Have you watched Stitched?

[she-quilts]

I watched Stitched last night. I enjoyed how they followed the 3 quilters and I liked seeing where & how they work. It is great seeing the little snippets of the judging process as well. I would have loved to hear more from the judges. I have no idea why they put in the controversy between art & traditional quilts. :?: I know there are those on both sides but I've never seen it lived out in such a crabby way. That part was totally unnecessary to me. I like both styles.

I was at Paducah the year Hollis had her exhibit at the Nat'l Quilt Museum. Stunning! My Paducah friend waited for me to view the museum as I had a free ticket in with my travel package. So I was alone, it was quiet there, the AC was wonderful. What a delight to see her pieces up close.

I would love to be able to enter shows & teach & travel with all that. I think life is too short....

[kathyst2]

I just finished watching "stitched" and it blew me away. Seeing Hollis and Caryl and Randall's work process was wonderful and very moving to me. They got very deeply involved in bringing their vision to life in a finished quilt. When I saw the three of them hunched over their sewing machines, quilting away, it reminded me of how I feel when I am machine quilting.
I think that the traditional quilters that were interviewed were not necessarily representative of traditional quilters in general. The controversy may have been inserted to make the movie more interesting to non quilters? To me, if it has two layers and is held together by thread, it's a quilt and I can admire it. Lots of room for us all!
Thank you, TQS for letting us see this film!

PS Loved the shots of Ricky throughout the film and his Honorable Mention award.

Kathy

[QuilterLynn]

Doriletter, I agree that what we pay for our membership is the best quilting investment I make every year! Hands down, no argument, nothing else comes close!
Lynn

[Keith]

Just finished watching and I thought it was very nice - I wasn't distracted by any controversy (but I like a some chatter and the pot stirred a little). It did feel a little forced.

Hollis was so gracious, Randall was fun, and Caryl was ever the quilting goddess she's been for me for 20+ years.

The movie made me want to go to Houston. But was that the point? Or was it that our industry is very strong and should be taken seriously? Or that judging is subjective? Or that quilters are passionate? Or that we have and need both a left and a right? Or that we're all a little odd?

Did you hear Caryl talk briefly about Finding Balance? <gasp> I got so excited, I almost peed a little... I know she was talking about my blog.

[Keith]

I really enjoyed Stitched. I think the controversy will always be around whether an art quilt, traditional quilt or even an hand pieced hand quilted quilt wins the biggie prize. Personally I think there is room for all of us and they do have separate categories at most of the little shows I've been to. I don't know about the big shows as I have not had the luck to make it to one of them yet. I did enjoy seeing the process of several quilting stars who opened their lives and hearts for this movie. I would not have had any fingernails left during the awards ceremony if I had been any of the three. After watching them make the quilts I thought they all deserved to win. I would have a horrible time being a judge. I don't know if I could reject any quilt. Sandi

[Marianne-is-sewing]

First of all: Thank You very much TQS for this opportunity to watch "Stitched"
For somebody who will never get the opportunity to go to Houston or Paducah or any really big show or take classes from well known quilters this was a rare chance to get to not only glimpse what a huge show is like but to get to know a little about 3 of the entries and the artists behind them was very interesting. Whether or not they got a ribbon was totally irrelevant to me.
As for the controversy aired in the film - all I can say is diversity is the spice of life and as long as everybody enjoys what they are doing that is the main thing. I enjoy and admire both art and traditional quilts as well as trying my hand at both kinds so I guess I am very lucky :wink:
Marianne in Belgium

[mssquilt]

yes, and thanks for giving us the opportunity. It was a little light on how these quilters work and too heavy on the "controversy". The judging process was interesting. Makes me wonder how the judging can be fair when the style of these well known quilters is so obvious. Not that they are not great, but... Should the professionals be in a different category?
As a film, it was engaging and I would like to see more of the quilting world documentary type movie.

[LadybugQuilter]

Thank You! I really enjoyed Stitched!

I plan on purchasing my own copy for my quilting library and will watch it with my family because it was that good!

