1. How did you get involved in the “quilters world”?
About 15 years ago, after a sad period in our life, a good friend of mine encouraged me to start quilting. Traditional, by hand and stitch by stitch. She came every day to watch my progress and we spend together many afternoons. After this I started to buy books, trying different patterns and most important I start to work with a sewing machine. They did create this machine for something, I always says that I used the machine when it (formally) still was not allowed in the quilting business.
Still there are lots of dutch quilters how think it is ‘not done’ to use a sewing machine for quilting, they say it is not “real”. I think that both techniques are good and not one is better then the other.
2. How do you get your inspirations?
Most of my inspirations I get from books quilt books and art books but also from song text. I also get inspirations from my visits to exibitions and quilt shows.
Some times I am attending a workshop but not to often I feel that it limits my own creativity. A beautiful collection of fabrics can inspire me to make a special quilt. I normally use current fabrics which I mostly changes with paint, pastels or ink before I cut them in pieces.
3. What are your favourite items during a workshop?
Most important for me is that a workshop or lesson is easy to follow. Clear instructions, good examples etc. And the ‘after service’as I call it. In the past when I just started to quilt I followed I workshop and when I came home I complete forgot I to go further with my project. When I called the teacher she just said to me, sorry but I can not help you, you better had paid more attentions during the workshop!
4. Is there a specific line in your work?
What typically is for my work is ‘colorfull’ , I find it more difficult to work with beige/braun colors or sweet little roses then to work with colorful fabrics. It is difficult to make a quilt with these colors and most of the time this project disappears in a plastic bag or in a cabinet, I think that happens every quilter ones. However I think you can still make something beautiful from a unsuccessful project. Cut in pieces, add some colorfull fabrics, beautiful quiltwork and suddenly a beautiful quilt appears.
I love to work with cheerful motivs, fro example the collections from Kaffe Fasset and Brandon Mably but there are many great designers of fabric! A while ago I bought the fabric collection “Ciele” which is designed by Kristel Salgarello and i making a beautiful quilt of it. I try to make contemporary quilt with traditional fabrics.
Every quilt contains most of the time beautiful fabric, cotton and silk. I see myself as a contemporary, modern quilter. I use traditional aspects and try to make them my own or more innovative. I also design myself and I have not the illusion that what I create will be brand new or never done. As they say in Holland: there are many ways to Rome. As Goethe said: all art is already done, you only have to think about it again”
5. What would like a quilter to know from you?
I think this is the most difficult question. I really do not know? Yes they would like to know what kind of material I use and when. Also they would like to know why I am so fond of my Bernina sewing machines and why these ones are better then others. Precaire questions which I not always can or will answer. What I know I would like to share with other people, on my blog, the Bernina Blog, the site of Sewn.eu. I would like to share new techniques, new books, new materials, special workshops or an interview with a special artist. I hope that quilters that would like to know from me!