The articles on embroidery and
embellishment techniques stayed,
but Pokey broadened the scope of
the content to include surface design,
hand and machine stitching, and
“just fun ways of looking at textiles
in different ways than traditionally
thought,” she said.
At home and abroad, QUILTING
ARTS gave art quilters a platform—
and a resource—that was not available
anywhere else at the time. When the
magazine fi rst launched, blogging was
in its infancy and YouTube was non-
existent.
“Twenty years ago, quilt shows
were fi nally getting comfortable with
art quilts and the number of art quilt
entries were growing, but the existing
quilting magazines did not refl ect that
interest,” said art quilter Judy Coates
Perez. “So, when QUILTING ARTS cameMilestones in QUILTING ARTS History
2015
Special Issue: QuiltCon
2012 Magazine is introduced
Pokey’s last issue as Editor
(February/March, issue 55)2012 - 18
Modern
Patchwork Magazine 2017
Headquarters move to
Maynard, MassachusettsIn 2012 as she prepared to leave Interweave for new challenges, Pokey Bolton (center)
and the staff celebrated 11 successful years together creating QUILTING ARTS and other
publications.along it blazed a new trail for readers
who were hungry for new ideas
and techniques to learn like dyeing,
painting, stamping, screen-printing,
and mixed media.
“From its onset QUILTING ARTS was
a treasure trove of inspiration, it was
a place to see new and exciting work,
learn about other textile artists and
the techniques they used,” Judy said.
Early on, Pokey sought out
innovative artists from around
the world, bringing international
artists and their techniques to a U.S.
audience. Laura and Linda Kemshall,
Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn, Dale
Rollerson, Maggie Grey, Cas Holmes,
and Beryl Taylor—among many
others—introduced readers to creative
embroidery, unusual embellishments,
and exceptional stitching and surface
techniques, as well as inspiration.QUILTING ARTS also encouraged
and amplifi ed art quilters’ careers.
“I'd probably still have a career
without the magazine’s push, but it
would have been harder,” said art
quilter Robbi Joy Eklow. “QUILTING
ARTS was like that chain on a roller
coaster that pulls the cars up to the
top and then lets them go. They
gave me a platform, bought my
quilts, put my quilts on the cover,
published my ‘Groovy Guitar’ pattern
(their fi rst pattern), published my
book (their fi rst book), put me on
‘Quilting Arts TV’ and gave me a lot of
encouragement.”
Many of today’s leading art quilters
and fabric artists got their ‘start’
by participating in QUILTING ARTS'
Reader Challenges. The challenges
have always been a way for artists to
experiment and submit their work to
the magazine in a fun and low-key
way.
Susan Brubaker Knapp, who now
hosts “Quilting Arts TV,” was still a
traditional quilter when QUILTING ARTS
MAGAZINE premiered in 2001. She
began subscribing around 2006, when
she fi rst started making art quilts.
“I belonged to a group of creative
quilters called ‘The Pandora,’ and we
used the magazine to structure our
activities. Each month, we picked a
technique or project from QUILTING
ARTS, and one of us purchased the
materials and we all split the cost.
Then we got together and played. It
was a terrifi c way to have fun together
and learn something new.