Latest news with #quilting
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Quilter Yvonne Line's work honoured by her brother in exhibition Threads of Life
Internationally renowned Victorian quilter Yvonne Line is known for her cutting-edge and sometimes rule-bending works. Her brother John Lamb said his sister never developed one distinctive style in her 60 years of quilting. Instead she would constantly try new things. Now, as Alzheimer's disease cuts short her passion, Line's sibling is honouring her work in an exhibition, Threads of Life. Mr Lamb said his sister started to show symptoms of Alzheimer's disease about four years ago. "She lost some of her memory, but her skill set was fine because it was in her long-term memory," he said. But two years ago, when her anxiety began to grow and she started to lose other everyday skills, Line stopped quilting for good. She now lives in an aged care facility in Albury. Mr Lamb had spent years cataloguing some of his sister's work and produced a retrospective book as a more precise record. Now, he has put together an exhibition of Line's works for the public to enjoy. "It's one thing to see in a book, but to see it in real life, it's just very emotional," he said. "Just a few days ago, I found work that I hadn't come across, so some of that is in the exhibition as well." Mr Lamb said that not everyone understood Line's dedication to the textile arts. The exhibition is named after the central piece of the collection. Line created panels the sizes of tea towels, arranged by theme and colour scheme. "Every day for a year, she picked out a bit of material … religiously," Mr Lamb said. The series, completed by Line in 2019, is hanging in the Gateway Gallery in Wodonga alongside a small selection of her other works until August 23. National Wool Museum director Padraic Fisher said Line's quilts were "extraordinary". "Her artistry is exceptional, and world-class … she's meticulous in the way she designs and executed things," he said. Mr Fisher said Line's ability to blend traditional techniques with contemporary design concepts made her a leader in the Australian quilting scene. It's that commitment to the art form that Mr Lamb believes sets his sister's works apart. "Artists are so driven to create, to the exclusion of everything else around them, and it's remarkable," he said.
The Guardian
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Harvey Fierstein: ‘There are so few heterosexual men that I know that I look up to'
Harvey Fierstein is sitting here bleeding to death, he announces. 'I got taken down by a rose bush earlier,' the playwright, actor and activist explains in his gloriously gravelly voice. 'It could have been a raspberry bush. Gardening is much more dangerous than quilting.' It is one aside among many during a discursive interview with the Guardian that includes his fears of fascism in America, why heterosexual men are a 'bunch of assholes' and the time he sat with Donald Trump at a gay wedding. But first there is quilting. Fierstein began about 20 years ago, inspired by craft shows on the HGTV channel that he fondly recalls as 'hot glue heaven', and made about a quilt a year. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and, with 'nobody else to talk to', he turned to his sewing machine in earnest and found a new community in a local quilt shop. He is now up to about 80 or 90 quilts. 'I started experimenting more and more and found that people like quilts a lot better than paintings,' Fierstein, 73, observes via Zoom from his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. 'If you give somebody a painting they have to hang it on the wall if you come over for dinner. But at least the dog can sleep on the quilt.' The fruit of his labour is his first exhibition of handmade quilts, You Made That? The Quilting Adventures of Harvey Fierstein, at the Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center in Ridgefield from Friday to Sunday. Fierstein was one of the first out gay celebrities in the US and is best known for his Tony award-winning stage work on Hairspray, La Cage Aux Folles, Newsies, Kinky Boots and Torch Song Trilogy as well as various film roles. But quilting represents a return to his roots in the visual arts: he graduated from the High School of Art and Design and received a degree in painting from the Pratt Institute. 'That's what I was supposed to be doing,' he says. 'This theatre thing is like a side gig: it's what I do when I can't get work as an artist. As a child I went to Disney studios and saw the artists working. That's what I thought I was going to do and this whole writing thing was sort of a mistake.' Fierstein views the upcoming public display in a tiny museum in what he dubs 'a small fictional town in Connecticut' as an opportunity to 'figure out whether, besides keeping the dog warm, this is something that's worth doing. It's also very American as we try and cling to America as we're being killed by that soulless piece of crap. We have to hang on.' This is a reference to the current occupant of the White House. One of Fierstein's deceptively beautiful quilts is a condemnation of fascism, featuring two black skeletons giving Nazi salutes above a kneeling figure in striped pyjamas, against a backdrop of yellow stars and pink triangles like those that Jews and gay people were forced to wear during the Holocaust. Growing up Jewish in Brooklyn, with acquaintances who had concentration camp tattoos on their arms, he developed a deep awareness of intolerance. 