Past Event: Eli Leon's quilts go on sale today

Local quilt collector Eli Leon lived in Oakland.  The sale will be at his home.  Details here.

Eli Leon's quilts

-- Rachel Holmen

Member Blogs

Many EBHQ members have blogs that feature their quilting.  If you have one, please email raeholmen@gmail.com, or add a comment to this post.

Arleen Kukua - quiltohana.blogspot.com
Claire Sherman - claireshermanart.com
Pati Fried - http://www.patifried.com/blog
Ellen Wong - Shoot the Moon
Susan Dague - http://susandaguequilts.com

Marion Coleman featured in the New York Times

Marion Coleman's quilts were featured Feb. 2, 2016, in the New York Times.  It's rare for New York to even notice Oakland, California, for its contributions to the art world, and rare to see quilts discussed.

You might have to pay $1 to see the article (but the Times lets you see ten articles each month for free).  The article includes a slideshow of 8 quilts made by members of the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland, one of our sister guilds.

                                    New York Times 2016 article about Oakland quilts

(And along the way, I found this nice link for Gee's Bend quilts:  http://soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers).

 -- Rachel Holmen

Bandanas and Boro Cloth -- a followup to Jean Cacicedo's recent talk

Jean Cacicedo's talk on Monday included some fascinating stuff:

She mentioned a book, "Indigo: The Color That Changed the World", which I found on Amazon by Caterine Legrand.    (And for anyone who loves indigo, I personally recommend the video BLUE ALCHEMY,  by Mary Lance.  See http://bluealchemyindigo.com/.)

"Boro cloth", much-mended fabric created in Japan, originally by families too poor to buy new fabric, was discussed and shown in Jean's talk.  Here's more information:  https://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/boro-japanese-folk-fabric/

With permission from Yew Tree House Antiques, this post displays an image of a boro cloth currently for sale. Put the word "boro" into the website search box to see it and the information about it -- I could not come up with a direct link.

The wool gauze Jean likes is available from Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, whose webpage is http://yoshikowada.com/

Many of us know that crewel embroidery was an attempt to replicate the patterns on textiles brought to Europe and America from India.  But I certainly didn't know something Jean discovered during a trip to India to study weaving and dyeing techniques:  the origin of the word bandana.

"bandana (n.)
    also often bandanna, 1752, from Hindi bandhnu, a method of dyeing, from Sanskrit badhnati "binds" (because the cloth is tied like modern tie-dye), from same PIE root as band (n.1). Etymologically, the colors and spots are what makes it a bandana."  (from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bandana)  

and

"from Hindi bāndhnū tie-dyeing, from bāndhnā to tie, from Sanskrit bandhnāti he ties" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bandanna)

Now I have to go look at one to see the modern translation of the dot pattern which is India's equivalent of Japanese shibori.  I've put a few internet images with this post, but you can find lots more by searching online yourself.

— Rachel Holmen

Lots Happening at the San Jose Museum of Quilts during May, 2014

Cool stuff is happening at the San Jose Museum of Quilts.

Tuesday, May 6, will be a "day of giving" as the museum kicks off a short fundraising campaign.  If you can contribute, click either of the link here:
 http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/give.html or http://svgives.razoo.com/story/Sjmqt

Now though July 20, 2014: Quilt National 2013 -- 87 quilts selected from over 800 displayed at one of last year's major exhibitions.

Also now through July 20, 2014: "Now and Then: Early Art Quilts by Ros Cross 1973-76", five quilts from a Southern California quilter who was born in England.

May 7 – July 20, 2014: New SAQA exhibit: Northern California Inspirations.  "The works presented in this gallery are by members of the Northern California/Nevada Region of Studio Art Quilt Associates…"

"On June 8, 2014, Inside Quilt National, a Fiber Talks program with juror Judith Content and Quilt National artists Leslie Bixel and Sylvia Gegaregian will run from 1:00–3pm."  Advance tickets required.

-- Rachel Holmen


(Hey, if you're a member of EBHQ and have ideas for the blog, I'm happy to add you as a contributor.  Just send me a message.  Pati and I don't have to be the only contributors.)

Interesting article about American textiles

A modern photographer has posted an interesting slideshow of American weaving factories.  Most of the photos relate to wool rather than cotton, but they're fascinating anyway.  (And did you know that indigo -- to dye fabric blue -- was a major American crop, encouraged in particular by a teenage girl -- Eliza Lucas Pickney -- left in charge of her father's plantation?)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/magazine/fruits-of-the-loom.html

For more about Eliza Pickney, read Cokie Roberts' fascinating book, Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation.


-- Rachel Holmen