to be opened or closed. The operations included in the quilt are denoted by removable organs that allow viewers to interact with our project by removing and replacing organs as if they were surgeons themselves. On top of “performing surgery,” we are able to demonstrate the proper tying of suture knots, and the option to suture the abdomen shut “post-operation.” The basis of our research for the quilt part of our thesis is from observations made in our time in Romania. The written portion of our thesis includes research into the Romanian healthcare system to provide some explanations for what we experienced on our trip and to gain further understanding of the surgeries we witnessed. This thesis is relevant because of the increasingly popular combination of science and art today. As opposed to simply writing a journal or memoir of our time in Romania, this quilt exemplifies our experience there in a creative and innovative way that is easily and quickly perceived. We hope this quilt will portray the incredible experiences that we could not have received in the United States

Fragments of Memories

Quilt making, in its simplest form, is the taking of fragments from various sources and putting them together to form a new symbol that gives new meaning to those fragments, collectively. This thesis discusses my incorporation of the language of quilt making in my work, transforming its' ideals to reflect on issues and experiences that occur within families and communities, and to make quilt making cross the line from craft to fine art

“Restructuring of Forms in American Patchwork”

“Once Upon a Quilt : L’Amérique comme Patchwork”, Fondation des Etats-Unis Seldom does one see gallery walls dominated by quilts. Considering the level of creativity and skill required to create a quilt and the massive amounts of information one can glean about culture and history from studying them, I find the art world’s lack of appreciation for these objects curious. Noticing the absence, collector Charles-Edouard de Broin and curator Géraldine Chouard, both quilt experts, have dedicated ..

Artist's Statement: Continuum

  Artist’s Statement for the cover art of IJPS volume 8, issue 1: Continuum, quilt &nbsp

Uncoverings: The Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group, Volume 33 (2012)

Preface by Lynne Zacek Bassett Common Threads: Nine California Art Quilt Pioneers by Nancy Bavor Hortense Horton Beck Tells Her Story: I wanted to do something important by Gloria Craft Comstock The Palladian Quilt: Exploring the Possibilities by Mary Ellen Ducey and Joan Laughlin Textiles, Print Culture and Nation Building in the 1840s by Kathryn Ledbetter Contributors Inde

Data quilting: Art and science of analyzing disparate data

Motivated by incongruences between today’s complex data, problems and requirements and available methodological frameworks, we propose data quilting as a means of combining and presenting the analysis of multiple types of data to create a single cohesive deliverable. We introduce data quilting as a new analysis methodology that combines both art and science to address a research problem. Using a three-layer approach and drawing on the comparable and parallel process of quilting, we introduce and describe each layer: backing, batting and top. The backing of the data quilt is the research problem and method, which supports the upper layers. The batting of the data quilt is the data and data analysis, which adds depth and dimension to the data quilt. Finally, the top layer of the data quilt is the presentation, visualization and storytelling, which pieces together the results into a single, cohesive deliverable. For illustrative purposes, we demonstrate a data quilt analysis using a real-world example concerning identity theft

Creative use of traditional patchwork motif in the Patchwork & Quilt workshop

Contemporary quilters use a wide range of Patchwork and Quilt designs and styles, from ancient and ethnic to post-modern futuristic patterns. Unusual quilting designs have increasingly become popular as decorative textiles. During the late 20th century, art quilts became popular for their aesthetic and artistic qualities rather than for functionality. Patchwork Quilt as a form of art is very popular throughout the world. Patchwork Quilt technology is based on stitching together, tufted fabric pieces with decorative embroidery patterns and variations on the theme of the artist's intentions. The larger design is usually based on repeat patterns built up with different fabric shapes. Patchwork is most often used to make quilts, but it can also be used to make bags, wall-hangings, warm jackets, cushion covers, skirts, waistcoats and other items of clothing. Some textile artists work with patchwork, often combining it with embroidery and other forms of stitchery. Traditional patchwork – blankets and pillows include such familiar themes as Log Cabin, Star, Pineapple, Scrap-Quilts, Bargello etc. Traditional patchwork has identifying names based on the arrangement of colors and shapes. A unique form of patchwork quilt is the Crazy Quilt. Crazy quilting was popular during the Victorian era (mid-late 19th century). The crazy quilt is made up of random shapes of luxurious fabric. The patchwork pieces are stitched together forming "crazy" or non-repeat, asymmetric compositions. Fancy embroidery embellishes the seam lines between the individual, pieced shapes. Traditions of Latvian Quilt continues at Quilt Latvian Society. Inspired by the world, Latvian artists creatively extend the style and technique-specific boundaries. Patchwork Quilt is a process that continues to evolve and improve the selection of fabrics and innovative technological solutions and means of artistic versatility. The aim of the work – To study traditional 19th century patchwork motif and to explore the usage of Crazy Quilt motif in contemporary patchwork. Material and Methods. This paper analyses the contemporary textile artists’ quilts and traditional 19th century Crazy Quilt motif. Conclusions. The research explores traditional 19th century patchwork motif, summarizes and analyses most common visual and technological features of Crazy Quilt motif. As a result of the research, and on the basis of personal experience, authors offer the Crazy Quilt practical training (workshop) objectives and terms of reference to ensure patchwork technique practical and artistic components. Applying both – traditional and contemporary patchwork sewing techniques and combining them with textile techniques such as embroidery, crochet, textile printing and different painting techniques, there is scope for costume decoration process. The Workshop’s content is suitable for students and participants who are interested in patchwork, quilting and everything in the diverse world textile arts in the 21st century, for beginners and intermediate makers. Participants can use a Crazy Quilt for design idea and learn the easy ways how to draw chosen designs and combine patterns to create a contemporary quilt and costume elements. As a result, students obtain new knowledge, self-experience in traditional textile techniques and motivation to study textile technology