'Antisemitism was something that I was used to but, having lived through the 60s with the civil rights struggle and then the 70s with the gay struggle, you keep thinking we've moved past this. 'But it's in us. Prejudice is somewhere in us. It's built into us for safety. All animals see another of their kind and find safety in that and it's something we have to fight. It's always been an undercurrent. I wanted to make an expression of that. If you look at the quilt, I did the background, the Jewish stars and the pink triangles, in very pretty colours. It doesn't announce itself in an ugly way.' Fierstein moves up a few gears as he contemplates the toxic stew of Trump's America: draconian crackdowns on undocumented immigrants, rising antisemitism and political violence, a primal desire to revel in ignorance and turn back the clock. 'There are people that actually think that what's going on, arresting people and pulling them out of their jobs, is something good. I am shocked when I see people on television saying, 'Well, he promised to clean up the swamp and that's what he's doing.' It's all so frightening if you have any idea of history. 'This war against the left: I believe there's something very dark there. I believe it's people being too lazy to want to do the work. They love Donald Trump because he has no idea about anything. He's your Uncle Paul who comes over for dinner and you just have to listen to him and bite your tongue because he knows absolutely nothing. That's why these people love him; he's an idiot; he's just like them.' Fierstein wishes Trump supporters would come to their senses. 'When people tell me they're pro-Trump, I say, do you know him? Because I do. I've been to a gay wedding and sat with him at a table in a gay wedding. Have you? I've had business meetings with the man. Have you? I know him. I'm telling you, he's nothing but a thief and a fraud.' The gay wedding in question was talent manager Richie Jackson's marriage to theatre producer Jordan Roth in Manhattan in 2012. Roth's father, Steven, was a friend of Trump. Fierstein recalls: 'Donald was there looking absolutely miserable, didn't even bring any of the 15 wives or girlfriends or underage children with him. 'When they tell me they're pro-him, I say, if you met him, you wouldn't be. The ones who are so weak want to be hugged by somebody strong, just get into his circle and love that. It's that papa thing. Hitler had it. All those guys have.' Fierstein made waves in March when he denounced Trump's takeover of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, which included a declared intention to ban drag shows. Fierstein noted this would mean La Cage aux Folles and many of his other shows could not be performed there. He says: 'I love the Kennedy Center - I've performed there – but no, I won't go near anything of Trump. He went to see Les Mis, saying this was his favorite musical, and didn't know the difference between the hero and the villain. How stupid do you have to be to say this is my favorite musical? At least tell the truth.' Trump installed a loyalist, Ric Grenell, an out gay man, as president of the Kennedy Center. 'He proudly says, 'I am a gay, married man.' Who got you those rights, you piece of shit, you lowlife little creep … Who got you the right to get married, you fuckface?' Fierstein sees LGBTQ+ rights under siege once more. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order mandating that federal agencies recognise only two sexes – male and female – based on biological classification at birth, rejecting gender identity as a separate concept. Another order was aimed at cutting federal support for gender-affirming care for minors. Again Fierstein does not mince words: 'The president of the United States announces there are only two sexes in the world! Well, you better call that God you say you believe in because there's hermaphrodites, there's all sorts of things in the end, not just in human beings but in all species. How stupid can you be? Sit down before you make a statement like that and look it up. 'On Facebook I put up a picture of a statue from ancient Rome of a hermaphrodite. What are you talking about, you asshole? They've been around forever. Homosexuals have been around forever. This is a natural part of who we are. 'But no, they have this Bible: he can sell them but he's never read one. What's your favorite quote of the Bible? 'Oh, I love it all. I love it all. I read it every day.' You don't even read your own briefings every day. They had to simplify it for you, you piece of crap.' Fierstein is dismayed by the law firms and media companies bending the knee to Trump because of selfishness and desire to make more money. He unleashes his frustrations at one group in particular. 