Seems that we all have a lot to express these days! From words of love and warmth to those of political resistance, action and claiming back power that some would want to take from us.
While I know I must have seen text on quilts before, since really this is not new I can remember rounding the corner at a quilt show a few years ago and seeing the word * FUCK YOU CANCER* in the center of a quilt and it was like a gut punch. On my part it was the powerful feeling of having been so devastated that the maker put her words into action but for others it was seeing the use of the word “Fuck” in such a bold public place. Want to learn more about the ~ Fuck quilts?… READ ON HERE
To say it stirred controversy in the quilt world would be an understatement. I posted a photo of the Fuck You Cancer Quilt to my Facebook BAQS page and I think it was the first time we had true fighting on the page leading to some people leaving and one person being banned for her hateful words to another that she refused to take back. In the end it established the tone for the page and I have not looked back from taking strong stands for our quilt world.
You Are My SunShine by Maddie Kertay
Some people who make text quilts are great at making them on the fly and some want a little more direction. When someone asks me where I started with my You are My Sunshine quilt I am quick to let them know that the paper pieced alphabet I used came from the book Quilt Talk by Sam Hunter. I still adore this quilt and it hung in my shop for years selling copy after copy of Quilt Talk to many happy customers.
FUN FACT – When sam asked me to make a quilt for the book I had NEVER paper-pieced ANYTHING so it is to her great credit that her diagrams and how-to’s are so good that on the first try I made this fun little quilt. (Sam, I am glad I did not let you down!)
I could not be more thrilled that Sam and by extension her business Hunter’s Design Studio are now part of the BAQS Preferred Partner network. SO keep your eyes peeled for more of her work around here starting with this fantastic coupon code that will get you FREE SHIPPING on her book Quilt Talk this week. The code is quilttalk4baqs and is good this week only ( May 8th-12th)
While over on her website make sure to check out her patterns. Sam is an independent pattern designer with her book and patterns in many of today’s best shops. But if your shop does not happen to carry her stuff you can find it right here!
just a little sample.. way more on her site!
You can also score some amazing paper piecing resources over on her site including the occasional free pattern.. so don’t miss signing up for that! HERE
And we can’t let a chance like this go by without a GIVEAWAY!.. I mean after all this is BadAss Quilters Society where we can not afraid to buy your affections with amazing prizes in addition to our liberal use of salty language!
To win your own copy of Quilt Talk by Sam Hunter you will need to leave a comment below telling us what YOU would put on a text-quilt!
Funny, meaningful or profane, or maybe a bit of all of them it all counts!
Leave your comment below and we will pick a winner on the Friday May 12th.
WE HAVE A WINNER – Look for the announcement over on our FB page.
1. From my heart to my hands to you.
2. Imagine. Believe. Achieve.
As above, so below.
Be the change.
Art is life.
Three of my favorites!
If I did a text quilt it would probably say something like “Kindness trumps everything” I might have to change the “trump” since that has a bad connotation now.
I have made a “protest” flag with words quilted on the flag. I would like to make a series of flag quilts that contain words in various forms.
I made, for my first quilt top, a crazy quilt with a bunch of words and pith phrases that I hand embroidered on it; Stuff like “be here now,” “art saves lives,” ETC. there were about 30 of them. I included phrases in other languages and cultures – “namaste,” “om,” and “salaam aleikum.” I am most comfortable with hand work – i like going slow and making my projects portable.
I’d love to win the book and learn paper piecing or applique and trying some words. But honestly, after watching humanity fuck things up for themselves and the planet again and again, and wondering what will be left for future generations, is,
“Beam me up, Scotty!”
Funny my daughter and I seen a sign the other day, a bit too much out of my range. Putting it in text on a quilt seems appropriate.
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ”
~John Wayne
I would do “Knock Before You Talk” as this is the message my tween has posted on her bedroom door recently…. (and maybe I’d add my response, “OK – when you pay your own bills”)
Mine would say, “All You Need is Love”….. Or maybe “I March to the Beat of My Own Drummer”…. Or maybe “F**K Trump!” (I’d use the asterisks on the quilt!)
Although the best would be the quilt that I’ll make Summer of ’21 that says “Just Retired” and will be made of the shirts and Tshirts that I accumulated in 30 years of teaching 6th grade!!!!! It’s been a very long and crazy school year so right now, I am most looking forward to that one! 🙂
When our guild was gathering blocks to make #QuiltsForPulse, we would sometimes get blocks that were too small and we’d save them for a separate quilt. After awhile, we had a seemingly endless supply, and nobody wanted to try making them fit (though, eventually, we did). When asked what to do with the “shorties”, one member said, “fuck the shorties!” I would love to make a quilt from those shorties and make text blocks to spell that phrase loudly.
“This, too, shall pass…”
It’s so funny that you posted about this book. I was just looking at it online for a project my husband asked me to make for his “work wife”. I know exactly what my text quilt would say: 841st EN BN. But if it was a personal project, it would read: It’s fucking GREAT to be alive!!!!
