Since we created Curated Quilts our goal has been to highlight quilt makers who make beautiful, meaningful, and enlightening modern quilts. We carefully include makers as diverse as the quilts we feature. We continue to be committed to this goal and to using our platform as a voice for those who have not always been heard.
We recognize that the quilts of people of color have often been overshadowed and that much must happen within the quilting community to change this. Curated Quilts wants to be a part of the change. We believe in the importance of ongoing education of ourselves and our readers to give those voices a way to be heard.
Over the course of the next few months, Curated Quilts will post a series of articles to celebrate and honor quilters of diverse backgrounds who have contributed their work to Curated Quilts in recent years.
Red Xby Nicole Neblett featured in Minimalistic, Issue no. 3
Nicole Neblett is an award-winning modern quiltmaker, designer, instructor, and blogger. She enjoys crafting quilts with vivid colors and graphic designs. Her work incorporates modern design principles with traditional and improvisational techniques to create quilts that infuse the traditional with the contemporary.
When makingRed X, Neblett challenged herself to make a quilt block in ten minutes as part of the, “Improv with Intent” charity quilt challenge. She used the ‘slice and insert’ technique to create a block with an “x.” Nicole liked the block so much that she decided to makeRed X, a larger version of the original block, with an additional insert in the top left corner.
Neblett can be found online atmamalovequilts.com and on Instagram at @mamalovequilts
MidCentury Modern Black and White #1 by Carole Lyles Shaw
Carole Lyles Shaw is a quilt designer, author, and workshop teacher. She started quilting over 20 years ago when she decided to make quilts for her nieces and nephews. She is largely self-taught but was generously mentored by the heirloom quilters of the African American Quilters of Baltimore. She co-founded the Sarasota Modern Quilt Guild in 2014 and served on the Board of Directors of the Modern Quilt Guild from 2015-2017. She is also the author ofMadly Modern Quilts andPatriotic Modern Quilts and has a line of modern quilt patterns. Her quilts have been juried into several shows and have been exhibited in many museums and galleries in the US and internationally.
Shaw loves working with black and white solids while also including a sprinkling of black and white printed fabrics. She often uses a tone-on-tone white fabric because she believes using a plain white fabric can look flat. Another way she works with black and white fabrics is to add a bold modern print or African wax print. When adding color to black and white quilts she enjoys using deep rich yellows or golds, vibrant reds, and turquoise colors.
Shaw can be found online atcarolelylesshaw.com and on Instagram at @carole_lylesshaw
Three Times Three by Geraldine Wilkins featured in Black and White, Issue no. 10
Geraldine Wilkins, a native New Yorker, moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1993 to begin a photojournalism career at the Los Angeles Times. After a successful 11-year career that garnered a Pulitzer Prize, she moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2005 to work for a worldwide Christian magazine. Soon after, she joined a local quilt guild. She is now a Living Water Quilter, a Westalee Design Accredited Teacher, and an Island Batik Designer and Ambassador. She lectures and teaches quilt classes and is a contributing quilt designer in several books and magazines.
Three Times Threewas designed for an Island Batik Ambassador challenge. Wilkins wanted to design an unexpected star quilt by playing with high contrast and large-scale design. Nine dancing stars and thoughtful color placement created a secondary flower design. Wilkins machine quilting creates a beautiful texture across the quilt. This stunning quilt was featured on the cover ofCurated Quilts: Black and White, Issue no. 10.
Wilkens can be found online atlivingwaterquilter.com and on Instagram at @livingwaterquilter
Log Cabin A by Andrea Tsang Jackson, featured in Log Cabin, Issue no. 2
Andrea Tsang Jackson is a textile artist, quilt designer, author, and educator. After working in various design fields and settings ranging from architecture to museums, the quilting medium called to her as a way to explore place, belonging, and agency. She holds a Master of Architecture from McGill University and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was the 2017 Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. In 2016, she was awarded the Etsy Canada Award for New Talent. Her work has been published inFlare, Design Milk Everyday, Uppercase, and various quilting publications. Andrea’s first book,Patchwork Lab: Gemology, was published by Lucky Spool in 2019. Andrea lives in Halifax with her husband and two sons.
Sunset Sawtooth pattern designed by Andrea Tsang Jackson, featured in Stars, Issue no. 9
Everyone’s Got an X by Andrea Tsang Jackson, featured in Well Said, Issue no. 8
Jackson says about her quiltEveryone’s Got an X, “An X is fitting for many life events: a baby arrival (everyone has an X chromosome), the Roman numeral X for a 10th birthday or anniversary, or--in contrast--the end of a marriage.” One of the reasons this quilt has a strong impact is because the message of the X can be translated personally in multiple ways.
Jackson can be found online at3rdstoryworkshop.com and on Instagram at @3rdstoryworkshop
by Brittany Bowen Burton