'I am not an incredibly prejudiced person but, when it comes to heterosexual men, I don't get them. They're a bunch of assholes. There are so few heterosexual men that I know that I look up to. You can't count on them for anything other than their own self-interest. There are some good ones – I mean, I'm not that prejudiced – but if we took all the heterosexual men out of Congress for two years and see what happens … or the ones who pretend to be heterosexual.' And does Fierstein expect to live to see America's first out gay president? 'I'm very old,' he muses. 'I've lived through Ronald Reagan never saying the word Aids. When Obama first raised his hand, I didn't think – so you never know. You live in hope.' You Made That? The Quilting Adventures of Harvey Fierstein is on display from 25-27 July at the Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center in Ridgefield, Connecticut
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Art can be a release': the US organization creating spaces for Black women to enjoy the arts
On a warm Saturday evening in Jackson, Mississippi, about 30 people gathered at the Mississippi Museum of Art for the inaugural meeting of the Jackson chapter of Black Girls in Art Spaces. The intergenerational group enjoyed a tour of the exhibition Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South, which featured over 50 quilts, made by Black, southern women, led by exhibit curator Sharbreon Plummer. 'It was so timely that this show was up at the same time that they were planning this,' Plummer told the Guardian. 'I thought there were so many ways that the show would resonate with people, in particular Black women, so it just felt like a beautiful way to bridge this inaugural moment with the histories and the legacies that were already here.' While the Jackson chapter met, other chapters of Black Girls in Art Spaces (BGIAS) met across the US, including in Birmingham, Alabama, San Francisco, California, and Richmond, Virginia. The organization was born in 2022, when Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins saw the importance of cultivating spaces in which Black women and girls could enjoy art. BGIAS hosts art-centric meetups and partners and collaborates with different organizations – most recently BlackStar film festival, AIGA Indianapolis, CreativeMornings Indianapolis, Afro Air festival and Dance Theatre of Harlem – to help participants attend various programming. Now, the organization has chapters across the country and world. After the tour, Plummer and Jasmine Williams, the co-curator of the Jackson chapter, engaged the women in a question and answer session, during which attenders had the opportunity to share their thoughts about the exhibit and the experience, and to listen as Williams asked Plummer specific questions about the work. 'Sharbreon has created a space that is a homecoming and is about gathering and is about love,' Williams, who curated the Jackson event along with Maleah Briggs, said. 'We're carrying on that legacy. Even though we aren't quilting, we are stitching together our lives and our experiences by sharing space.' With new chapters regularly popping up – since the Jackson chapter was founded in April, BGIAS has expanded to Memphis, Tennessee – BGIAS is working to make arts scenes, which, for some, can be daunting spaces, more accessible. People who attend meetups or workshops hosted by the organization have the opportunity to gather with likeminded folks, in sessions led by people they may even know. 'I understood what it was like to be Black in a predominantly white art space – I've experienced that as a consumer and a creator myself,' Merriwether-Hawkins said. 'I was like, 'It's not enough to just show people where the art is, let's help them get there, and, when they get there, let's make sure that they're comfortable while they're there.'' When Merriwether-Hawkins moved from Columbia, South Carolina, her home town, to Dallas, Texas, she'd go to different art events and share her experiences online. Whenever she'd look at the comments, there would inevitably be people saying things like: 'How are you finding that?' or 'I didn't know this was in my city.' She decided to begin creating 'directory-like' content to help people find different places where Black art was highlighted. Making that type of content had an audience, Merriwether-Hawkins found, but it felt empty. She wanted to do more for herself and for the growing community she was cultivating. She prayed about what she should do, and divine inspiration struck one night when Merriwether-Hawkins dreamed about Black Girls in Art Spaces. Initially, BGIAS started relatively small, with Merriwether-Hawkins pulling people together online who shared a common interest for arts and culture. In October 2022 , the organization hosted their first event at the Daisha Board Gallery in Dallas. Almost immediately, people were interested in starting chapters elsewhere, Merriwether-Hawkins said. She created Instagram and TikTok pages for the organization. When the accounts would share images from various events, people would ask when BGIAS would host an event in their city or country. 