Textiles and the Triplett Sisters

Magic Realism was initially coined by Angel Flores in 1955 for a group of Latin American writers. These writers wrote about a person that lived in the world we know, but experienced different reality or world view. Since that time, the definition has come to be used more broadly and evolved into different art forms. For Susan Carlson, the term has come to mean realism with a sense of whimsy. Her exhibit and book by the same name, "Specimens", gives us specifics on the species using a fabric collage of fun textures and colors. She has created a salt water crocodile that is 20 feet long, because “that is what is truly awesome about this species.” The enormity of the creature is hard to visualize until you see it in person or with people for scale....

This is the second in the promised series of articles to help take you to the International Quilt Festival, even if you couldn’t be there. The exhibition "Comfort & Glory: Selections from the Briscoe Center’s Windedale Quilt Collection" featured 21 quilts from the book by the same name. The exhibition and book offer a glimpse of multiple legacies. The book shows us the legacy left by the amazing quilt artists through their works of art. The 115 quilts in the book cover more than two centuries of artistry and material culture. Some of the quilts are masterpieces, others well worn, well-loved quilts. The quilts are enriched with the stories of the makers or owners, and related objects from the center collections. While attending a luncheon at the Quilt Festival, we learned that Katherine Jean Adams was retiring, making...

Quilting vintage has become the short hand phrase for taking a vintage linen or textile and quilting it with a domestic machine or long arm. The “Oh my!” that comes along with a viewing of the new textile work usually has two completely divergent meanings. “Oh my, how dare that quilter ruin an antique or vintage quilt top or blocks with machine quilting! That piece should have been hand quilted in the style of the period!” Or the other side, “Oh my isn’t that a beautiful work of art! The fiber artist has brought new life to a textile that would have been destroyed or languished in a junk bin. ” The International Quilt Festival – Houston had two special exhibitions that showcased this genre of textiles: For the Love of Linens, and Twisted. Cindy Needham...

Every fall there is an alignment of stars, a gathering of the vendors, and a winner circle of awards. It is the International Quilt Market and Festival in Houston TX. Quilters from all over the world have submitted their work to be judged. Vendors introduce new product lines, that are “must haves” and special exhibitions of quilts fill the convention center. Teachers and students are gathering to explore new techniques or exchange creativity. It is also a time to see colleagues and friends that we may only see once a year. Preparation for the event begins almost as soon as last year has ended. But the month before, the final countdown is a time of major preparation. I've been busy preparing demos, classes, dyeing fabric and coordinating lectures. Celebrating the Blues: From Africa to America will...

So its fall and thoughts are turning to winter arriving soon…NOT! With most of the country experiencing hotter than normal temperatures, my thoughts keep drifting back to the clothes of Mexico. I did actually see more on the Baja peninsula than indigo. Although the indigo tunic attracted my eye, there were other garments which simply amazed me. These huipils are the traditional dress of indigenous women from central Mexico and Central America. The tunics are made of two or three pieces of hand woven fabric which are then stitched together allowing for an opening for the head. The sides if stitched together also leave an opening for arms. The garment can be short (worn more as a blouse) or long for a full length tunic. Huipil, 1875-1890, Warp-faced plain weave cotton; red cotton is dyed with...