Please note that the following post was originally written for the 2022 Quilt Africa Online Summit, but has been edited to reflect links to information for this year’s Quilt Africa International Summit—July 5-8, 2023:
Originally published: June 4, 2022
Now that I’m no longer occupied with travel and teaching, it’s time to update you with a new (for me) summer venue—as a guest speaker at the 2022 Quilt Africa Online Summit in early July!
It’s a new world in so many ways, including how we as quilters participate and attend quilting events. In July of 2020, Miriam Galadima Benson of Abuja, Nigeria, hosted the first annual Quilt Africa Online Summit, which was attended virtually by quilters from around the world. Miriam is founder of Quilt Africa Fabrics and the African Fabrics Movement. A few months ago, she first contacted me about speaking at this third annual summit. It was then that I had the pleasure of meeting her (via Zoom) and learning about all she has been doing to promote the use of African fabrics in quilting.
Quilt Africa Online Summit, July 6-8, 2022
In the Spirit of Africa—Letting the Fabric Speak
Now I don’t know about you, but I have a modest stash of African fabrics—enough to do something with, but not having used them much in my quilting. The butterfly “Savannah Sunrise” and “Gombessa” in photos above are two of very few examples. As “untraditional” as I may be with my fabric choices, I haven’t delved into the level of boldness of design and color that is found in African fabrics—yet. I say “yet” because Miriam has encouraged me to look closer at these fabrics—and now some new ideas are percolating for how to use them further in my own work.
But still, the question did arise in my mind as to why Miriam was contacting me to be a speaker in this year’s Quilt Africa Summit. There really wasn’t much of an African connection in my work. I double checked with her and, yes, she had the correct person. She was familiar with my work and (as she later explained in a YouTube video about the summit), she chose speakers who are, “lovers of creativity, fabric, and beauty.” She also looks for those who are comfortable with using African fabrics, have an “ease” (I liked that word) of textile art skill, are open to sharing, teaching, answering questions about their work, and who see the similarity to how we all work with fabrics as fellow quilters.
I checked out Miriam’s website: Quilt Africa Fabrics—and read her story of how Quilt Africa and the African Fabrics Movement began. I think it was as I was reading about how she as a little girl would shop with her seamstress mother for fabrics that I decided to agree to participate in the summit. She mentioned that she could even remember the smell of those colorful bolts of fabrics. I have my own memories of shopping for fabrics with my seamstress mom. It certainly wasn’t in the lively and colorful fabric stalls of an open-air market in Lagos, but I’m pretty sure that if you blindfolded me and sent me back in time to the late 1960’s, I could pick out the smell (also in a good way) of Danneman’s Fabrics in Wheaton Plaza, Maryland.
Miriam and I had connected.
We both have a love of color and pattern in fabrics and aren’t afraid to use it in our quilts. Miriam has a goal to create a tribe—open to anyone interested in working with African fabrics—Africans and non-Africans alike. She wants to promote the “awesomeness” of creativity and also to share the social side of fabrics, cultural and ethnic perspectives, that could lead towards working our way through more complex issues. Sounds good to me.
The question for you is, are you looking for new ways to express your creativity?
Let me tell you more about the Quilt Africa Summit 2022
According to Miriam, the goal for this summit is different than most. The goal is to take you on a creative journey using African Fabrics and letting the fabrics speak to you to create something fresh and new.
The Mission:
Create a hub where we will come together as a community of people who love the exuberance of African Fabrics and are ready to learn, be inspired and get hands to create over the multiple days of the summit.
Click on the sign-up button above for the best and easiest way to access further information and FAQ’s about the summit as a whole (you won’t have to sign up to see the info page). Then scroll down to find out more about the Summit Speakers, listed below.
For 3 days, July 6-8, 2022, Miriam Galadima-Benson of Quilt Africa Fabrics is bringing together top quilters and artists to show you how to use African Fabrics in unique ways. You’ll hear about the creative journeys of some well-known quilters and also participate in hands-on workshops where you get to leave each session with a finished or near-finished project. For example, featured every day are quilters who will share their gallery of works just to inspire you about what’s possible with African fabrics.
My [2022] talk will be about where you find sources of inspiration for creative work, using my own art quilts as examples. It’s all about the story—of the subject and of the fabric—”Letting the Fabric Speak” is a theme I can work with! I’ll also be including how I work with fabrics in the collage process—and how healing and empowering creating art with fabric can be.
I hope you can join us.
Information about The Quilt Africa International Summit—July 5-8, 2023
What a an awesome surprise.
I have my ticket! Hopefully my stash will become greater (in a GREAT way)! And used in ways I have only dreamed of. So looking forward to this opportunity. Thank you and good luck!
A bit disappointed there are no links to the speakers sites, will they be provided prior to July?
Kathryn, you can get to speakers’ websites by clicking on their photos on the Quilt Africa Summit description page (get there by clicking on one of the above ticket links and then scroll down page). It’s fun to browse through them—gonna be lots of good info!
Hello,
I am excited about this summit. I was inspired by African fabrics after seeing after seeing an exhibit of Bisa Butler’s work in Chicago. I then attempted, if you remember, using those fabrics in my first collage quilt. Ultimately, I didn’t like the result so scaped the project. I am still excited about the African fabrics and can’t wait for the summit!
This sounds like a great class. I work mainly with African fabrics as I live most of the year in Niger, West Africa. The fabrics are inexpensive, colorful & inspiring.
I sent you an example of a collage piece I made with African fabrics a year ago, using your technique.
Thank you for sharing information about 2022 Quilt Africa, Susan! Not only am I excited to hear your presentation, I am also very excited about learning how to use African fabrics in my quilting!
I’m so honoured to have you in this year’s summit Susan!
Thank you so much for seeing the possibilities of African fabrics in your collages. I look forward to sitting in your session to learn a different dimension of using the fabrics.
It’s so interesting that we have the same memories of fabrics from such a young age, I can’t quite remember when the market trips became less drudgery and more of adventure.
I’m constantly surprised at how clearly I remember the things I learnt from my mum and the fabric sellers from those years.
It’s a blessing that fabrics, beauty and creativity connects us all across the oceans and continents.
I agree Miriam! I look forward to working with you and the other speakers at Quilt Africa summit!
Have you heard of or know to of my fellow South African quilting friends Pat Parker and her sister Jenny Williamson? They gave written numerous quilting books using African fabrics.Well worth looking up
Hi Susan! I paid for the Africa class in July, but have not received notification or confirmation. Please let me know if I did something incorrectly. Thanks!
Hi Lanette, Miriam here from Quilt Africa Fabrics. I confirmed your purchase of the ticket June 5th.
I saw you opted to be notified by sms, which was sent immediately.
I’ve also re-sent the order confirmation twice since I saw your comment.
Kindly confirm that you have received it.
Please don’t worry, I have you on record as registered for the submit and you will receive notification once we are ready to move to the summit platform in a couple of weeks time.
If you have anymore concerns, please drop a comment here or email me directly – [email protected] and I will be happy to help.
Thank you so. much for registering for the summit and I look forward to seeing you.
Got it! Thanks! I’m not the most savvy tech person!