'Not only were we able to branch out to different cities in the US, but we were able to have meetups in places like Seoul, Korea, and London and Nairobi,' Merriwether-Hawkins said. 'It was really just putting the word out there and allowing people to naturally gravitate towards it – I couldn't ignore the call.' Each BGIAS meetup looks slightly different, as they are hosted by and crafted by local people for a local audience. But at their core, the meetups are spaces for Black women and girls to engage with art and feel comfortable in galleries which might sometimes feel like spaces in which they are not welcome. Merriwether-Hawkins likens BGIAS, which now has nearly 40 chapters, to a community cultivating a garden: she may have been the one to plant the seed, but other people are continuously pouring into it. And the need for such an organization is everywhere. 'Art can be a release and just a time to find joy and some respite,' Williams said. 'I think of this being an alternative space where we can just come together and see each other and feel each other and hold each other.' Every chapter puts its own spin on what the events will look like, Merriwether-Hawkins said. In New York, in partnership with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, BGIAS offered 20 tickets to an 11 April performance for community members. Birmingham's chapter hosted Poetry at the Museum, during which attenders enjoyed pop-up poetry and a tour of the museum. The global BGIAS community was able to virtually attend Giving Flowers: A Floral Tribute to Black Women in Art, during which people participated in a guided floral arrangement workshop to honor Alma Thomas, the late abstract artist and teacher. 'Our goal is to champion Black artistry wherever it's being showcased, so if there's an event, a showcase, a studio visit that we can attend, a performance, we want to be there,' Merriwether-Hawkins said. 'We have been able to really go outside of the box of what people think art is, and we've been able to showcase all of the different facets and avenues that the art world has.' This expansive view of art and experiencing art is key for BGIAS, she said. 'I want to continue to build bridges between Black women and the art world, of course, but I also want to continue to help Black women find their people and to be able to find comfort in these spaces,' she said.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
9 Environmentally-Friendly Ways To Repurpose Your Kid's Old Clothes
From outgrown onesies to beloved tiny t-shirts, your child's wardrobe holds a treasure trove of memories. Don't let those precious fabrics gather dust in a box! Instead, discover creative and heartwarming ways to give their old clothes a new lease on life. These are the 9 coolest (and most creative) ways to repurpose worn or outgrown kids' clothing. Turn Them Into Doll Clothes If you have kids, you have dolls that are likely in dire need of clothing. Make their accessories something extra special by repurposing your kiddo's old threads into exciting new duds for their favorite playtime pals. Only thing cuter than your babies in clothes small enough for dolls? Actual dolls. Sew Some Stuffed Animals It can be easy to just let those cherished memories sit in a closet, but it doesn't have to be that way. Transform your child's beloved outgrown clothing into a precious stuffed animal like a bear or kitty cat. That's a memory they can literally snuggle up with for years to come – and then some! Make A Quilt Thought about picking up a new hobby lately? Put your children's old clothing to the task and take up quilting! With quilting, you'll be able to piece and pair swatches of material and arrange them in a way that is meaningful to you and your child. Plus, doesn't a quilt just feel cozier when you know it's full of memories? Put Together Pillows Got leftover clothing after you've created the quilt of your dreams? That's perfect! You can also use those items of clothing to make decorative pillows. While a quilt might stay in a bedroom, these pillows can dot locations all over the home, from the living room to the guest suite. Share the love! Make Wall Art Can't quite bring yourself to bring the scissors towards those precious duds that once covered your little ones? That doesn't mean you can't still repurpose them into something splendid. Try taking your little one's old overalls and hanging them on a curtain rod, then mounting the rod on the wall for a visually interesting piece of with meaning. Host A Clothing Swap An oldie but a goodie: when in doubt, share the wealth! Organize a clothing swap in your neighborhood or check local forums to connect with new parents. One thing all new parents have in common is a need for all the tiny clothes they can get their hands on! Help them save their pennies and give those clothes a beautiful second life. Use Them As Gift Wrapping In Japan, the custom of furoshiki has long been popular – it's the method of tastefully or packages in