Hi everyone and Happy New Year! Strap yourself in, I'm on a rant.
I was planning to write this post anyway, but when I opened my Instagram this morning there was a post by Peppermint Magazine saying exactly the above (it's still in my stories if you see this fast enough) and it hit me right in the feels. I've been working as a quilter now (not making quilts - but WORKING as a quilter. I've been MAKING quilts for 46 years!!) for over 25 years. During that time I've written 18 books, designed 8 fabric collections and 7 thread collections, written for quilting magazines and collaborated with designers and companies in the industry all over the world. I've taught at nearly every big quilt show, all over the USA and Europe, New Zealand and Australia - even on a cruise ship. I'm not good at blowing my own horn but its a fact - I've worked my butt off to be up there with some of the best known quilters in the industry.
And yet. Even my dad calls my business my hobby.
Yep! My brother talks about what I do with a slightly amused and derisive little lip curl. Friends all make jokes about the "little old ladies" I teach and people ask if I'm "still doing my quilting".
You mean, am I still single handedly running the business that pays our mortgage? Running the business that I grew myself over 25 years of working 7 days a week from one pattern in Country Crafts Magazine and teaching mums to sew in a park, to what it is today? That quilting?
You can't pretend that if my business was ANYTHING ELSE, that they would respond that way. Accountant? Lawyer? Tennis coach? Dog walker? Fashion designer even that they understand. But because I make "craft", it's not a real job - it's my nice little hobby. What's worse is I'm a woman - if I was a man, those very same people would marvel over what a successful artist I am, and the amazing business I've built from creating my art and following my passions. Textiles in general (except fashion), are not considered art because they are traditionally women's work, something nice the ladies treat themselves to after they've done the washing and the baking and warmed their husbands slippers on the radiator. Utilitarian. Slightly shabby. Comfortable.
Several years ago I was teaching at a big quilt show in Australia - I won't name it as it might out the quilter I'm about to mention, and its not in any way his fault. I've taught and had booths at this show since we opened Material Obsession in 2003. In all those years, there has never been media coverage of that event (other than paid ads) by any mainstream news outlet, or on tv or radio. Maybe the local paper, but not the Sydney Morning Herald. The year I'm mentioning though, they had a MAN TEACHING. A man!! Who knew!! How terribly artistic and avant garde! Despite being a very new quilter and teacher, he was interviewed on breakfast radio, TV and in the papers. If you know anything about Australian quilting you will know that we have some of the world's premier quilters living and working here - many of whom have taught and exhibited at this show for years. Those women however are making their nice little crafts in their aprons, not making SERIOUS MAN ART in a women's world. Not worthy of a column inch.
You get the picture. And so it was with that slight bitter taste ever-subconsciously in the back of my mouth that I rounded the corner at the newly refurbished Art Gallery of NSW and saw this at the end of the room in front of me.
Yep, its a quilt. And not a "textile artist" type quilt, not something being called a quilt by someone who doesn't quilt and it's really two layers of transparent plastic held together by stapled bottle tops (yep seen it), a real live actual quilt by a quilter. Just casually hanging in the gallery's permanent collection, like the piece of art that it is. If you live in the US you might be wondering what the fuss is about - quilts are much more generally accepted over there (you still won't find one in most everyday large art gallery collections), but for me, in Australia - where quilts are generally thought to be something with brown corduroy that your nanna made in 1930 - in my local gallery where I go at least once a month? This is a Very Big Deal.
The quilt is by Helen McCloud, a Gees Bend Quilter, made in 1965. Here is the information on the tag.
