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Yes, There is Racism in Quilting

Stop the pearl clutching. Let go of your conventions.

Stop saying that politics has no place in quilting. It 100% does.

Stop thinking that white privilege is not a thing. It absolutely is.

Much is being said this week, much is going on this week. I feel like we are at a reckoning for civil action. People are FED UP with the systemic and blatant racism in policing, in society. Thousands and thousands are marching peacefully. Many are raging too. Quilting should be no different.

Like the White House was built by slaves, quilting was also built on the backs, the deaths, the enslavement of people. Cotton. Just think of cotton. Not a person among us should be free of the imagery, the reality, of a cotton plantation. White owners, black slaves. All for cotton. And what is it that is the mainstay of our industry? Cotton.

Of course I am not saying that current quilt shops, fabric companies, and designers are slave owners. But we must absolutely acknowledge that this industry arose as a direct result of slavery.

So, yeah, stop clutching your pearls.

When quilters want to use their skills and their creativity to make a statement with their quilts they are doing so with over a century of tradition behind them. Temperance quilts, church fundraisers, signature quilts all have something to say or show. Block designs acknowledge periods of history or events and we use them now not knowing. So many quilt blocks have Biblical inspirations, those are just as political as a modern interpretation of a raised fist. Quilters use quilts to raise their voices.

The people complaining that politics have no place in quilting are really saying that politics different than theirs don’t belong. It is about silencing a voice they disagree with. And more often than not it is about a white person silencing a voice that is coming from a person of colour or in support of. A perfect example of this is the quilt show reaction to the travelling exhibit Threads of Resistance.

So yeah, quilts always have, and always will be political.

My skin is white. That affords me a luxury of safety and comfort that many others do not have. I do not have to worry that I will be viewed as a thief in a store, just for being in the store. I don’t have to style my hair differently when shooting a class so that I look less ethnic. I am not questioned about whether I am in the right place, ever. All because my skin is white. If you need more explanation or white privilege and you haven’t been watching the news lately, this post is quite succinct. Here is a direct example from the quilt industry. Or take a look at the faculty of nearly every major show, and some of us may remember the defensiveness or organizations when it was pointed out. That is all white privilege.

Look at your book shelf of quilting books, or at the bins in your stash. How many of them were created by black quilters? I’m not saying that the companies are blatantly racist and excluding black designers. It is more that we are all conditioned to see white as better, myself included. I’ve benefited from that system, no doubt. That is white privilege. I had to sell myself, but I had a built in advantage. There are, you should know, a tonne of talented black quilters, designers, artists, and teachers including are Nicole Neblett, Chawne Kimber, and Carole Lyles Shaw. They deserve their spotlight too.

A few years back, it was either at Quilt Market or QuiltCon, a group of women came together to take a photograph. Their point was to show that they were all different people. It wasn’t a group of blonds or middle aged pattern designers, it was a group of black women. Ebony is not Latifah is not Rashida, yet people always want to mix them up. Why? Because they are all notable black quilters and seemingly people couldn’t tell them apart. Why? Because they likely weren’t seeing them as individual people, just ‘the black quilter’. People laughed at the stunt, but it was more telling of the industry than anything.

So yeah, white privilege exists and it is here in quilting.

There is no perfect way forward. And I know that people don’t want to hear that they are wrong or even get the hint that they are racist. Now is the time for all of us to look in the mirror, look at the words we say, and how we act towards all people. I am doing that, so should you.

Don’t be complacent, do the work.

Don’t expect others to educate you, educate yourself.

Don’t assume that you are without fault, we are all a product of history and a system.

I do sincerely hope that time is a reckoning. Here, as a quilter, I want to do the work to make those changes. So I will keep reading, writing, researching, making, listening, amplifying, and respecting. I encourage you to do the same.

As a start, I recommend the following:

The Social Justice Sewing Academy.

The work of both Carolyn Mazloomi and Faith Ringgold.

Checking out the collections of various museums like the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Berkley Art Museum. There is more to African American quilt traditions than Gees Bend.

Reading Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Morning Make - January 2020

Learning poetry

Back in elementary

Haiku was the start

Cheryl Arkison Haiku

Do you remember back in school and the famous 5-7-5 syllable count of learning Haiku? We were taught it then because the perception is that they are easy, simple, elementary. And while you can write one following the count rule, that doesn’t mean they are any good!

Haiku is a form of poetry originating in Japan. Initially, they were written as objective, pictorial pieces. They usually described something in the natural world or made seasonal references. Quite often there are two subjects, contrasted through the visuals the words present. Haiku is subtle and can be both melancholy and beautiful.

For January I decided I would write one haiku each day. I threw out the subject conventions and mostly ignored the other rule about the subject contrast. At least, I didn't much care if that happened but tried to do it some times. Now, I am not a poet by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like words. I love the way we can express emotions and the sparseness of 17 maudlin syllables was inspiring. Most of the haiku reference what was going on in my life at the moment, so they serve as a diary too.

Here are some of my favourites from the month:

People I don’t like

Invading my dreams last night

Woke up feeling gross.

(January 10)

Lazy Sunday start

Because it’s damn cold outside

That hockey game though

(January 12)

Love overflows yet

It pools at my feet almost

Unconditional

(January 15)

Wrestling tournament

Time to display savagery

But nails must be cut short

(January 21)

Nocturnal living

Invited by pain that keeps

Sleep from persisting.

