Quilt Appreciation Day!

The third Saturday in March is officially Quilt Appreciation Day. That seems especially fitting on a day like today that is so gray and snowy (at least it is in good old Kansas City). In honor of today, I thought I would share with you my top 5 favorite quilters ever.

1. Mary Anne Jordan. Her quilts are amazing. They are mostly whole cloth quilts that she paints with dye. Not only does she make beautiful work, Mary Anne is a wonderful person and is one of the key people that led me to quilting. She is head of the Textiles program at the University of Kansas and leads textiles trips to Uzbekistan. I got to touch one of her quilts a few years ago when she hired me to sew the binding on.

Tablecloth with Indigo Stains

 95"H x 78"W

COPYRIGHT: ©2004 Mary Anne Jordan

exhibition shot

2. Bean Gilsdorf. I first learned about Bean's quilts when I was in graduate school at KU. I was immediately drawn to the scale of them and her use of imagery. Since then, I have had the chance to see her work in person twice, most recently at the Surface Design Conference last summer in Kansas City. She had a show at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art. Her work continues to inspire me. 

Into the Ether (2007)

50" w x 68" h

 For Your Amusement (2007)

105" w x 113" h

3. Anna Von Mertens. From her artist statement:  "Displaying my quilts as bed sculptures surfaces inherent meanings: the body, the home, a place of the familiar, a centering point. The stitch patterns diagram various mapping systems--scientific phenomenon, energy dispersion patterns, bird migration routes, computer circuitry, etc.--using the intimate lens of the bed and handstitching to internalize these patterns. Objective information is translated to the subjective, building a world of reference points that create a whole." 

Frida Kahlo's aura, with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird

2009, hand-dyed, hand-stitched cotton, 24 1/4" x 18 1/2"

Installation photo of Pulse 2006 (a group show) at 1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA

4. Jimmy McBride. His quilts are relatively new to me but I am so excited about what he's doing (so are Dwell Magazine and Apartment Therapy). Posing as a space traveling trucker, Jimmy makes quilts based on actual photos of space. All of his fabric comes from thrift stores. He also has a blog where you can see photos of his process. Pretty amazing.

 

R136 in 30 Doradus

77" x 78" hand made and machine quilted

 

 M64

45" x 60" child's quilt

5. Denyse Schmidt.  I secretly want to be Denyse Schmidt when I grow up. Unfortunately, I think I'm already grown up and clearly not her. Denyse designs and makes functional quilts (rather than quilts for the wall). She has an excellent book, designs her own line of fabric, and has three different lines of quilts: Couture quilts (hand quilted by Amish women), Works quilts (machine quilted), and Denyse Schmidt for Sarita Handa (she designs the quilts and they are made in India - this is her most affordable line). I actually like some of the Sarita Handa and Works quilts the best. 

Works Special Edition (Tangerine/Poppy)

Denyse Schmidt for Sarita Handa

What a Dish

Yay for Quilts!