The bigger we grow the more people ask me what it takes and what it means to be a BadAss Quilter. In the end it is very simple. It takes the the ability to not give two fucks about what others think of your quilting while all the time knowing that how you behave, who you support, and how you share your knowledge matters.
To Be a BadAss Quilter you must –
Be confident enough to embrace your own style, without the need to mock the style of others.
To at least aspire to fearlessness in your craft as well as authentic, compassionate treatment of others.
To be generally opposed to dumb-ass behavior that makes light of another’s work, style, or lifestyle.
In short, we are opposed to being a jerk about most things and about quilting most of all.
Does it mean that you don’t strive to be the best quilter you can or want to be?…NO! In fact learn, embrace, and use what works for you, but let the rest go.
Must you be a homeschooling, cursing, shop owning, introvert (with good social skills)? NOPE! Just be you, be the very best you that you can be without care and with confidence that you are lovable, talented, and pretty freaking awesome.
Must you use the word ~fuck~ in multiple ways with multiple meanings nuanced by the tone in which it is delivered? NOT EVEN! In fact you never need utter even the hint of a word that would get your mouth washed out with soap, and I am cool with that, but the truth is that I will and do use it. This is my “house,” my rules and it is not a word I find offensive. There are many things I do find offensive and think this video rounds it all up rather well.
The fact is that I love quilters and quilts of all types and anyone, no matter their style, can be a BadAss Quilter since what it is about is attitude!
One of my goals with BAQS is to be a voice and thought leader in the quilting market to show that we are a large and thriving demographic, which the quilt industry is totally missing. It is time that they get with the program! My voice has been joined by nearly 8,000 others, and I could not be more excited about this. Soon we celebrate!
Currently we are gathering contributors for our 8,000 member celebration: BadAss brands who know that not every quilter is happy with the status quo of the quilting world and are willing to join with us in saying that there is room for ALL quilters in this creative space. I ask you to be generous in your support and love of these brands as they support us!
We will be waiting a bit longer to tell you exactly what each of these companies and artisans is offering (yes I know I am a tease), but know that they are each doing a huge part in that they are each giving FOUR prizes packages. Yes FOUR! This time we will have FOUR grand prize winners. It is going to be AMAZING! (Please note we are growing this list hourly!)
Stone House Quilting
Casey York – Designer
This list is not done, so check back in to see who else will be part of the fun!
If I have missed you or you want to be part of the amazing team of companies, artisans and stores just drop me a note: maddie@badassquilterssociety.com
Please note that this is NOT the post to sign up on to win…that part has not started yet! This is the post to share to work everyone into a fevered pitch about the giveaway… so share the hell out of this post! To make sure you know JUST what is going on you need to be a member of the BAQS FB Page and you’d best click on the Get Notifications button while you are at it!
I am a Bad Ass Quilter…so much sew my husband thinks I have Lost it….he just doesn’t get it….I love this site..Thanks sew much!…and no…i don’t have a cutting machine…I like to do the slicing myself!
Maddie you have brought out our desire to be our own creative selves no matter what others think,to pay tribute to all creativity through the BadAss Quilters Society and I am so glad that you took on this endeavor! I know the quilting police are still out there or the nose in the air type person that says “well it is ok but “. Thanks to you though there are less! Remember when you were just beginning and look at how you have grown how awesome is that?
Totally agree with you and your message and all the above comments….why can’t people live by the golden rule in ANY of the arts…”do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”….seems so easy…what the heck does it matter the medium new and fancy or recycled and cheap!!:) If it gives you pleasure go for it!!
I wish I could be one of the 8,000+ but I don’t do FB!:)
another tattooed mom here. my wish is that my local guild would lighten up. just one example, they are so conservative that they prohibit drinking at all their event, including retreat! i’m sorry but i like to have a cold beer or a nice glass of wine while i’m sewing!
I’d really like to see this “Badass” concept expanded to other arts and crafts as well. While every creative flow has its “haters”, I find that judgmental behavior seems most rampant in the needle arts — knitting, crocheting, quilting, fiber arts, garment sewing, etc. And these crafts, although equally accessible (I hope) to both genders, are predominantly female in membership. Why are we women so bitchy to one another? And after centuries of struggling for equal rights and equal pay, why are we so excluding when a being with a penis steps into our needle art circle? I recently put quilting aside, because (a) I needed a more portable craft to accompany me when I take spouse for chemo, and (b) I’m not a small-quilt-project person. So I went back to knitting, which I love. And I had forgotten — or perhaps I never noticed that much, before I encountered Maddie — how rife with criticism the knitting world is. “Serious knitters” don’t buy yarn at Wal-Mart, don’t unravel thrift store sweaters for reknitting, use only German or Japanese needles, eschew man-made fibers, etc. I remember encountering (and, I must confess, briefly engaging in) “yarn snobbery” when I was a prolific knitter a few years ago, but I’m starting to really take note when I observe anti-Badass behavior, which I call “exclusionary judgment”. When the only way you can make yourself feel good about your work is to make someone else feel inferior, then, frankly, you suck. I’d love to see less “Oh, you’re knitting with acrylic?” and more “Wow, that’s really amazing.”
i love this quilting mission statement. !! Too many times I’ve seen folks look down their nose at another’s work…I just want to wipe that smug off them. Keep up the good thoughts and quilt on..,whatever that means to you!:)
Woohoo! You totally rock, girl! Thanks a bunch ~ this is going to be way cool! Keep on being BadAss! 😀
well this tattooed mom of 2 boys loves this page! I love quilts of all kinds and just finished my first quilt and fell in love!
I just peed a little….