Block Party Quilters

Carolyn Major

BPQ Featured Artist 2024

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Artist's Statement:

Since before I can remember, I slept under handmade quilts at my grandparents' house and admired my grandmother's work. Double-wedding-ring seemed to be her favorite design. My mother also did a lot of sewing and taught me and my sister to sew clothing when we were children. I started a quilt as a teenager, but it was slow going with school and work and then babies to care for.

When our youngest children got past the toddler stage, my sister and I realized that we and our mother could actually do something besides chase children during our visits together. "What about a quilt?" we said. Our collaboration eventually produced five quilts, one for each member of the younger generation.

I started to devour quilting publications and found a myriad of things I wanted to try: color combinations, assembly methods, ways of abstracting photos and drawings. I squeezed a little quilt making in here and there. Retirement brought a chance to actually try more things and complete some UFOs (Unfinished Objects).

Turning a photo into a quilt is something that has interested me for a long time. I've tried many methods now, and each has strengths and weaknesses. I also love geometric designs and particularly enjoy those that engage the viewer with some unexpected surprise or activity. When I finish a quilt that's been a long time in the making, I do like to set those colors aside and work with a different palette for the next one.

There's one thing that continues to surprise me and I've named it Carolyn's Law: A quilt always looks way better than you ever thought it would.