(January 25)

Seek joy. Take comfort.

Compassion for my body

My heart needs it too.

(January 27)

A daily habit

To jumpstart creative flow

And ease anxiety.

(January 29)

February is here and I’ve laid the pen down for a needle and embroidery floss. Follow along with my Morning Make on Instagram. Better yet, join in! #morningmake is the hashtag.

Ripples - A Water Inspired Quilt

Ripples Cheryl Arkison

Ripples

52” x 68”

Next in the landscape series of quilts. (First there was Mountain Meadow, then Names for Snow).

Completely inspired by the deep blue landscape of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Whether it was the morning sun reflecting off the calm ocean, or the hidden blues of the spruce trees in the rain, or even the rolling fog covering the community like a quilt, they all found a home in this quilt.

Simple improv curves, the repetition of blocks and colour an homage to all that I saw that long weekend on the coast. A way to capture the energy of the community and the creativity of all the people I met. This is absolutely Improv With Intent.

Free motion quilting circles


Quilted with concentric circles to emphasize the Ripples. Kind of like the ripples on the surface when you toss a handful of rocks into the water. Or the ripples when the seals poke their heads up to see what you see. Or when the fish bubble up, trying to hide from the seals and the herons. Or, as I see more often than not in our life on the Prairies, kids jumping in a pool!

The quilting was done on my Bernina 820 with an Aurifil 50W in teal. It blended with the front and the fabric on the back.

Ripples Cheryl Arkison Improv Curves


Backed with a gorgeous loon print from Mark Anthony Jacobson, an Ojibwe artist. Bound in grey, one of my own prints, to remind me of the fog, the logs, and the weathered wood of the docks.

To see more of the inspiration, check out the original post.

Mark Anthony Jacobson


Unexpected Gifts for Quilters

Okay… send this post to you partner, your spouse, your boyfriend, your grandkid, your mom, your girlfriend, or even your best quilting buddy. Sure, they can all give you a fat quarter bundle, another ruler, or a gift certificate to your favourite shop, but that is so cliche! (Albeit, always welcome!) Instead of the usual stuff, now is the time to drop some hints for the unexpected, but greatly appreciated. These are the gifts that will fuel your creative fire. Not to mention, get you using the fabric they bought you last year.

1. Art Gallery/Museum Membership

Most major cities have an art gallery, or two, that host both regular and touring exhibitions. Stepping out of your usual textile world is a great way to soak up inspiration. Special exhibits on top of the regular showings introduce you to a load of new concepts and ideas. You may think that you would rather spend the time sewing than an afternoon out, but it is well worth it. Bonus, if you have a partner or children it makes an excellent date!

Here in Calgary I am a fan of The Glenbow, the Esker Foundation, and Contemporary Calgary.

Gallery floor

2. Subscription to an Audio Streaming Service

Avoid the ads, for one. But this is great food for the brain while you sew. I know a lot of people who will ‘watch’ shows while they sew. Something familiar that they listen to but don’t actually watch. Skip the pretense and listen to your favourite tunes or get engrossed in other people’s stories. True Crime, Humour, Books, even sewing all have podcasts delivered regularly across platforms. It could be Apple Music, Stitcher Premium, or Spotify, among others. Check their preferences.

Ear Buds

3. Really Nice Markers, Pencil Crayons, and/or Pens. Plus a Bullet Journal.

Sure, we’ve all sketched something on a scrap of paper with what ever nub of a pencil we found or meticulously planned a quilt on a standard pad of graph paper. Okay, some of use computer programs, but you folks are in the minority and skilled in a totally different way. Getting to play and draw out our ideas with real colour in things that flow on nice paper is a true privilege for most quilters. It is not another pack of Crayolas for the kids to steal. These are our things that will be protected at the same level as our fabric scissors.

While I, personally, am not someone who does the Bullet Journal thing, I do like the dotted paper that most journals have. It allows you to make and use grid lines without having the lines be so prominent like they are on graph paper.

Pencil Crayons and Paper

4. Long Arm Classes

A long arm sewing machine is not in the budget of most quilters. (Remind me to tell you of the time my husband discovered the prices). However, there are stores and long arm quilters across the country who will rent out time on their long arm machines. You just have to be certified first. Give the gift of the class.

If an in person class is not an option, splurge on a long arm gift certificate. Your favourite quilter can get their big quilt finished without intimidation.

long arm.jpg

5. Time

Give them time. A weekly or daily time where they are free to sew - GUILT FREE - while you take care of the rest of the stuff of life. It might be a sew date with a friend (who needs book club when you can sew?), mornings while you get the kids out the door, or at night when it makes zero difference to you anyway (but you can fold the laundry while they sew, right?) To many of us would love to do more but the grind of daily life means that time is at a premium. The gift of time means so much.

Remember, none of these gifts are about getting more quilts done. Don’t ever make that the goal. That will probably go over as well as buying someone a gym membership if they casually mention they wish they could lose five pounds. Bad, bad idea. No, your goal with these gifts is to encourage their creative exploration. You are promoting their natural curiosity, enhancing their skills, and showing your unconditional support for something that brings them joy.