easily transportable (and beautifully folded) fabric pouches. Elevate the next baby shower you go to by trying out this Japanese style of packaging with some of your formerly-little one's favorite floral prints. Turn Them Into Reusable Bags Love the idea of making your child's old clothes useful but dread the idea of actually giving them away as gift paper? Don't worry, there's another option. Use the fabric of those precious memories to craft reusable shopping bags. Go easy on the environment while carrying around a piece of memory lane everywhere you go. Make Them Into Holiday Ornaments Yes, you can turn your kids' old clothing into ornaments, and I don't mean just tossing a pair of socks on the tree and calling it a day. Boxes of plain circular ornaments are easily available at most large box stores. Cut up the old clothes in question into different shapes, arrange by color and using simple craft glue transform those plain globes into something truly one of a kind. Subscribe to for more sustainable DIY ideas! Solve the daily Crossword
Entrepreneur
14-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Quild Reimagines the Art of Modern Quilting in Dubai
The brand operates with sustainability at its core and follows a conscious approach to fabric consumption to minimize the impact on the environment. You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Known for their artistic and distinctive handcrafted quilts and diverse quilting products, Dubai-based quilt brand Quild blends classic quilting techniques with modern, contemporary design, offering a selection of unique and sustainable pieces for fashion as well as home décor. The brand is the brainchild of Farida Talaat, a talented artist and designer who grew up in Dubai and studied in Canada. She dabbled in arts and crafts, sewing, and fashion design before specializing in designing and sewing quilts and quilted products. Quild reimagines the old-world craft of traditional quilting. Made of high-quality natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, or a blend of both, their products are as aesthetic as they are functional. Quild's collections and product lines include bed-size quilts, children's quilts, quilted blankets, throws, jackets, hand bags and beach bags, makeup pouches, and other soft furnishings and accessories that can be used around the home. Each piece is meticulously designed to ensure beauty, comfort and functionality all around. The quilts' artistic appeal doesn't end there, with all quilts being made sustainably using eco-friendly fabric and material. The brand operates with sustainability at its core and follows a conscious approach to fabric consumption to minimize the impact on the environment. We speak to Farida Talaat about her quilting journey. Tell us about the early beginnings of Quild. What inspired you to start a quilting business in the UAE? My passion for quilts began in Dubai in 2017, when I designed and produced my first quilt by myself without any prior training or experience. Then, after moving to Canada, I learned the basics of the craft by connecting with quilting groups and collaborating with quilting professionals in Canada and the United States. I immediately loved quilts because they evoke an authentic old-world feel and a sense of nostalgia. Describe your creative process, and what steps you take to ensure no two items are alike? The process of designing any quilt begins with thoughtful planning as to the layout of the colors and patterns of the overall quilt. I then decide on the concept and artistic vision for the piece Then I begin by selecting and arranging fabrics based on color, print and texture. After determining the overall shape, I cut the fabric and expertly hand-sew the quilt using a quilting technique, which involves sewing and passing threads across the surface and bottom of the fabric to secure the layers together, creating a single cohesive quilt. Once the sewing is complete, the final touches are applied like adding a label and ensuring quality. The process of sewing quilts is a laborious, but it's a fine process that requires artistic flair and dextrous skill. It is also very time-consuming. Each quilt is considered a valuable and unique piece in and of itself because of the amount of work that goes into it. Throughout my work, I brainstorm and take my time in designing and refining my creations. I also focus a lot on hand sewing which ensures that no two pieces are ever alike. How do you obtain the raw materials you use in manufacturing your products? All Quild products are made from premium fabrics and fabric blends. I work on purchasing special fabrics and sewing supplies from retail and wholesale traders in the UAE. I also contract wholesale fabric suppliers to import the raw materials I need from around the world. On my trips to Canada and the USA, I visit haberdashery and notions shops to buy unique accoutrements. Can you share an example of a custom design request from a client and how you brought their vision to life? One time we received a request from a mother who commissioned a quilt to be made from her