by Kathleen Barkley
Quiltfolk
Issue 20
Published quarterly by:
Michael McCormick
3235 James Lane
Eugene, Oregon 97404
Quiltfolk is an ad free magazine that explores quilt culture. The stories in the magazine celebrate quilters and their stories. The magazine showcases a different state quarterly and features not only quilters and their quilts but commentaries on state history and geography. Quiltfolk photographer, Azuree Wiitala, in addition to photographing some of Idaho's talented quilters, also captures some of Idaho's natural world, epic waterfalls, lakes, hot springs, and the mining of precious and semi-precious stones.
The magazine's adventure started off in the Idaho Panhandle where they met the organizers of the North Idaho Quilter's Kids' Sewing Camp and learned the history of how the sewing camp came about. Also interviewed was Karen Hagen who has her own quilt museum open to the public. Hagen's quilts are housed in a renovated Masonic Lodge in Genese, a tiny panhandle town surrounded by hills. The museum displays about 360 quilts sewn by Hagen, all different in size, theme, and color. Many are hand appliquéd and hand quilted. Visiting Idaho? Hagen's quilt museum is open three days a week, Thursday - Saturday, 10:00 to 3:00.
The next stop on this exploration of quilt culture covers Boise where Lisa Flowers Ross's artistry features the western landscape and wilderness residences. Ross uses her own hand-dyed fabrics to celebrate the lakes, rivers, mountains, and rock formations she sees in her environment. Also featured in the Boise addition was Boise City Historian Brandi Burns and Artist Stephanie Inman. Inman was instrumental in adopting a patchwork quilt as her inspiration for The Suffrage Quilt, installed in 2020 in the Boise City Hall. Some of the blocks in the quilt represent the history of suffrage and women of color, especially Native American women.
Quiltfolk continues to Southeast where they meet other quilters who share their stories. All the interviewees showcase their work and share some helpful tips and techniques.
Thanks to Sue Magyar for her loan of Quiltfolk, a magazine worth exploring.
Quiltfolk.com
A community-supported quarterly
