Something About Nothing

While I was in California, I took Sara Trail from the Social Justice Sewing Academy , some of the blocks she had sent me to hand embroider. She sent me back home with 20 more blocks. Hahaha There was a quilt that needed the blocks hand embroidered ASAP because the exhibit where the quilt was going to hang was already in progress. I spent every day stitching on these wonderful blocks the children had put together. They are always so clever. Often they come with a note, such as this one, that helps me to know what direction the block is to go. I do my best to fulfill their vision. Once in a great while a little more needs to be added to fulfill their vision. . . . . . because the kids don't always have time to finish. A few other blocks. I forgot to get photos of them all. I love creating hairstyles on all the figures. The kids always inspire me to do my best. They asked for the rectangle to look like a land acknowledgment, and I really enjoyed making marks that looked like words. I ...

I have been helping to embroider blocks for The Social Justice Sewing Academy this past year, and was so thrilled to have the opportunity to see the blocks created by teens up close and personal in their booth at the Houston Quilt Festival. The youth create some amazing work!  The youth who create these collage quilt blocks have a lot to say about the world we live in. Their art explores issues such as racial profiling, LBGTQ+ issues, gender discrimination, mass incarceration, and gun violence. The images are powerful, and evoke conversations. They give them a way to express themselves. After they create the blocks they are sent out to volunteers to embroider, and then are mailed back to be pieced and made in to quilts. The quilts are then displayed in museums, galleries, and quilt shows through out the country. If you are interested in supporting SJSA in any way, please visit their website.

Liz and Ruth introduced me to Wonderfil threads. I have had a good time using them in all my hand stitching, and even some machine stitching too. I can't show the machine stitched piece for another year though!  I will have to make more I can show. I am enjoying doing big stitch hand quilting with them in my Thunderstruck quilt I started last year in Victoria Findlay Wolfe's class at Craft Napa . I love the texture the big stitches and thicker thread give to the quilt. I have also been using the thread in the pieces I am embroidering for the  Social Justice Sewing Academy.  The kids who are putting these blocks together are amazing!  They really come up with great ideas. My job is to get it all stitched down so it can be pieced into quilts and machine quilted. You can find out more about their program at this link . And then maybe volunteer to help embroider a block or five.