Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Playtime with Victoria Findlay Wolfe

This month we were lucky enough to have the fabulous Victoria Findlay Wolfe stop by to visit with the Boston and Seacoast MQGs.  A New York City based quilter, fabric designer, and author, Victoria was in town for the Curator's Reception of the Roots of Modern Quilting show at the NEQM which features some of her quilts.

Victoria gave a lively talk about her creative process and how she ended up making quilts after swearing never to do any of the activities she endured growing up on a farm in Minnesota.  She also let us fondle several of her quilts including this beauty from the cover of her book, 15 Minutes of Play.

Victoria is continually challenging herself to try something new and stretch her creativity.  Make the quilt you said you'd never make...  in her case, a cow quilt.  Challenge:  Try a technique you thought you'd never do.

In many of her quilts Victoria uses what she calls "made fabric" where she randomly pieces together slabs of fabric then cuts them into the shapes she needs.  Challenge: Grab your scrap bin and jump in.  Chop up those ugly fabrics and the ones outside your comfort zone to create your own "made fabric".

Victoria also likes to reinterpret traditional quilting designs like this King sized grandmother's flower garden quilt.  Her Double Edged Love, a modern twist on the traditional double wedding ring won Best of Show at QuiltCon.  Challenge: Mix up your old orphan blocks to make something new. 

Consider yourself challenged...  step away from the computer and go play:-)

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