Published!
A few months ago, Nathalie contacted me about writing an article about my crazy quilting and my blog!
Then a few weeks ago, I heard from one of my overseas crazy quilting friends that they had seen the article and so I looked it up and ordered a copy of the magazine! (if you are interested where to get a copy, I ordered mine from Magazine Cafe in NYC, where I discovered that you can order a single issue of an overseas magazine! Here is the link: Magic Patch Magazine. Be sure to write in the comment box that you want the May/June 2015 issue!)
My sister Holly, who holds several degrees, two of which are in French, kindly translated Nathalie's article for me. This is the article as submitted, and not necessarily as published, so please forgive any errors!
Ivory Blush Roses
The Passion for Crazy Quilt
If Crazy Quilting, this detailed form of patchwork, which
knew it’s peak at the end of the 19th century, seems outdated for
some, who do not see the subtle counterpoints made from small, irregular bits
of fabric, luxurious and carefully decorated with rich embroidery, it’s because
they have not gotten lost in Lisa’s blog, Ivory Blush Roses. Lisa has modernized this technique, which has
regained its hour of glory in the past dozen years with our American sisters.
Lisa Plooster Boni lives in Colorado; she is a painter,
seamstress, quilter, and enthusiast of the birds and countryside where she
lives; she utilizes all of her gifts, and takes inspiration from nature to
create her crazy quilts which can’t help but enchant our European eyes which
are not habituated to such a measure of [flights of fancy] and creativity.
For several years now, she has participated in the Crazy
Quilt Journal Project, and each month, we get to follow her work step by step of
embellishing her base quilt block. She
explains how each flower is embroidered, how it can destabilize an entire work
or detract from others; she always leaves, in the heart of the block (a top
mark in crazy quilting) a space for the eye to rest. Silk ribbon embroidery, pearls, buttons,
little scraps of lace, dyed and tinted in the desired color, bits of crochet
from a string of pearl cotton; every corner of her work is a fantastic
discovery; it seems impossible that one could have enough imagination in the
extraordinary interpretation of each bit of embellishment. Ball and thorn stitches come together elegantly on
orange fabric to become extravagant foliage, at the ends of which flower a
point of [?]. Her 2014 quilt journal
enchants us with her 12 marvelous pincushions, showcasing with each month the
colors of her garden, or the inspiration of the moment.
Lisa equally likes to outdo herself in exchanges, by way of
round robin (a creative exercise in which a defined number of participants send
unembellished blocks of crazy quilt to others with the mission of embellishing
one following a defined theme; the blocks then travel, to thus become a common
yet unique work) such as for a Steampunk theme, with copper gears, or a very
Victorian fans.
Lisa shows her embellishment errors, and her rework until
she finds perfection. We learn along
with her, and we acquire the process of creation. Lisa takes advantage of each holiday, each
moment of life to take inspiration: Christmas; St. Valentine’s, and red hearts
are born in a sublime work of art; a trip to the seaside, and one gets lost in
the deep sea. Look closely, and see a
mermaid frolicking amongst algae made of silk.
You will [like/love] following Lisa; you will learn in bursts
of laughter, that even in Colorado, as in France, that old cats can revel in a
basket of old lace, a great excuse to admire each one for itself, after their
washing and preening. We are after all
the same, without boundaries or barriers when it comes to the joy of
creativity, and Lisa, with her gentle words and knowing smiles offers up a
little of herself.
May I simply say, "Wow?!" I am humbled and honored that my work should be written about with such eloquent words! Thank you Nathalie!
Comments
FlowerLady
Vous êtes une source d'inspiration pour moi
qui suis débutante en crazy.
Merci
Trentemont-Malara Mattia