“I’m not drinking your Kool Aid anymore.”
If you select this post for the book —please draw again –I’m not doing much quilting at the moment. But I think you rock. 🙂
WHAT HAPPENED TO SANDRA BLAND?
Yes, I really do want to know.
I like Becky s “rescue, don’t buy!” I have recently rescued many items to repurpose into a quilt!
I need to put this on the quilt!
The Only Thing That Matters Is How You See Yourself
Ignorance is not Bliss. It’s pieced and appliqued. Just need to do the Free motion quilting of sayings from the left and right, in the appropriate colors, of course.
I would make a baby quilt and it would say “For this child we have prayed “
I’ve wanted to do a special quilt for my darling husband with e words form Song of Solomon
I have found the one whom my soul loves
So many ideas….
Nevertheless, she persisted.
Best.
We reversed the curse.
Blessed Be.
All
I like words on quilts but usually do embroidery. My quilt for Pulse had all the names of victims. I have made baby quilts for work colleagues with quotes or good wishes from people we work with across the globe. Currently working on a Winnie the Pooh quilt for a cousin with 12 quotes from Pooh. Would love to try Sam process.
I have 2…or 3….or more in my head! #1: Resist
She persisted
Stronger together
#2: inspired by Dylan Thomas:
” Rage against the failing of the light”
#3: inspired by Maya Angelou :
” and still I rise”
There are more still fermenting in my brain…lol 😊
Fuck Censorship 🤘🏼
I would like to have a quilt with the word Cunt on it, and it’s etymology.
Uniformity is Boring….
“Apparently, I can.” in response to the numerous times I’ve been told “you can’t just…”
Resist!
“Listen to the universe”
Listen to the universe
I love text on quilts and have many I want to do. One that I have done already is put the word Hygge on a small wallhanging. It is a danish word that has many meanings but mostly it is a feeling of coziness. I love sayings too.
Oh I love text quilts. I think I would make one with, “my pain does not define me”. It would have to be in orange. And maybe one that says “time to charge” with an appliqué of my internal battery charger haha. Hmm, that would make a cute storage bag for it. 😀
No Muslim Ban
I am finishing up my first text quilt- using “kawaii” except in hiragana form 🙂 It means cute in Japanese… which makes me want to make a second quilt with kowai which is creepy/ scary.
Suffragettes! That’s what I would put! Doing some OurStory quilts and one of my themes is the suffragettes. It’s a big word, but I could manage it! LOL Love the BadAss Quilter’s Society!!!
“I learned to love the feel of good words”
Do finished quilts count? If so, a while ago I made a Scrabble board quilt. Intended for actual play, I also made 4 x 4 inch letter imprinted tiles.
The above quote, included across the top of the quilt, is from my favorite book, Name of the Wind.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
And,
Fuck Cancer
Both are quilts I hope to start this year.
1. Take life one day at a time
2. Do what makes you happy
3. Family is forever
4. Life is hard…be easy on yourself
These are a few I’d like to see on a quilt 😊
.
I just finished making one that said “Life’s a beach. Wish you were here”. I’m not sure what I would put on the next one.
My husband used to say “Sweet Dreams” to me every night before bed. I would love to put that into a quilt.
I sure love a good cuss word, maybe a quilt with all the good ones. I once saw a quilt that said “Treat yo self” like from Parks and Rec, I absolutely loved it.
I would probably put “don’t worry, be happy” with letters appliqued rather than pieced.
My favorite saying, as found on a fortune cookie about 25 years ago has become my personal mantra. Whatever you do, make it fun.
“Eye” “heart” u more!!!! = ILYM. = I love you more!!!!!
“Love me for me”
All of my adult life people have told me that I couldn’t do things – as in you’re not smart enough, capable enough or a male. My response – and mantra – has been ‘Watch me!’. That is what I would put on a quilt.
Ps … I damn well did those things, and I did a damn good job of it!
Good for you Deb 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
A Quilt is Love, stitch after stitch❤
Love it!!!
Wow! So many choices. “Stay out of my vagina!” is one that resonates with me right now. Another is “When did being female become a ‘pre-existing condition’?”
I have a sketch in my notebook of a quilt idea that requires some dollar signs and the quote “A woman’s work is never adequately compensated.” (Maddy, the linked article that prompted the quote/conversation on Emotional Labor seems like it’d be right up your alley for a read http://www.metafilter.com/151267/Wheres-My-Cut-On-Unpaid-Emotional-Labor)
Sam’s book is on my wish list to use for that after seeing a guild member using it to piece the center of a round robin quilt she was doing (“Be the Change”). I’d love to win a copy.
Impeach Trump
I borrowed the saying but it would be rescue don’t buy
so.many.words.
how to decided on one (or two?)
you are my sunshine is definitely going on a quilt for my granddaughter, I’ve been working on that for a while now!
I think I want to make a text quilt for my bff that says something to the extent of “fuck em all!”