QTC - Africa

“We are Africans NOT because we are born in Africa but because Africa is born in us.” The first time I saw that quote with an image of the African continent posted on my sister’s page, I was surprised. After all, we grew up in Kansas. However, Kay Triplett spent about 10 years of her non-textile career living, working, or being connected to Africa. Kay’s living in Africa is the reason I learned how to dye adire or indigo resist. She learned to love the people, the culture, and the artists.

Being a textile lover, she particularly learned to love the African textiles, which she personally collected. She helped struggling African artists by supporting their art through purchases. She took lessons from experts in the field to learn the craft and purchased treasures from art centers or villages. One thing which drew her in was the artists she was able to get to know, and the art they produced. Did I mention she bought lots of African textiles?

Consequently, as I was un-packing at the new storage location. I noticed an amazing number of African textiles. It was the first time all of the African textiles would be located in one place. The boxes seemed never ending. I was sure she had multiple of the same textile. Well okay, with her unerring eye, probably not exactly the same, but really close to the same. It soon became clear that a new chapter had arrived in the Triplett Sister’s Textile Adventures.

We recognize that not everyone who loves a beautiful antique quilt, will appreciate a vintage or even a new African quilt. Hand weaving or mud cloth might not hold an appeal to you, but if you want to explore a whole new textile flavor we invite you to visit us on Facebook at QTC Africa at this link. We’ll be posting unique and interesting information about Africa and African textiles.

If you’d like to explore owning an African textile without the long travel or extraordinary shipping costs, please check out our new Etsy shop QTCs Africa which will offer textiles at affordable prices. In our shop you’ll be able to purchase hand dyed and hand woven textiles actually purchased in Africa. (Unfortunately there is a growing trend to sell items made in China in the African style.) Feel free to bookmark our shop at this link, even if you simply want to see and learn more about the textiles.

We are celebrating the launch of QTC Africa by having a vendor booth at the first National African American Quilt Convention. I’ll be teaching Adire: African indigo resist workshops and Kay will be at our QTC booth. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, it isn’t too late too late to see one of the fourteen different exhibitions or hear Faith Ringgold or one of the other lectures. Please join us as we appreciate the African artists that long ago mastered textiles, and carried their craft to influence the world.