I may have started a new project this week.
And, before The Joyful Quilter can chastise me again for abandoning the alphabet, I'd like to point out that I covered this project about this time last year. As I speculated then, I have now decided to use the selected fabrics in Peak of the Season rather than Continental Divide. So, even though the fabric had never been cut, it was still in my alphabetized stack of UFOs!
This delectable mountains pattern by Debbie Caffrey got me thinking about how inspiring she was to me early (2005) in my quilting progress, especially in the proper and creative use of standard rulers. Which led me to thinking about others who have inspired me.
Jinny Beyer - In the late 1990s my interest was only hand piecing; it was what Mother had done and it enhanced my living history obsession at the time. While my mother was a Georgia Bonesteel follower (who still had some shows on public television), I turned to Jinny for inspiration and never missed her TV programs. I had the pleasure of attending a couple of Jinny's Hilton Head retreats where I met another TV idol ...
Alex Anderson - Alex taught me the basics of "quilter's math" which I rely on daily. She also taught me that a little black and white will make a quilt sparkle. From Alex I also learned about quilt cruises where I met another inspiration ...
Joen Wolfram - Whereas I could never grasp Jinny Beyer's color theory, Joen's color concepts are easy to understand and her tools are my "go-to" when I'm grappling with a color decision.
Eleanor Burns - Also "must-see-TV" for me, Eleanor's strip piecing gave me the courage to tackle my first machine-made quilt when we were expecting our first grandchild in 2001. I still strip piece whenever I see the time-saving benefit.
Gwen Marston - I don't remember how I learned about Gwen, but I love the way she had one foot firmly placed in the traditions of the past and the other liberated in the world of modern quilting.
Cindy Williams - My current influencer, Cindy has given me the confidence (more accurately, the PUSH) to tackle complicated designs.
So, who has influenced your quilting life?
ROFL!!! :o))
ReplyDeleteYou know me SEW well, my friend.
Some of those same quilters are on my list of "influencers."
well I watched a lot of Alex Anderson and grasped more of the construction process - I loved Jinny Beyer in that she hand pieced which was my first love and how I did all my quilts back in the 90's -- but after that I learned more and more through reading quilt blogs and seeing how others did things and went from there. I have never attended a class in person so I can't really say that any of them really inspired me a lot.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never watched the quilting TV shows or taken a class with a nationally known quilter, I've been so positively influenced (and inspired!) by people like you who I've gotten to know since I began blogging. And I always know who to ask if I have a quilty math question!
ReplyDeleteLove that red fabric you are using. Bonnie Hunter is probably the one I've learned the most from. Tackling her mysteries has taught me a lot about piecing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your preference for the Joen Wolfram's color theory, and I also like Rachel Hauser's Quilter's Field Guide to Color. Alex Anderson taught me to shop more wisely for fabric. Back in the day, Diana McClun and Laura Nownes taught me to make quilts with their book Quilts Quilts Quilts. Mostly, though, I'm influenced by fellow bloggers, Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict in particular. I think the blogging community is more valuable to me than any individual nationally known influencer.
ReplyDeleteI love that red print you're using. I have 8-9 yards of the perfect red toile backing or coordinate for it. Want to talk about a trade?
Marti Michell, whose "Quilting for People Who Don't Have Time to Quilt" books (American School of Needlework) were among the first I owned. Nancy Martin, Marsha McCloskey, Judy Hopkins and the other 1990's That Patchwork Place designers. And Bonnie Hunter, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe heyday of the PBS quilters -- Georgia Bonesteel, Eleanor Burns, Kaye Wood -- occurred at a time when I wasn't watching TV (or when the shows were on while I was at work). I did catch a few of Alex Anderson's programs and some Nancy Zieman but didn't watch regularly.