I love hearing the stories of how people learned about quilts and what made them fall in love. Some of us grow up with quilting in our families and remember their warmth and comfort. For Bill Volckening, his love for quilts started as a way to decorate his house. With a background in visual arts via Rhode Island School of Design, the School of Visual Arts and New York University / International Center of Photography, an applique quilt festival in Philadelphia, PA and Gee’s Bend exhibit at the Whitney Museum exposed Bill to a different side of textile art. The combination of the beauty of quilts and their evolving utility made them the perfect medium for artistic exploration.
Here are some of the quilts in his collection:
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As the self-proclaimed “quilt magnet”, Bill started collecting quilts while working in the publishing industry. As soon as he let others know about his collection, a whirlwind of activity commenced. Bill published New York Beauty about one of his first quilts in his collection. Next year, his new book Modern Roots: Today’s Quilts from Yesterday’s Inspiration will be published. He has also exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, Quilt Con 2015 and more. His passion for quilts has lead him to make his own and he continues to explore the many facets of quilt history including his latest exhibit at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center on Hawaiian scrap quilts called, “Kalakoa, Discovering the Hawaiian Scrap Quilt”.
By collecting, making and appraising quilts, Bill is keeping our quilt history alive and accessible. It is hard not to want to learn more from him. During our conversation, we talk about why he started his collection, the beauty of imperfect quilts, his books and his prediction about the latest trend in the quilting world.
How to Listen:
To listen to the podcast, you can click on the graphic at the beginning of this post, hit play on the player below, download and save the episode with the link or subscribe to all of my podcast episodes via iTunes or Stitcher.
Download this episode (right click and save)
Notes from the Show:
“Eureka Moment” by Bill Volckening (Why Quilts Matter)
Lutisha Pettway (Gee’s Bend quilter)
Sponsors:
This episode is sponsored by Sewtopia and The Modern Quilt Guild.
Comments 12
Thank you, Sandi! And special thanks to Sewtopia and The Modern Quilt Guild for sponsoring the podcast.
I had no idea you started a podcast! That’s so awesome. Congrats!
Author
Thank you!
Quilts have a reputation of being so grandmotherly so it’s been awesome how Bill has spotlighted how they can be do much more than traditional patterns most might assume and think of!
Author
Definitely!
I love Bill’s point about the beauty in imperfection. It shows that a real human made the piece, and that adds interest—and authenticity.
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Catherine,
I agree! Part of the beauty is knowing the quilt came from someone’s hard work and passion.
Great profile on Bill! Love hearing you talk about how he got started in the world of quilts.
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Marlynn,
I feel like it’s so easy to see where people are now and not know what it took to get them to that place. Bill’s story is fun and I love sharing it.
I love that he sees beauty in the imperfections!
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Melissa,
I do too! It is a lesson for all of us. 🙂
I REALLY enjoy your podcasts–so interesting and informative!