by Allison Wilbur on January 6, 2020
I chose this spectacular embroidered block which has the feeling of a village full of life. As a bird watcher, the bird in the center also attracted my attention and made me feel my sister artist was perhaps a bird lover as well. I selected two fabrics to surround the block, a thin gold strip […]
by Morgan Wilbur on August 30, 2019
Quilt Artist Ellen Fisher talks about her creative process in making her Sister Artists quilt.
by Morgan Wilbur on August 28, 2019
Ellena is new to Art Quilting and finds the improvisational aspects appeal to her the most. The process of taking a germ of an idea and turning it into a completed, one of a kind, art piece is exciting. Partnering with a young woman from Mali to produce a single unified piece was challenging but […]
by Allison Wilbur on August 27, 2019
I love cooking so I entitled this piece, “It’s Meal Time!” I love the embroidery the artist chose for her piece and I decided to add borders that bring out the colors within the panel while adding some African and Asian fabric flavors from my stash. It is my hope that this project will bless […]
by Allison Wilbur on August 27, 2019
It’s my favorite thing: art quilts as advocacy. So I was quick to answer the call from Quilt for Change and The Advocacy Project. Under the initiative, known as Sister Artists, survivors of gender-based violence created embroidered blocks depicting scenes of their life in Mali. Quilters — mostly American — were invited to choose a […]
by Allison Wilbur on August 9, 2019
This project meant a lot to me. I’m a relatively new quilter, and had never made an advocacy quilt before, but reading about the Sister Artists project inspired me. I was lucky enough to be able to spend 10 days in Tanzania last summer for a project related to my work as a biosafety professional, […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 29, 2019
Janice Jones selected block #27 for her Sister Artists quilt – women preparing maize. The fabrics Janice selected are a beautiful complement to the colors and textures of the embroidered block. Embellishments of appliquéd shapes, beads, prairie points and tassels add to the beauty of the piece. Of her involvement in Sister Artists, Janice says, […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 28, 2019
Deborah Weir selected block #1 – which featured a large bird, perhaps a black capped crane, for her Sister Artists quilt. She emphasized some of the original lines of stitching, created needle lace leaves and found some “jungly” fabric on Spoonflower for the framing. Deborah has created pieces for the Solar Sister and Water is […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 27, 2019
Colleen Ansbaugh has completed her Sister Artistsquilt from the camel block (#29). Colleen’s piece is full of energy, movement and texture. The African fabrics and motifs add a sense of vibrancy. Colleen also created a piece for the Water is Life exhibit and we are thrilled to have her take part in a second Quilt […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 26, 2019
Suzanne Munroe, a portrait artist from Rhode Island, chose block # 16. She blogged on her website about her process. Although my block was titled “preparing food”, I was more drawn to studying the hut, I decided to mimic the strength of the hand made walls – showing and emphasizing the strength of these women […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 25, 2019
Wonderful to hear from Sue Willows-Raznikov in San Francisco as she is creating her Sister Artists quilt. Sue chose block #18, In the Fields. Sue writes, “I’m so glad to be part of this quilt project. The original embroidery ‘in the field’ has a woman carrying her child while entering the field and two workers […]
by Allison Wilbur on July 24, 2019
Cathey LaBonte in Connecticut is auditioning fabrics to go with block #25 – one of the camel blocks. I just love the tassle embellishments she is working on! Of her creative process, Cathey says, “My creative process consists of a lot of experimenting on my design wall! I pin stuff on, stand back and take […]
by Allison Wilbur on March 14, 2019
We have a new project! Quilt for Change and The Advocacy Project (AP) are pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new partnership between survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in Mali and quilters in the United States. The Project: Under the initiative, known as Sister Artists, GBV survivors have produced embroidered blocks depicting scenes of […]
by Allison Wilbur on September 8, 2018
The last exhibition of Water is Life is currently on display in Union, New Jersey, at the Kean University Human Rights Institute Gallery from September 4-December 12, 2018. Gallery access is free and open to the public, and the Institute is happy to arrange group tours for guilds and school groups. To schedule a tour, […]
by Allison Wilbur on March 3, 2017
If you are in New England, we hope you can make it to the artists’ reception for “Water is Life: The Impact of Clean Water on the Lives of Women and Girls.” The reception will be on Saturday, March 4 at 11:00 am at the museum which is located at 18 Shattuck St in Lowell, […]
by Dick Wilbur on June 5, 2016
A Tree of Life Lin Schiffner – Nevada City, California Artist’s Statement: Awareness that clean water is essential to life and critical to the existence is spreading across the world. The threat of global warming further threatens world populations as droughts reduce reserves making clean water increasingly scarce. Endangering the existence and quality of […]
by Dick Wilbur on May 30, 2016
Cool, Clean Water Elinore Sigler – Paris, France Artist’s Statement There seem to be two schools of thought for quilters where designing a quilt is concerned: those who carefully draw and design and then make what they have put down in their notebooks, and those who start with a general idea and improvise. I’ve […]
by Dick Wilbur on May 18, 2016
Water Line Phyllis Stephens – Fayetteville, Georgia Artist’s Statement: I am a dreamer; I dream of the day where every human being has access to clean water. I depict children waiting in line for unclean water when what is needed is a water line that pumps in clean water. As I think about the […]
by Dick Wilbur on April 2, 2016
Today we feature With Water, a lovely piece by fiber artist Colleen Ansbaugh of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Artist’s Statement: The cloth speaks to me. It tells me how it wants to be stitched, marked or embellished. I hand dye the fabric to reflect the colors in nature. Often times my work is a mix of new […]
by Allison Wilbur on March 1, 2016
Quilt for Change Banner A great big thank you to Kelly Neeley for quilting a fabulous Quilt for Change banner to accompany our exhibitions. It has also inspired us to change our logo to include our whole name just like she did because it looks so fantastic. So many friends have been supportive of […]