I came around the corner and saw the quilt hanging there, and I gasped and walked up to it, and read the tag. And then I stood there and looked at it, and I thought about the Gees Bend quilters (some of whom I have met many times), and about all the other incredible quilters I know, and about how the general world outside of the quilting universe will never know about how truly amazing their art is, and about how proud I was to see a quilt hanging there in MY art gallery that I know like the back of my hand. I wanted to say, good start AGNSW. How about an AUSTRALIAN quilter's art now. And I felt so real and validated to see it there, and being the emotional little bundle of menopausal hormone that I am, I cried. And I cried some more. Poor Damo 🤣
When we were done strolling we went into the gallery shop for a wander and my book was there. I managed not to cry that time.
Here is a little more info about the Gee's Bend quilters https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers
And also a link to a little more information about Helen herself https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/helen-mccloud
The Souls Grown Deep website has some WONDERFUL books about African American quilters and artists, I own several! The Gees Bend books however are a real treat, if you don't own them already here are the links:
https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/publication/quilts-gees-bend (this one is my favourite)
There's a CD of their singing as well (which made me cry ((again)) when I heard it in real life, just wow) but its hard to find - but you can also listen to them sing a small selection on Spotify! Just search Gee's Bend.
Next week I want to tell you about another amazing art gallery experience I had during my little break from you all, which is also about forgotten women and involves textiles. I would tell you now, but I'm busting to give you the scoop on some of what's been keeping me so busy over the last few months, so I will save it for next week.
Back in June Damo was made redundant. As with many other places in the world right now, finding a new job is a slow and difficult process as companies aren't hiring they're bunkering down or laying off. When we left for Europe he still hadn't found anything, and when we came back I was also hit with the news that the company that have made all my BOM templates and sandpaper boards for the last 11 years was closing down! That threw me into a complete spin as the templates sets are a big part of my BOM experience and there's not a lot of businesses in Australia with the experience to do what Imprezzio does for me.
Over that following weekend I wondered what to do. Damo and I chatted and we wondered what. Jacqui and Jordan were thinking about closing... and we contacted them on the Monday and they were thinking exactly the same thing!
And SO..... drumroll!
We are purchasing their laser cutter, and we will be making all my template sets, as well as sets for the other designers and shops they currently service. We will also be rolling out retail products as the business gets going - I have some really fun things planned! We're going to have a special sew along for the launch and all kinds of other things. Damo is going to run it (he's been Jacqui's work experience boy for the past few weeks, learning the ropes!) and he's also taking over all the orders and shipping etc for my own online shop. The business is called That's Accurate! We're still getting everything set up as we don't take over until the beginning of April, but you can follow us on Instagram @that_is_accurate and you can sign up for the newsletter here too. Website and Facebook page are incoming... I will let you know when it's all active, as there will be some free EPP tutorials and all sorts of other goodies over the weeks and months as That's Accurate gets going. It's very exciting to be starting something new, and terrifying that everything coming into the house now relies on my quilts one way or another, and I'm so happy that Damo is working for me and with me, and I'm trying hard not to be a very bossy boss. And I'm SO BUSY that I'm about to explode (we didn't actually have a holiday, we still worked - we just had a holiday from shipping orders and answering emails), so if sometimes StitchyMites comes on a Wednesday like its supposed to, and sometimes it comes on a Thursday or even a Friday please know that it will come! And that I appreciate you all, and that you will always have the scoop and the discount code and the freebie before anyone else because you're totally awesome.
In that vein, here is a sneak peek of The Lemonade Stand project 2, which will be available for subscribers to download on Feb 15. If you're a subscriber, don't forget that the kits for this project (i'm not telling you what it will be made into yet, and this is just one part of it) will go on sale on January 15, and if you're not (why not?? hahaha) the pattern for project 1 will be available for sale to the general public on January 15, and the pattern below will go on sale February 15. You can. still. join The Lemonade Stand at my website - the patterns work out a LOT cheaper if you buy the year instead of buying them one by one.
OK got to go now because this rabid little bean is hopping up and down in front of me for a walk and she simply cannot wait another moment. Happy day peeps, I hope you have lovely sewing planned!
Sarah x
Oh wow, what a lot of huge and exciting new paths ahead for you all 💜