I've seen Vikki's name in the quilting world for many years and recently heard that she had written a book that sounds like it should be a 'must read' for all quilters....and non-quilters too! Read about Vikki's fascinating story:
Tell us a bit about how you began quilting:
I never dreamed I'd
have a career in any field involving sewing. I almost failed Home Economics in
seventh grade because of sewing. In 1991, my sister, Augustine Ellis, asked me to
take a beginning quilting class with her. The woman who planned to accompany
her had to cancel. I promptly said “No” to my sister because of my dislike of
sewing. However she coaxed and coaxed and I finally agreed to go. From the
moment I started my beginning class, I quickly became excited and enamored with
quiltmaking. Quilting is not just sewing…it is an exquisite art form and
wonderfully therapeutic for the mind, body and spirit.
In 1994 my husband,
Den, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Worried about his health and other family
issues at the time, I felt I was at my breaking point. Inspired by a tree in
our front yard blowing violently in a spring storm, I became determined to
create a healing quilt and drafted a pattern full of curved patches. I could
relate to the tree as we both were fighting one of life's storms. With no
experience in constructing curved seams, I experimented by trial and error to
come up with the top surface technique I now teach today. I titled the finished
quilt Breaking Point. I began to
teach my new technique locally, then regionally. In 1994 Quilter's Newsletter
published an article about my technique and my new "career" took
flight. My husband is doing fine and now accompanies me on the road when I
teach.
Engulfed by Vikki Pignatelli |
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Your emotions appear, often loud and clear, in your
artwork and you may not even be aware it happens. It wasn’t until after I
finished Engulfed I realized the quilt was symbolic of my current
emotional state. I was feeling weary, overburdened and burned out.
The hectic schedules and the constant busyness in my life were taking
their toll. This quilt provided a sudden insight for me. It was a
startling wake-up call to take more time to relax.
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Your new book,
Nurture the Creative Spirit seems to come from a different place. Can you tell
us about your journey?
Anxious and stressed about Den, my deepest emotions and
spirituality began to appear in my work with the creation of my healing quilt Breaking Point and continued with subsequent
work. It's true when you work
from the heart and soul in any art form, whatever is in you, everything that is
in you, emerges. Your emotional state of mind affects your choice of colors and
fabrics…even the progression and development of a pattern. Your feelings are
reflected in your work.
Though unintentional, the quilts I created after Breaking Point revolved around spiritual themes or had a moral or
story. Creating these quilts was very therapeutic and healing for me.
Over the years, my students have expressed an interest in
my life, the symbolism behind my quilts and the personal stories discussed in
my lectures. They urged me to write my thoughts and experiences on paper.
Because of their encouragement, Nurture
Your Creative Spirit was born. As with my
quilts, some of my most personal thoughts and spiritual feelings surface in the
book.
How do you
stay passionate about your work?
That is an easy question. I absolutely LOVE what I do! I enjoy teaching, meeting and working with people…especially quilters. Art is…and has
always been…a major part of my life. I live to travel. I am very blessed to
have the opportunity to merge all my loves and share my work, techniques and
stories with others. I feel it is my mission in life to help inspire and
encourage others to use their artistic self-expression.
Do you have
suggestions for building a good support network?
As I say in my new
book, Nurture Your Creative Spirit, it
is not only necessary, but crucial for us to have a good support system. A
support system is a group of people who are your advocates. They believe in
you. They encourage you. They advise you with constructive feedback and help
you work through problems. They do not criticize, hinder or compete with you.
The persons in your
support network can be family, friends, other artists or someone with whom you
share a common ground. Above all, the one adjective that should describe your
supporter is positive, positive, POSITIVE! An affirmative attitude inspires not
only you, but your creativity and motivation. Your advocate should be honest
and upbeat, a person you look forward to seeing and enjoy being around. Someone
whose opinion you trust.
Your advocate should
be someone you hold in high esteem, and one who respects you, your work, your
ideas and your purpose.
Your supporter should enhance you. By the same token, you must return the
favor. Be his or her champion as well. Sources of support, comfort and
camaraderie include family, friends, guilds, bees or gatherings of like-minded artists.
In the book I have a section titled "Critique and
Criticism". All artists need critique to help them. Critique is positive.
But no one needs negative criticism, which hurts and destroys self-esteem and
creativity. Limit or avoid any contact with negative, critical people and do
not ask their help or opinion about your creative endeavors.
You are the founder of Sacred
Threads Quilt Exhibition as well. What is that exhibition about?
Founded in 1999, Sacred Threads
is a two-week national biennial exhibit focusing on the emotional and spiritual
aspects of quiltmaking. The categories are joy, spirituality, inspiration, healing,
grief and peace/brotherhood. As important as the quilt is the artist's statement:
the story behind the quilt …the reason for the quilt's existence. We were the
first show of its kind at the time. Other shows were based on workmanship or
artistic elements.
Sacred Threads is open to all
quilters in the USA and Canada whether professional or novice. The show is
juried only for space and category relevance…it is not judged….as these types
of quilts depicting one's emotions should never be judged. There is no time
limit for the age of the quilts as they are timeless. What IS required is
passion….quilting with one's heart and soul. Our artists put themselves into
their work…thus the show is a deeply powerful and intense exhibition,
reflecting human conditions and situations. Visitors to the exhibit spend hours
reading the statements and viewing the quilts. They are encouraged. Comforted. Filled
with enthusiasm. The quilts symbolize triumph of the human spirit.
Although Wendy Bynner (my
co-chair, then chairwoman) and I both retired after the 2009 show, another
committee member, Lisa Ellis, took the reins. Lisa, who lives in the Washington
DC area, moved Sacred Threads to Herndon, VA, where the show is quickly growing
and gaining wonderful support. Lisa is infusing Sacred Threads with new life
and passion and merging her love of Sacred Threads with her personal mission of
putting quilt exhibits into hospitals.
The next Sacred Threads will be
in Herndon, VA from July 10-28, 2013. For more information, and to signup for
the newsletter, you can check out the website at: www.sacredthreadsquilts.com
I hope you will consider
submitting quilts (call for entry is January 9 to March 9, 2013) and visiting
the show. It's an amazing show to see and one you'll never forget.
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