Carol Johnson stitched over 600 of her New Mexico State Fair ribbons into a quilt and earned another ribbon – plus a spot in the Smithsonian.

National Batik Day is a joyous celebration of Indonesia's rich cultural heritage, showcasing the country's iconic batik fabric and its significance in the natio

"Iowa Artists 2025: Ben Millett," now on display in a landmark exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, marks the art center's first solo show dedicated entirely to quilt making.

The incident has inspired Quilts for Survivors to plan a wall-hanging workshop for youth

Exonerated after serving more than 40 years for a crime he didn’t commit, Gary Tyler creates comforting works of art from a skill he learned in prison.

The Race, Equality, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the city of Sanford plans to commemorate Goldsboro’s history through a storytelling quilt as part of its Pathway to Reconciliation Project.

Vision of progress.

Mormon Women for Ethical Government jump-started an effort in Utah to create quilts with personalized messages from women about protecting democracy. They will be hand- delivered to Utah’s congressional delegation in May.

Dannah Nephew, a member of the White Earth Nation, is working on a project to make ribbon skirts for incoming Native medical students at the University of Minnesota.

Laury, Jean Ray (1928-2011)Barefoot & Pregnant. 1987. Quilt assembled from screenprinted cotton fabric and quilted by hand; rod pocket for display sewn to verso; one of Laury’s best-known quilts; signed and dated on verso with artist's title and numbered #6 of an unknown edition; 92 x 92 in.Barefoot & Pregnant, incorporates a quotation from a 1963 speech made by 'the barefoot and pregnant senator,' Arkansas state legislator Paul van Dalsem. Text from his sexist speech is printed on the quilt, one line per block. His comment rankled Laury, who felt strongly about women’s rights and reproductive freedom. In 1999, this quilt was selected for inclusion in The Twentieth Century’s Best American Quilts." (Quoted from the International Quilt Museum's 2011 exhibition of Laury's work, Getting it all Together.)

Spencertown (N.Y.) Academy Arts Center, in collaboration with Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy, presents “Gee’s Bend: The Next Generation,” an exhibition of more than 30 quilts, along with talks, workshops, and demonstrations by the celebrated makers, from July 11, 2025, through August 3, 2025. This is the first time this generation of Gee’s Bend quilters have traveled outside of their community in Alabama to present their works in such a major exhibition. The exhibition will be held in the Spencertown Academy Galleries and the nearby Austerlitz Historical Society Church. There will be six participating quilters: Loretta Pettway Bennett, Stella Mae Pettway, Emma Mooney Pettway, Polly Mooney Middleton, Sharon Ann Williams, and Andrea Pettway Williams. They are third and fourth generation Gee’s Bend women who learned the art and techniques from their mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers. There will also be a special appearance by Willie Joe Pettway, son of legacy quilter Lola Pettway, who will exhibit and discuss his late mother’s quilts. Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is a small, isolated community tucked into a bend of the Alabama River. Once a plantation, the slaves of Gee’s Bend were given the last name of the owner Pettway, and many of the quilters carry that name today. Originally, they made quilts from any available fabric, and used them to keep their families warm as their homes lacked electricity, running water, and heat. Somehow, despite the poverty and hard living conditions, an art form was born. The quilts are characterized by bold improvisational designs that are highly expressive and very personal to the maker. Discovered by the art world and made globally famous in the early 2000s, Gee’s Bend quilts are today in the permanent collection of over 30 leading art museums around the world. _The New York Times_ hailed Gee’s Bend quilts as “some of the most miraculous works of Modern Art America has produced.” Plans for “Gee’s Bend: The Next Generation” have been in the works for the past year and a half. Bouchard Hoe, a quilt collector, was astounded by the 2002 exhibition of Gee’s Bend quilts at the Whitney Museum, then traveled to Gee’s Bend to meet the quilters. With the support of Spencertown Academy, she worked with the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy to bring this exhibition to the Northeast. “Gee’s Bend: The Next Generation” will kick off on Friday, July 11 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Academy with an opening reception. Acclaimed contemporary artist ransome will be a special guest. He will speak about his paintings of Gee’s Bend quilters and one of his works will be on display courtesy of Carrie Haddad Gallery. Ransome applies the spontaneity of hip hop deejays in his art, along with the resourcefulness of rural quilters, who use what is at hand, assembling, collaging, creating, making something out of nothing. In addition, Willie Pettway will present five legacy quilts by his late mother, Lola Pettway (1941-1942), who was an iconic Gee’s Bend maker. Tickets are $100 (limited availability). **Gallery Hours & Locations** Fridays-Mondays: 11:00am to 5:00pm Free Admission The Gallery at Spencertown Academy 790 State Route 203, Spencertown, NY The Church at Old Austerlitz 11550 NY-22, Austerlitz, NY ## Next Generation Gee’s Bend Quilters Programming **Quilting Demonstrations** A unique experience and opportunity for guests to quilt alongside the artists on a large quilt frame, hear their stories, and enjoy the camaraderie of group quilting. Free Admission Saturday, July 12, 11:00am to 1:00pm: The Church at Old Austerlitz Sunday, July 13, 10:00am-12:00pm: Spencertown Academy Arts Center in the Blanche Grubin Auditorium **Quilting Workshops** The Gee’s Bend quilters guide participants in designing and sewing a 12″ by 12″ quilt block suitable for framing to take away with them. Making the block consists of designing and piecing the top, adding batting and backing, and then hemming to completion. All materials are provided. Workshops will be held at Spencertown Academy Art Center in the Blanche Grubin Auditorium. Sunday, July 13: 1:30pm to 5:00pm Monday, July 14: 10:00am to 1:30pm Registration required (Academy members: $250, Non-members: $275) Maximum number of participants: 10 per session **Lecture** “Gee’s Bend: The Legacy Lives On” Spencertown Academy Board Member Lisa Bouchard Hoe will discuss the long tradition of American quilting and how Gee’s Bend quilts—made for use, not display—caused a major shift in thinking about what constitutes a quilt. She will also discuss the changes global fame brought to the Gee’s Bend community, and how the legacy of the original quilters not only lives on, but has grown to embrace the younger generation.Saturday, July 19: 2:00pm: The Church at Old Austerlitz Free admission This program is made possible with the support of platinum sponsors Hudson River Bank and Trust (HRBT) Foundation, Diane D. Kern, TKG Real Estate, The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame; gold sponsors Carrie Haddad Gallery, Paul Cassidy and Vernon Evanson, Thalia Cassutto, Victoria Dinardo and Stephen Montefiore, Sherry and Phil Meeks, Nick Van Alstine; and silver sponsors Cindy and Carl Atkins, Joanne Williams Bilotti and Richard Bilotti, Corinne Jones and Oren Knopp, MetzWood Insurance, Karen Milton, and Nadia Connors and Walton Goggins. The Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy was born in 1966 as an outgrowth of the civil rights movement and as a beacon of hope. Their story is one of strength, artistry, and resilience of African American women who know they have the power to create their own future. Learn more at fqblegacy.org. Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse**.** It is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. For more information and to register for workshops and purchase opening reception tickets, please see spencertownacademy.org.

