Quilting Arts

AT THIS DISTANCE, I CAN SEE

A PATTERN EMERGE. Of course! I

am a quilter and quite accustomed to

stitching together a multitude of small

pieces until—at long last—confi gurations

and designs become visible. This time,

however, the pattern I discern developed

over years.

Several years ago when I was

exhibiting and selling my work at The

Gallery Shop in Lemont, Pennsylvania,

I was invited to participate in a Saturday

arts day open to the public. One option

was to simply demonstrate my creative

process. I have seen many artists

conduct fascinating demonstrations,

but I am not one of these. As a hands-

on learner myself, I tend to transform

every opportunity into an interactive

experience. Instead of demonstrating, I

decided to invent a participant-involved

activity that would result in an actual

piece of art.

I prepared and gathered materials:

Dozens of cut circles of many sizes cut

from my fabric stash plus jars of buttons

from my treasured collection gathered

over a lifetime. Some of my buttons date

back to my mother’s family who worked

in the garment factories of NYC before,

during, and after World War II. I was

delighted to share the ancestor karma

of the button box for a community art

project.

I sat at my table on the day of the

event and hoped that my arrangement of

materials looked intriguing. I invited both

adults and children to select several circles

along with a button in color combinations

that pleased them. I also asked everyone

to write their fi rst name and a word or

short phrase that inspires them on an

index card. Through the course of the

afternoon, I had 27 participants.

Over the following weeks I composed

the piece with the visual elements

fi lling a large ‘thought balloon’ shape.

I stacked each person’s circles so all

their choices were visible. I quilted each

person’s section with a different thread

design, just as each of us is composed

of the same elements but in distinct and

individual patterns. The button choices

were attached atop each circle design. I

used free-motion thread calligraphy to

stitch the theme words around the edges

of the overall shape. At this point—as I

felt the impact of the completed work of

art—I realized that the 27 people were

more than participants, they were my

collaborators.

I created a diagram with the names

of collaborators and the locations of their

creative visual and verbal compositions.

Both of these media count as ‘thoughts’

in my lexicon; the visual thoughts no less

than the verbal!

Here is the beautiful, poetic energy

of the words that surround the visual

thoughts in the fi nished piece. I’ve

arranged the 27 words and phrases of my

collaborators in a shape that feels like a

poem to me:

Sisterly strength of survival,

Going inward, pray.

Humble balance mitzvah,

Gorgeous, creative calm;

Feeling good?

Happiness in suffering,

Like you, the sky.

Bohemia: silence, hawks, wander serene.

Taliesin [shining brow]: heavenly trees,

Vibrance, breathe, grow.

Science, no regrets.

Fantabulous

LIFE!

The fi nished piece, “Community

Thought Balloons,” is more than just

an art object. It is a dynamic experience

composed of the sensibilities and stories

of each collaborator, along with colors and

shapes.

the last word.

BY JOSEPHINE CARUBIA

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Haven’t you been quilting long

enough to start thinking about your

own creative legacy? Submit your

complete essay (up to 800 words)

along with a low-resolution image to

[email protected] with

“the last word” in the subject line.

The art process I’ve just described

is part of a pattern that I see now in

retrospect. I’ve worked this way for a long,

long time! At the beginning of my teaching

career, I guided seventh- and eighth-

graders to interview community elders

and publish their writing in the local

newspaper. Their collaborative endeavor

involved stitching together past and

present, images and words. Over the years

of enjoying our family beach vacations,

I’ve instigated several collaborative art

projects. The tapestries I’ve composed

from squares of fabric embellished with

drawings, buttons, Girl Scout badges, and

appliqué fabric shapes are testimony to

the family and friends who laughed and

played with us over the years.

Quilting combined with language is

the perfect art form for my inclination to

be inclusive. When I look at “Community

Thought Balloons” or the tapestries that

resulted from family vacations, I see

evidence of diverse creativities, passions,

and joys. In the collaborative process and

the pattern, I feel a vitalizing sense of

beauty that is shared both during creation

and when viewing the results.

“Community Thought Balloons”

29" x 34"

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