Yvonne Miller and Greg Stewart are part of the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild, an organization that began 13 years ago with the goal of creating a local quilting community. The LAMQG became the first chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild, now an international organization with chapters popping up around the world. Beth Spotswood asked today’s guests to help differentiate modern quilting from the traditional style. “It’s when a member or a sewer incorporates the use of bold colors and prints,” said Stewart. “It can be high-contrast and graphic areas of solid colors, improvisational piecing, minimalism, and expansive negative space.” Stewart, the organization’s outgoing president, added that defining the line between traditional and modern quilting can be “very controversial.”
As modern styles have become more popular, the crowd quilting attracts has grown to include younger and more diverse participants. “When you talk about quilting in general, everyone has this idea in general of little grannies working together on a quilt. But really, it’s just like any other modern crafting—knittingor crocheting—we’re seeing all of these types of crafts taking on new life these days,” Miller, the LAMQG’s incoming president, told Alta Live. “A lot of younger people are connecting to historical roots; they’re looking at different art forms to express themselves.” The LAMQG regularly collaborates as an organization to create edgy, abstract projects that it takes to festivals and competitions. When asked if the guild embodies a particular Los Angeles style, Miller explained, “If I could say anything that’s consistent, it’s that we’re inconsistent. It’s always different.”
Check out these links to some of the topics Miller, Stewart, and Spotswood brought up this week.
- Check out Alta Journal’s newest issue, Made in California, including the crafts special section.
- Learn more about the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild.
- Join the quilters’ monthly meeting on Zoom.•