daughter's clothes when she was a baby. We cut the small garments to highlight the best parts and then sewed them together in a patchwork style. She was really happy with it as it was a meaningful keepsake for her and her daughter. There are other instances where we receive requests to create 3D quilts or orders that include embroidery of specific words in colored thread, as well as ones with striking vibrant designs. A client would submit a custom request via an online order. The first step in the design process is conceptualisation where I draw on experience and inspiration to envisage the look of the quilt. I start thinking about the design, taking into consideration the feel of the fabric, texture, material, size, thickness, weight, and final shape. We then begin to create the quilt by cutting the fabric, stitching, quilting and lastly binding. Sometimes we embroider names or birth dates on each quilt, depending on the client's request, to create something truly bespoke. Then comes packaging. We carefully wrap the order and prepare it for shipping and delivering it directly to the customer. I also make sure to follow up with customers after delivery to ensure their satisfaction and answer their queries. Source: Farida Talaat Can you describe your eco-friendly production practices? In recent years, we started working a lot on sustainable quilts with 'green' materials and waste-efficient techniques. We select the optimal fabrics for each type of quilt to ensure their efficiency and prolong the life cycle of each product. Most of our quilts are made of sustainably-sourced material; some are made from lightweight smart fabrics that serve dual functions making the quilts suitable for both winter and summer. We also follow intelligent and thoughtful fabric cutting practices to minimize fabric waste. Additionally, we use the surplus of fabric to create quilted products and accessories, creating new one-of-a-kind pieces full of spontaneity and individuality. Who is your target audience/groups that purchase your products? We attract several slices of the market and community. Among our most important clients are parents looking to buy baby blankets for their little ones or as gifts to other families with newborns. In addition to art enthusiasts seeking unconventional artistic objects with modern designs. We are often approached by interior designers, home stylists, and real estate staging and marketing firms wanting to stage their properties with unique and eye-catching pieces and quilts as alternatives to paintings. Our quilts can be used as bed spreads, covers for sofas and chairs, but also tablecloths and wall hangings. How did you finance the project and how are you looking for funding? In the early stages, the project was financed from my own funds as well as from angel investors. Initially I set a specific budget for it and gradually it started generating profit. With more revenue coming in we then followed a revenue-based financing model and began to use a percentage of revenues to reinvest into the business and repay investors. Lately, we approached other investors for more substantial funding to allow for growth and scaling. How do you achieve returns and profits from your work, and how do you market the product? To ensure the project's profitability and achieve optimum returns, we make sure to keep expenses within reasonable limits, in addition to constantly studying the pricing policy and negotiating with wholesale fabric suppliers. Our Marketing is carried out through several channels including displaying our products directly at brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online. We complement this with direct public relations, and advertising through social media and partaking in pop-up markets, exhibitions and events. What are your plans for the future? Are there any new products or initiatives on the horizon? We are currently working on launching a new fall collection inspired by the glorious colours of a Canadian fall season. In addition to speaking to a number of e-commerce retailers for potential partnerships over the coming months. As one of the first quilt art studios in the UAE, we plan on organizing a quilt exhibition in the UAE soon to serve as a collaborative platform for quilting professionals, fabric wholesalers and quilt enthusiasts. We are also preparing to design and create special quilts to celebrate the UAE's 54th National Day in December, 2025. All this while carrying on our operations to fulfill customer orders without interruption. What advice would you offer ambitious women entrepreneurs, especially those looking to start a business in a niche market like sewing and quilting? A key piece of advice is to use the skills you acquired during your corporate career to support your business. Also focus on one specialty area and master it, rather than succumb to the pressure of diversifying and offering multiple types of products without a focus on each. Believe in your product and do work you care about. I truly believe that if you attach a personal meaning to your project, its chances of success increase ten-fold!