Traditional, art, hand or machine quilting? Why just one technique? I want to do them all! That's the same way I feel with every TQS production or offering I'm involved with! Talk about great inspiration!

That's the fun in being a TQS member! Inspiration abounds, the journey is enjoyable, the people we touch are special and the knowledge shared is useful . I get to experience "The Quilt Life" daily because of all of you!

Someday, I'll develop my quilting style and contribute to the legacy too!

[LadybugQuilter]

yes i have watched stitch twice...and have been to houston a couple of time....going this year and am so excited....peg

[LadybugQuilter]

[quote="mssquilt"]...The judging process was interesting. Makes me wonder how the judging can be fair when the style of these well known quilters is so obvious. Not that they are not great, but... Should the professionals be in a different category?
/quote]

This is an interesting question because several of the pros have won Best of Show 2-3 times...which I think is fabulous. But, some talented and gifted quilters might be a little discouraged from entering their work because of the "top heavy pro quilters." Wouldn't it be great fun to see a special category for only the pros to compete with each other? Or, maybe a category for "Up and Coming Stars."

Thank you TQS for treating us to the movie Stitched. I enjoyed it and will watch it again after reading all previous posts about it. As for the controversy between traditional and contemporary quilters, I just ignored it. Wasn't it Caryl Bryer Fallert who was a pioneer machine quilter years ago whose first art quilts were criticized because she didn't do hand quilting? And...look at where she is today! She rolled with the punches and followed her dream...and paved the way for many of us to have the opportunity to learn her innovative techniques. That's called progress...and guess what? we now have so many LAQ machines to choose from it boggles my mind! :roll:

Everyone in the movie had a right to his or her opinion. I especially liked seeing Hollis talk (with tears in her eyes) about her quilt that didn't win, not because she didn't win an award, but because she is so passionate and compassionate about the message she was trying to convey in her art.

TQS is my favorite "show in town" so to speak, and it's the best $42 I've spent on educating myself about the quilting industry and meeting so many wonderful, talented quilters around the world. Thanx, Alex and Ricky! You're the Absolute Best of Show! :lol:

[LenaR]

Shirley - I agree completely!

[LenaR]

I was disappointed by the film. The quilters that were presented were art quilters and the views presented seem to point out that most traditional quilters are opposed to art quilting. Many traditional quilters have no problem with art quilts. I felt it would have been a better movie if other view points were presented. The movie was skewed to one point of view.

[Lorchen]

I can fully understand that this film is somewhat 'heavy' on the art quilt side, but that can't be avoided when the three main characters are art quilters. It's a little like if you would put Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Lee in a movie and then express surprise that it's an action movie and not a romantic love story.

A lot of quilters (including me) very happily toddle back and forth between traditional quilts and art quilts (Ricky is a perfect example) and find that it comes naturally to make an 'Irish Chain' bed quilt for a young child in the same month as entering a piece into a challenge called 'Freedom' that used hand-dyes, free-form cutting, and embellishments. I feel sorry for those quilters who refuse to embrace everything that's out there in the big, bad quilting world. They are missing a lot of fun and inspiration.

Did I like 'Stitched'? Yes, of course I did. Thank you very much TQS!

[Lorchen]

I can fully understand that this film is somewhat 'heavy' on the art quilt side, but that can't be avoided when the three main characters are art quilters. It's a little like if you would put Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Lee in a movie and then express surprise that it's an action movie and not a romantic love story.

A lot of quilters (including me) very happily toddle back and forth between traditional quilts and art quilts (Ricky is a perfect example) and find that it comes naturally to make an 'Irish Chain' bed quilt for a young child in the same month as entering a piece into a challenge called 'Freedom' that used hand-dyes, free-form cutting, and embellishments. I feel sorry for those quilters who refuse to embrace everything that's out there in the big, bad quilting world. They are missing a lot of fun and inspiration.

Did I like 'Stitched'? Yes, of course I did. Thank you very much TQS!

Where's the "like" button? :wink: I agree with you, Lorchen.

[Zarah]

Lorchen, you said it so well. I like Stitched, too, knowing very well, that you only see one corner of the subject. Thanks to TQS for giving us the opportunity to watch.