QuiltCon 2022 Part I: Improvisation and Heidi Parkes

This is my first experience at a QuiltCon, so it is difficult to know where to start! I spent all day Friday attending various lectures, one of which was called “Improv Quilt, Improv Life,” by Heidi Parkes.

You can see examples of her work at her website, and here are several photos I took of her piece called “Vignettes Quilt” in the Handwork category at the show.

In her lecture, Heidi talked about the influence of wabi-sabi on her aesthetic. Some of the main characteristics of this Japanese philosophy are connected to impermanence, asymmetry, economy, and intimacy. The tenets of Buddhism regarding ideas of change and being present are important parts of this artistic style and philosophy. You can read more about wabi-sabi in this article at omaritani.com.

Heidi's talk resonated with me and I admire her work. The combination of embroidery and other techniques in quilting is something I've always enjoyed and I try to incorporate it into my smaller, more intimate pieces. I definitely embrace the variation and “imperfection” of handwork. In fact, these aspects underpin my appreciation of textile (and other) arts. I find that I am less interested in work that appears flawless. I like to see markers of the person or people who made the work.

I am particularly interested in her 100 Days project and the idea of working on a quilt or other project a little bit every day, within a given framework. It's like journaling, but with textiles. I also enjoy working within (my own) established parameters because it helps me finish things!

If you are interested in trying a more improvisational approach to your quilting, one tip that Heidi mentioned in her talk is to take in-progress photos all throughout your process. This can help you make decisions if you're stuck or hesitant about which direction to head next in your work. I imagine that it helps us change perspective regarding the work-in-progress and even gives us the space to go back and change something if we want. In my most recently completed work, I ended up going back and changing three blocks when I was nearing the finish line because when I looked at a photograph of the quilt top, something just seemed off-balance to me and I couldn't live with it!

Some of the main characteristics of the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi are connected to impermanence, asymmetry, economy, and intimacy.

Here are some photos of one of my embroidery works in progress. I've stalled a bit with it and am unsure what to do next. I need to take a photo of the entire piece and perhaps go back and read my original notes about the idea.

In any case, I'm grateful to have attended that talk by Heidi Parkes and look forward to seeing more of her inspirational work in the future!