I just signed up to attend the Denyse Schmidt quilting workshop in September! I can't wait!
Denyse Schmidt has been at the forefront of the creative scene for a while, but I've only been clued in for the past couple of years. After I completed my first quilt (a log cabin with the red hearth and everything ... very country-style!), I knew I loved quilting but "country-style" is not really my style. I definitely prefer modern design and fresh, clean looks and I knew I would only continue with a passion for quilting when the final results were ones I would proudly display in my own home.
One day at a bookstore, I happened across Denyse Schmidt Quilts: 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects ... and I was spellbound. I had no idea it was possible to combine modern, sometimes-minimalist design with an age-old art like quilting! To say the least, Denyse Schmidt's ideas have been inspiring to me.
My favorite creation straight from the book so far is the "Ice Pops" quilt I made for my sister-in-law for her wedding last year. Heidi and her husband registered for beautiful and modern decor, so it was fun to match the style of this quilt to their decor. I hope they'll enjoy it for years to come.
There's a really neat article from Amercian Craft Magazine where they talk to Denyse. The article is mostly about the location of her studio and how bringing art and creativity can rejuvenate and restore. One question they ask her is, "Is there a statement you're trying to make in the work that you pursue?" Her answer:
"I guess my agenda has always been to make people aware of the beauty of the quilt. Not that it has to be defined as art—the object itself as a functional thing is such a beautiful expression. I love that from the same pattern in the hands of 10 different craftspeople, you’ll get a completely different look. There’s this amazing sharing of ideas and techniques and patterns that doesn’t exist in other art forms. Like songs that get passed along orally, quilt patterns get spread around, and the names change from “Snake-in-the-Grass” to “Drunkard’s Path.” That little piece of our history is to me so beautiful, it’s really something
I wanted to celebrate."
This is exactly why we created Quiltivate! We want you to be free to make quilts however you'd like, to share your creations and to learn and try new things. I hope you are freed to do that here and I really look forward to seeing how the art of quilting continues to evolve in the hands of so many creative men and women.
So, needless to say, it is a huge honor for me to go and learn from Denyse Schmidt for a few hours in September. You can rest assured I'll give a full re-cap here on the Quiltivate blog, so stay tuned!
