SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles

There are certain artists that you remember vividly the first time you saw their work. Julian Jamaal Jones is one of those artists for me. When I saw the body of work he produced at Cranbrook, these all black quilts with bold and colorful marks, I felt like I was seeing a brand new thing in this world.

In this conversation, we discuss:

① how to create intimate inner circles with your audience through your work

② how to bring a spirit of joy and gratitude to your practice

③ and what his grandma really things about his quilts

You can learn more about Julian on Instagram.

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⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

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In our last SEAMSIDE conversation on Episode 5, quilt historian Jess Bailey aka @publiclibraryquilts and I discussed the role of storytelling in art history and the power of visual images to convey narratives, experience of feeling seen and recognized through images, and we talked about why Jess would rather her quilts be considered sturdy rather than soft.

We catch up now a little over a year later to share our favorite quilt book recommendations, personal stories from recent quilting bees, and I share a vulnerable moment that Jess indirectly helped me understand one of my own blind spots in regards to the improv quilts of Gee’s Bend.

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SHOWNOTES OF THE GODS (thank you, Jess)

You can see the Ascott Martyrs Quilt if you visit the People's History Museum in Manchester or you can learn more about the Martyrs story and early union history through this resource. Big thanks to Fi Ashley at Gresshenhall for amplifying material culture histories of unions and first telling PLQ about the Ascott Quilt.

Zak shared his copy of the standby of any well-stocked quilt library: A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories by Roland L. Freeman. Remember, if you can't find an out of print quilt history book, its always worth checking Worldcat - a search engine that aggregates the world's library collections!

Two must read quilt history books of 2023: Out this June from University of Washington Press, Professor Lisa Gail Collins' Stitching Love and Loss: the story of a Gee's Bend Quilt promises to encompass the power and role of quilts across a human life.

Professor Janneken Smucker's A New Deal for Quilts will be published by the International Quilt Museum in October. Jess has had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy and everyone needs to see the stunningly beautiful early 20th century photographs of quilts in this book. You can preorder it at the link above.

Jess & Zak are a Sharbreon fan club in this episode! If you'd like to read Dr. Sharbreon Plummer's Diasporic Threads published by Common Threads Press, you can find it here. Jess & Sharbreon have some projects up their sleeve, in the meantime explore Sharbreon's quilt work.

You can watch Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi’s lecture at the International Quilt Museum here (and maybe spot Zak in the front row!)

Oh and did Jess mention an upcoming quilt fundraiser & raffle? Stay tuned for more from Jess & her collaborator Ashley J. May (@grassrootsmorning) as they prepare for the Kin Folk Library Quilt fundraiser funding a library of children's books amplifying the rich histories of Black feminist writers and Lil' Free Bird story times at the Salt Eaters and other bookshops.

Stephanie (website, Instagram) and I dream up a quilt that ① provides financial abundance gremlin-style, and ② is made from cash money, namely Canadian loonies

Want to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211‬ and leave me a message anytime of day or night

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As an a Southern expat living in a northern state, it’s often nice to connect with somebody from home. We see things about our roots now that perhaps we didn’t when we were growing up immersed in the culture, and how we make sense of all that, for me and Clare at least, requires the help of textiles.

Clare Hu was born in Atlanta to parents who’d immigrated from China in the 1990s. Clare now lives in Brooklyn, and in this conversation we explore:

① the role movement and immigration can play in an artist’s work

② how we can build bridges to the past no matter where we find ourselves in the present

③ how we can take up space in this world and exercise our power

You can learn more about Clare on their website and Instagram

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⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

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Ashelyn (website, Instagram, podcast) and me dream up a quilt that 1) made out of sheet metal and old road signs, and 2) is meant to be displayed on a highway overpass

Want to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211‬ and leave me a message anytime of day or night

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Sylvan and I sit down a year later to catch up on where their work has taken them since we last talked. In that conversation on Episode 7 we talked about their work with Gays Against Guns, and at the time of that recording, we didn't know that the shooting at the supermarket in Buffalo was just a few days away. Sylvan also shares some hard one wisdom from years of activism, and their insights are both a balm and encouragement for anyone who seeks to make this world a better place through their work.

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Cody Cook-Parrott has a way of capturing human experiences into words that, for me at least, makes them feel lived even if they're not my lived experience.

Writer/dancer/quilter/everything Cody Cook-Parrott now lives in rural Michigan where they’re busy making an old house a home. We connect when Cody was at a friend’s house in Detroit and together we explore:

① feeling like an outsider in the quilt world

② stewarding family traditions

③ an expansive and life-affirming examination of gender queerness

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⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

Udita (website and @uditau) and me dream up a quilt that 1) has a snake resting on a branch, and 2) is also a stained-glass window

Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211‬ and leave me a message anytime of day or night

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In this conversation with quilter Judy Martin, we explore:

① the tole time plays in our work

② how we can meet ourselves in our materials

③ how our creative arc shifts over time

You can learn more about Judy on her website and instagram.

⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK

⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

Hannah (@_hagtime and @ragfairtextiles) and I dream up a quilt that will 1) help you survive a trip over Niagara Falls, and 2) is inspired by a goldfish

Want to be on the show? All contestants are asked to call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 and leave me a voicemail (and don't worry, it won't actually ring my phone so call anytime. The number to call is >>> (828) 278-8211‬