Men and the Art of Quiltmaking

Long before Europeans colonized America and brought quilting as a textile tradition with them, men were the professional quiltmakers, not women. So begins Joe Cunningham's new book, Men and the Art of Quiltmaking. 

AQS is honored to be the publisher for this book, which profiles 30 of today's male quiltmakers. What they do, why they do it and how they do it are discussed. Photos of their work are included along with nine patterns.

You'll recognize some names but others will not be familiar. Men aren't quite the oddity in quiltmaking in 2010 that they were even five years ago, but are still worth understanding, because they add a certain dimension to the art of quiltmaking.

Joe is a great writer and clearly enjoyed his interviews with his fellow artists. As he writes, "...I began to feel like we were brothers of the quilt." It's a brotherhood with a huge spectrum of tastes and style, from traditional to contemporary to art quilt. Their methods and approaches vary tremendously, too.

For those attending the AQS Des Moines quilt show this October 6 - 9, a bonus is a special exhibit by 24 of the book's quilters, curated by Joe. There have been exhibits of quilts made by men, and male quiltmakers are no longer rare participants in shows and exhibits, but this is the first all-male quilter exhibit to come from a single book on the subject.

Joe will be teaching quilt classes and lecturing in Des Moines, and giving a performance of his musical, "Joe the Quilter." And, he will be signing his book in the AQS booth, so this is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in quilts made by men and talk with a male quilter. Click here to learn more about the show: www.americanquilter.com

Joe's fondest wish is to write more about male quilters. Read his first book on them by ordering AQS item #8243 at 1-800-626-5420, or at the link above. See if anything Joe discovered surprises you, and let him know about it by commenting here.

Meet Me in Des Moines, Myrna

OK, "Meet Me in Des Moines, Myrna" doesn't have quite the ring to it Judy Garland gave to "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" in the almost-eponymous movie, but this really is an open invitation to come see me during our show this October 6 - 9 at the Iowa Convention Center.

I'll be in an office in the hallway outside the exhibits, hoping to talk with prospective authors about their book ideas (look for the easel sign that says, "Andi Reynolds, Executive Book Editor"). If you'd like to talk about a book idea, you can prepare in advance by reviewing our proposal guidelines. Go to www.americanquilter.com and click on "Authors."

You can also attend my lecture, Publishing 101, which will be Wednesday, October 6 from 11 am to 12 pm in the Iowa Hall of Pride Theater. Register for Lecture # 32801.

I'll also be moderating the Author's Roundtable on Thursday, October 7 from 5 pm to 6 pm. This, too will be in the Iowa Hall of Pride Theater; it is Special Event # 32201. Come hear what four AQS authors have to say about being AQS authors: Joe Cunningham (Men and the Art of Quiltmaking), Jean Biddick (Masterful Machine Pieced Quilts), Zena Thorpe (Beautiful Alphabet Applique), and Kimberly Einmo (Jelly Roll Quilts & More).

Both events should help explain the process of becoming an AQS author, but you don't need to attend them to talk with me. Walk-ins are welcome, or you may make an appointment before October 1 by emailing me at andi@aqsquilt.com. You can always ask for me at the Workshop Desk, too.

Being at each AQS quilt show is always exciting for me because I do get to meet so many creative people with such interesting ideas. If you have given some thought to writing a quilt book, come to the quilt show and see me! Bring just an idea or a full-blown proposal or anything in between. I look forward to meeting you.

Who Are Those Guys?

Remember this line from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

That's what I was wondering several years ago when men quilters began appearing in quilting magazines. I wanted to read a book about men who quilt, and then I became executive book editor at AQS. I suggested we do a volume on these artists, and not long afterwards, I ran into Joe Cunningham. He'd been thinking along the same lines. The result is his forthcoming book, Men and the Art of Quiltmaking (due this Fall), in which he interviews and shows a sampling of the work of 29 men who quilt. And his own.

Joe will be teaching at our Des Moines show this October 6 - 9 and will curate an exhibit of quilts from his book. It really is something to read what these guys are thinking. One minute, they sound like aliens. The next minute, they sound like every quilter you've ever known.

Artists in the book are Bob Adams, Phil Beaver, Don Beld, Jack Brockette, Richard Caro, Joe Cunningham, Andre Emmell, John Flynn, Scott Hansen, Luke Haynes, Raymond K. Houston, Michael James, Michael Kashey, Alan Kelchner,  Richard Larson, Din Linn, Mark Lipinski, Mike McNamara, Jim Mikula, M Mueller, Scott Murkin, Shawn Quinlan, Gerald Roy, Jonathan Shannon, George Siciliano, David Taylor, Ricky Tims, Holice Turnbow, David Walker and Erick Wolfmeyer.

Seeing is believing, so make plans to come to Des Moines to answer the question: Who are those  guys?