What Does Modern Quilting Mean to Me?

Over at The Modern Quilt Guild this week they've had a series of posts from some significant bloggers in the the modern quilt movement. I've rather enjoyed the conversation, so I decided instead of just commenting on all the posts, I would create my own post. So, what does modern quilting mean to me?

Central to modern quilting, I believe, is the idea of Freedom. Unlike traditional quilting which can feel very restrictive in both construction and design, modern quilting is about freedom. Freedom to throw tradition out the window or tweak it with fabrics, layouts, and improvisation. Freedom to try something new in colours or construction. Freedom to do what you want without fear of the quilt police knocking down your door.

Improvisation is also central to modern quilting.  This doesn't just mean the wonky log cabin. Improvisation is about starting a quilt and seeing where it goes, without a detailed plan. Maybe you could also talk about process here.  When I was asking you about The Whys of quilting, process was something that was central to me at the end of that discussion. I think modern quilting stresses the process as much as the final product (regardless of your technique) and improvisation is central to many a modern quilter.

Even when a modern quilter is using calm colours or simple designs, The end result is always something quite bold.  It might the fabrics themselves, or the final design, but when I think of modern quilts, subtlety does not come to mind.

I know that there are many traditional quilters out there under the age of 40. And there are modern quilters out there over the age of 50. But when I think of modern quilting I tend to think of youth. Perhaps it is because there is an energy to the work and the movement? It might be because most (but not all) of the bloggers I've encountered are closer to my age than my mom's age? But that youthful enthusiasm and energy has, I think, a powerful influence on the quilting world as a whole.

It would be remiss to not mention the role of technology in modern quilting. I don't just mean the design software. Blogs, virtual quilting bees, Flickr, and Etsy are all having a powerful influence on quilting. Have you heard of Web 2.0, where we the readers are also the content providers and help determine the present of the internet? Well, technology has allowed us to have Quilting 2.0 as well. Not only are we connecting and working together in a way that wasn't possible beyond the traditional guild, we are also working with each other projects, lending opinions through workshops and our blogs, and generating a never ending cycle of inspiration.

Finally, I want to highlight, that for me, it is important not to throw out the baby with the bath water. That is, there is a lot in traditional quilting that shouldn't be thrown away just because we like a modern aesthetic. This includes basic technique - we still want a quality piece at the end, not just one that looks good in a small on-line picture.  It also includes colour theory and design basics. We're modern and it is up to us to push the boundaries a little. Like modern architecture though, the building still has to stand on its own.

In a somewhat contradictory twist to this conversation I will be attending my first guild meeting tomorrow, a traditional guild. I'm quite excited about it, and it seems that this guild has some modern tendencies and vibrant members. With The Modern Quilt Guild springing up across North Amercia, maybe one day there will be a Calgary chapter?

Where I'd Rather Be

Have you ever noticed that the majority of people who work a desk job decorate their office with vacation photos, pictures of idyllic locations, artwork from their kids, or pictures of the family itself? Have you ever noticed that all those things make up for places they would probably rather be that work?

Welcome to my work week! I have a few family photos, but I've surrounded myself with quilts and colour. Can you tell where I would rather be? If I can't spend my day quilting or with the girls, I'm bring that with me.

The requisite office supplies are surrounded by artwork from the girls - the joys of finger painting and glue. That is one of my favourite photos ever of Hubby there on the right. Taken about 12 years ago after some water-skiing. Every day when I'm on the phone and I can daydream about painting around our little craft table or those carefree times of summer without kids. And I don't see those fantasties as mutually exclusive.

Right under my Project Improv quilt sits this little area. An old wooden tray holds keys and the crackberry. It also holds my water bottle (I hate drinking cold water) and the best teapot ever. You could also call this part of my office a bit of inspiration. That glass vase is filled with my sea glass collection and the shells from our most recent vacation. And the Marimekko tin holds markers. Markers which are used should my girls or someone else's kids visit the office. Markers which as used to sketch out design ideas that hit while I'm supposed to be working.

Finally, I have to include a photo of this piece of artwork. It may look like a piece of felt with bits or scrap ribbon, buttons, pompoms, and a jingle bell. I actually think it looks like a mini art quilt. And The Monster made it just for me, just for my office.

Yeah, I know where I'd rather be.

The Seven Wonders of Cheryl

Okay, so it won't be that momentous. Elizabeth over at My Crafty Mess tagged me and I thought I would highlight some little known (or too well known) facts about me. My profile is detailed, but there are always things to learn.

