Quilt, Both Art & Memoir

When fashion trends and dwindling wardrobe space threaten the sentimental value of your beloved threads, take a tip from textile visionary Louise Silk- craft yourself a quilt! Welcome to the 21st century where quilting is not just a “cool” thing to do, but a spiritual experience. Once you see the work of 30-year strong quilting queen, you’ll notice spirit stitched into and radiating from each of her garments. Truly works of art, Louise emphasizes “creating art that combines aesthetics and functionality with meaning and memory.” I’d say constructing a quilt lap throw from a 92-year-old man’s tie collection, and 5 king size quilts from a deceased father and son’s shirts for their remaining family members, does just that…and so much more for preserving memories. Louise mourned the loss of her parents through the process of transforming clothing into a comforting blanket. She shares lengths upon widths of wisdom and technique in her book “The Quilting Path: A Guide to Spiritual Discovery through Fabric, Thread, and Kabbalah.” Her blog Bubbe isdom: Unraveling the Threads of Life has some hearty reflections on Jewish celebrations, and her daily life as mother and innovative homemaker.

Quilting and other needlepoint crafts are not for the dull. The Ladies Fancywork Society aka yarnstormers or guerilla knitters, beautify their community of Denver, CO with fuzzy flare. Are “fire hydrants decked out with fuzzy vests, light poles and tree trunks wrapped in colorful textile love,” evidence of artists interacting with their environment, or misguided yarn users?

• quilt: http://gallery.me.com/louisesilk

• spiritual experience: http://www.silkquilt.com/exhibitions/illumination_of_a_soul/

• preserving memories: http://www.silkquilt.com/exhibitions/preserving_memories/

• Bubbe Wisdom: http://thejewishchronicle.net/Bubbe_Wisdom

• Ladies Fancywork Society: http://www.ladiesfancyworksociety.com/