The Newry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s (IPSC) weekly ‘pots and pans’ protest for Gaza have a very special 'guest' arriving next Thursday, 28 August with the arrival of the now famous ‘Grannies for Gaza’ quilt in Newry, as part of its journey around Ireland. Created by Craftivism for Palestine, the ‘Grannies for Gaza’ quilt was made by a collective of women and allies from 32 counties in Ireland and further afield.  Each of the quilt’s 2,300 hand-crocheted squar...

Advocates and family members of people in prison hope their quilt humanizes and commemorates loved ones behind bars.

Shark Tank's new episode brought four new pitches, and among them was Legit Kits.

York County held a closing ceremony Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025 to mark the end of a year-long celebration marking the county's 275th anniversary.

I felt I had to ask that question when I read this morning that the company which owns all four of the major sewing pattern brands has been sold to a liquidator. [ https://craftindustryalliance.org/parent-company-of-the-big-4-sewing-pattern-brands-sold-to-a-liquidator/ ] Setting aside the issue of how the FTC decided that having them all owned by one company was _not_ a monopoly, it shows how fragile the system is, because if the tissue-printing machines are lost then the industry cannot be resurrected. After the loss of Joann in the US earlier this year and taking into account the overall trend towards authoritarianism there and around the world, I have to wonder if we are being herded into a state where we can’t bypass the fast fashion industry. If you can’t buy patterns and you can’t buy materials, then making your own clothes is impossible. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe the US is heading to a point where people will be forced to show commercial clothing labels on every garment to prove they didn’t bypass the system and evade the taxes. Yes, it sounds absurd, but the way things have been going over the last six months it is not impossible. I know that Burda is not affected (thank heavens) and that there are many independent pattern makers who sell PDFs. Independent patterns, though, tend to be more expensive ($20-30) and also require that you print multiple sheets of paper and stick them together (with a significant risk of introducing inaccuracies) or spend a large amount of money to get the pattern printed on A0 paper ($4.50 per page here in Australia, or $7.70 per page if you need colour). How many patterns can you buy per year when the cost to purchase and print each one is over $50? How much fabric can an American buy if it’s made in China and subject to a 150% tariff? (This doesn’t affect Australia, of course, but fabric here is as expensive as hell anyway — quilting cotton is $28 per metre and wool and silk can be $60 or more.) The impact on me personally is low. After nearly 60 years of sewing I know how to alter patterns and I can make blocks for myself and my cousins and then use them to make patterns for our own clothing. For the population at large, however, the impact is huge — many people have difficulty even altering commercial patterns to fit, let alone drafting a pattern from scratch, and they probably don’t have the money to buy the books or do the courses that can teach that skill. They are the ones who will suffer the most. ~~~ In other news, I am sewing again but I suffered a laptop death and my backup doesn’t have a card reader so I can’t post photos of what I’ve been doing. Expect an onslaught of posts once I have a new laptop. ### Share this: * Share * * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Click to print (Opens in new window) Print * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket * Like Loading...

The future of lunar exploration never looked more colorful ... or so square. "The Next Giant Leap," a pair of mostly moon-themed fabric quilts, debuted as part of the Earth to Space festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

CAMBRIDGE, MA After having its funding dramatically reduced in recent weeks, Harvard University has had to result to a tried and true method of raising money – a Mennonite-style quilt auction. “At this point, we were kind of desperate,” said university president Alan Garber. “We looked all over the place for ideas – garage sales, drop shipping, you name it. After extensive research, we discovered the most effective method of fundraising was a quilt auction. How many quilts will it take to raise $2.6 billion?” The university quickly tasked several first year Accounting and Management students with churning out enough quilts to get the school budget back to normal. “We should have hired the Mennonites,” said Garber, “but, you should see the prices they charge. The profit margins were a lot higher on our student-made quilts.” Each auction winner had to sign a waiver promising not to complain if the quilt fell apart after just a night or two of use. “If this doesn’t work, we’re holding a soup and pie fundraiser,” said Garber. “Those Mennonites are full of good ideas.” The school will also be turning Harvard Yard into a giant thrift store. _(photo credit:DanaK~WaterPenny/CC)_ Mennonite Hymn Wins Eurovision Song Contest __ __ __ __ __