1. I cannot make jello or rice krispie squares

I nearly went to culinary school instead of grad school, but I cannot - for the life of me - get either of these to work. My jello never sets and my rice krispie squares are rock hard. Sad, but true. Oatmeal cookies are also a challenge for me, but today may have been a turning point. Thank-you Martha.

2. I absolutely hate coffee

Or anything coffee flavoured, including mocha, tiramisu, or Kalhua. Yech. Just last week I accidentally grabbed my husband's Americano instead of my Chai. I nearly did the full spit out and splatter all over the Monster. Thankfully it was a small taste and I immediately started eating my bratwurst to ge the taste out of my mouth. What is truly shocking about this fact is that I more or less paid my way through undergrad by working in coffee shops. I can make a mean espresso.

3. I cannot sing - at all, ever
It is rather frightening to hear me attempt a lullaby or sing along to the radio. Thank goodness the Monster has no judgement. I was in the choir in elementary school, but was still blamed by the entire choir (over 50 kids) when we lost the Kiwanis Music Festival one year. In university I dated I guy who was firmly convinced that everyone could sing, and that everyone liked coffee. After singing for him one night he had to amend both statements.

4. I am a bit of an exhibitionist

Hey, isn't everyone who blogs a bit of one? One year there was a large music festival, called EdgeFest, with 10,000 people attending and over a dozen bands. Hole was the headliner. By the time they started I was in the middle of the mosh pit. At one point Courtney Love flashed the audience. Feeling flush - and a little drunk - I flashed her back. She pointed me out after a song and said that someone with boobs like mine should get on stage. Before I could think a bouncer grabbed my arms and pulled me over the fence and helped me get on stage. I spent the rest of the show on stage, dancing and singing along. I wish I could end the story there, but alas, I then felt the need to flash the entire crowd. The way I figure it, the girls looked damn good then (unlike my post-nursing girls) and I was proud of them. Yet, when I went to New Orleans I managed to keep my top on. The girls gone wild days are long gone...

5. I once got stuck to a bathtub

To be honest, it actually happened twice. We used to live in a house with an old clawfoot, cast iron tub. I was having a glorious hot bath one night but when I shifted positions I felt this suction in the small of my back. I literally got stuck to the tub. I struggled for a few minutes to free myself, but only made it worse. Then I started calling for my Hubby, then my boyfriend. He couldn't hear me, but our roommate did. I kept screaming, "Get Morgan, I'm stuck to the tub!" Roomie couldn't stop laughing all the way down the stairs to get him. By the time he got to the top of the stairs I had managed to get a finger between my back and the tub to break the seal. I had a hickey the size of a dessert plate on my lower back. It happened again a few months later. I blame the tub, it attacked me.

6. I nearly froze to death

At 11:00 pm on a Friday night a friend asked me to go with him to visit his friend at another school about an hour and a half away. Terribly in like with him I said yes, despite the fact that it was a raging Maritime blizzard and he wanted to hitchhike. We took the bus to the edge of town and stuck our thumbs out. Ben usually had the luck that someone was going all the way from Halifax to Wolfville. Not that night. After a few short rides, only taken because we needed a break from the wind, we got stuck in the next town from Wolfville. Maybe we should have just walked to Wolfville, but instead we thought we would take shelter in a barn we could see from the road. Unfortunately, the barn was little more than two sided hay storage and offered no relief. So we crossed the field and went into town. We tried to get someone to let us in from a cold vestibule of an apartment building. No luck - and can you blame them? Finally we found a heated vestibule with a kind security guard who made us promise we would be gone before any of the seniors in the building woke up. After a few hours of cold, cuddled sleep we walked onto the street where one guy was trying to clear the roads in his truck. He proceeded to tell us how his wife had kicked him out of the house because he was drinking. Clearing the town roads seemed like a logical thing for him to do. We walked in the opposite direction. In a few minutes we found a recently opened gas station with a small diner inside. After the best breakfast we walked outside, into the middle of the road - our drunk driving plowman never made it this far - and stuck our thumbs out to the first car going by. A wonderful lady drove us all the way to our friends house, just 15 minutes away. I never hitchhiked again.

7. Politics was once a desire of mine

I wanted to be the first female Prime Minister of Canada. Then Kim Cambell won the Liberal leadership and became PM, albeit briefly. Oddly, I never thought about politics again.