The Quilts of Gee’s Bend The quiltmakers from the area around Gee’s Bend,
Alabama, have become international stars, with exhibitions,
merchandise, and even a set of US postage stamps bearing
images of their work. The story of the quilts, their makers,
and how they came onto the world quilting stage is
fascinating, heart-warming, and inspirational. The lecture
includes quilts from my collection made by Gee’s Bend
quilters as well as examples of African American quilts from
other areas.
A Brief History Of Quilts Because I love sharing my collection with other people, I have developed a trunk show entitled A Brief History Of Quilts in which I discuss the evolution of quilts using my own -- mainly antiques -- as examples of various types and styles. Provided the venue is within a 2-to-3 hour drive of Milwaukee, where I now live, I bring about 50 quilts, including British examples rarely seen in the U.S.
Crossing the Atlantic Quilt by Quilt In Crossing the Atlantic Quilt by Quilt, I compare my quilts from Great Britain, most made during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, to their counterparts and descendants among the American quilts in my collection.
I am also developing a slide-show version of these two talks for future, longer-range scheduling.
How Quilt Books Happen As an editor, author, and quiltmaker, I have a set of skills that gives me insights that many quilt authors, most of whom are talented quiltmakers and respected teachers, do not possess. My talk How Quilt Books Happen combines my professional publishing knowledge and expertise with my quiltmaking, and provides audiences with a look at the pleasures -- and difficulties -- of turning an idea in my mind into pages bound in a cover and standing on a bookshelf. Illustrated with examples and samples from various books that I have written, this lecture is thought-provoking and fascinates audiences in ways that surprise both them and me.
A Decent Cup Of Tea I learned during my 30 years of living in London the joys of tea, both as a drink and as a meal. In A Decent Cup Of Tea, I look at the history of the world's favorite drink, from its origins in China to today's coffee bars. A number of groups not associated with quilting have used this talk as a fundraiser by staging an afternoon (or in one case, a morning) tea party, at which I speak on the subject.
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