Kindred spirits

I read some wonderful advice today and thought you would enjoy it too. It's part of an interview with Julie Silber, quilt collector extraordinaire in California. She was talking about a wonderful quilt that she owns that is NOT perfect - one many of us would love. I saw the quilt at the last meeting of the American Quilt Study Group (a wonderful organization to join if you want to learn more about quilts). You can read the entire interview at the Alliance for American quilts website, in the Quilters' Save Our Stories section. Julie was asked if there was anything she'd like to add for future quilters :

JS: I guess I would say – Pay Attention. Pay attention to what moves you as a quilt collector or quiltmaker. Pay attention to what makes your heart beat fast and go with it. I'm concerned about the movement in the last years of this current quilt movement toward precision and perfection. I worry about the crowd mentality. I have actually heard people say, 'I need to find out what the judges like so I can win this contest.' Some people escape those pressures. I encourage people to look carefully at the 18th and 19th century quilts and see that they were not always perfect. Make what makes what makes them happy and go with what makes their heart sing.

Julie blogs too and offers quilts for sale.