this is the hardest post i have ever written on this blog of mine. one that has found me, of all people, at a loss for words. how do you write about someone who inspired you, encouraged you, awoke your creative spirit, nurtured it, challenged you, was kind to you, was a friend to you, and one who helped you find your path, that is now gone?
this post is about someone who means so much to not only me but to our whole creative community both online and offline - kathreen ricketson (author and blogger of whipup.net). she needs no introduction from me. she was and still is part of the very roots of creativity as we know it now. she was a trailblazer and a true artist. she embraced the true meaning of making and in teaching our children to also embrace and to grow this very important message. she believed in family.
i am so very honored to have been included by stash books for the legacy tour for kathreen's newest book "brave new quilts" along with an amazing line up of women who i am regularly inspired by and look up to. it means so much to me.
so many times i have sat down to write this post. thinking back to the 4 1/2 years i have been blogging and how kathreen played a role in every single one of them. how she took chances on me, answered my emails even when i was a newbie looking for advice and encouraged me to keep creating. her blog was a daily read and a fixture in my life. i can truly say she helped to shape my path to where i am today.
her books are on my shelf. her calendar (that inspired me) from years ago still in my desk. her action pack magazines still read in our home....and then i realized it - she is still here. she always will be. the most evident proof of this is "brave new quilts". this book is truly kathreen. she was so excited and passionate about this book when she was working on it and i can feel her energy just bouncing off the pages even now. i can still see kathreen.
so while struggling to write this without being a bawling mess i placed her book near me, poured a cup of tea and took some time to just fully reflect, to miss kathreen and to tell her how much i truly love this book and how much she meant as a person and as a woman to me and all the others lives she touched.
to say that brave new quilts is a great book would be a lie. it's not just great, it's on a whole other level than other quilting books out there. as someone who has a passion for books & art and who is obsessed with lines, patterns and textures this book feeds my soul. it truly, in every sense of the word inspired me. i keep reading and re-reading it finding new things, new ideas, new trigger points for projects, but mostly i feel like i'm sitting with kathreen. i feel like she showed a side of herself and her creativity she hadn't yet revealed.
brave new quilts includes 12 new projects inspired by 20th century art. from art nouveau to punk & pop. it's so crazy good. the best part is kathreen not only gives you the 12 project patterns but also teaches you how to take the basics and create & personalize your own using 4 aesthetic elements: line, color, motif and text. yay! seriously i find this so exciting!
and as always, my favorite parts of books are usually the parts that aren't the projects. i loved pouring over the hidden jewels in this book. the design, layout and instructive elements in this book are clean, expressive and exciting. her husband did the illustrations and was her technical long arm assistant, her children modeled, her friends helped sew and photograph. the color, the lines and the overall design of the book made me hungry to create. kathreen would have loved that....... i had to force myself to keep reading after the first chapter because i immediately wanted to grab my sketch pad and draw and sew. that's what kathreen has always brought out in me. the need to just sit and nurture the creative self and feel 100% ok with that. the laundry can wait.
//design principles //
- space, proportion, pattern & texture, line and shape, balance & symmetry, color
// use of line //
- russian constructivism
- bauhaus
- art deco/cubist
// use of color //
- abstract experssionism
- bauhaus
// use of motif //
- art deco
- art nouveau
- midcentury modern
// use of text //
- dada
- punk
- pop art
as well as sections on your toolbox, finishing quilts, calculating yardage, metric conversions and more. this truly is a book that is a must have for any quilter who has a passion for modern quilting.
kathreen, wherever you are, i miss you & love you. thank you for everything you have taught me, inspired me to create and for your kind friendship. you will be remembered always.
thank you to stash books for releasing brave new quilts and for allowing us to have this special part of kathreen to cherish always. you can read the other touching and special posts in the legacy tour below and by following the hashtag #LegacyTour on social media accounts such as twitter, facebook, and instagram.
To follow the legacy tour:
Tuesday, Oct 1 Heather Jones Tuesday, Oct 8 Ellen Luckett Baker
Wednesday, Oct 2 Kristin Link Wednesday, Oct 9 Andrea Jenkins
Thursday, Oct 3 Maya Donenfeld Thursday, Oct 10 Shannon Cook
Friday, Oct 4 Alexandra Smith Friday, Oct 11 Mimi Kirchner
Monday, Oct 7 Sonya Philip Monday, Oct 14 Cheryl Arkison