‘Quilts are works of art from heart of each woman’

KTAA holds annual textile arts exhibition

OBy Chaitali B. Roy

n Sunday, April 15, Kuwait Textiles Arts Association (KTAA) under the auspices of Sadu House inaugurated their flagship event of the year — The 19th Annual Textile Arts Exhibition at the Al Funoon Hall, Dahiyat Abdullah Alsalem. The KTAA is a unique organization in Kuwait. Made up of a diverse group of textile art lovers drawn from different regions in the world, the work and passion of the KTAA members stand at the intersection of art and handicraft and bears the impression of their respective cultures. The multicultural nonprofit association aims at promoting the knowledge and skills of textile related arts, and they do so through lectures, workshops, presentations and their annual exhibition. This year the show was judged by an international quilt judge Lisbet Borggreen from Denmark who also conducted two workshops for the Kuwait Quilters Group during her stay in Kuwait. The Exhibition which was put together by Hanan Al Kazemi and showcased the work of Kuwait’s quilters, Fibre Arts group and Sadu Weavers was open to the public until the 17th April 2018.

In some cultures, quilting is an integral part of daily living. In fact, it is one of the easiest ways to recycle cloth. But with the quilters of Kuwait Textile arts Association quilting and crafting with textile, yarn and fabric lead to works that inspire admiration. In many ways, the KTAA exhibition provides a unique metaphor for society in Kuwait. Textile art forms whether quilts, weaving, crochet or embroidery is a celebration of diversity. The KTAA quilters celebrate the common threads they share. They show that quilting, weaving, embroidery and crochet are more than a hobby and a craft. They are works of art from the heart of each woman.

Expression

This year, the Annual Exhibition was judged by Lisbet Borggreen, a ‘transcultural’ quilter from Denmark. “Transcultural is an expression my daughter used when she and my husband made a booklet about my quilting as a gift in connection with my solo-exhibition some years ago,” said Lisbet. “I think she thought I was more than an ordinary Danish quilt maker with all my interests in quilt making in Japan and other countries. I am always open-minded for new and different quilts in other places. I do get around as a judge or a teacher and have taught and lectured in many countries in Europe and Canada.”

Quilting and patchwork is a fairly new craft form in Denmark. In fact, only a few antique quilts can be traced back to Denmark. “You probably know about the two Americans, Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hood, who sparked renewed interest in quilts with their exhibition “Abstract Design in American Quilts “in Whitney Museum in New York. The exhibition travelled around in the world and inspired people to make patchwork and quilts,” shares Lisbet. “In Denmark, we began little by little in the seventies. In 1986 the Danish Quilt Association was founded, and today it has around 5000 members, which is pretty good for a small country as Denmark with a population counting only 5.7 million. There are also a lot of quiltmakers outside the association. Quilters meet on a weekly or monthly basis, sewing together and helping each other and occasionally showing their works in local exhibitions.” But quilting has one problem in Denmark, and it is a problem shared by sadu weavers in Kuwait. “Our biggest problem is that we are all getting older,” observes Lisbet, “and it is difficult to attract younger women to join. Today women have full-time jobs and families they look after. They do not have the spare time to quilt.”

When asked about the most popular Scandinavian patterns in quilting, Lisbet answers, “The Danish Patchwork Association is the biggest in Scandinavia, but the other countries also have strong associations. There are no particular Scandinavian patterns used; many quilters like to make traditional quilts using American books and fabrics. But of course there are contemporary and art quilters too, who use motifs, materials and colours that give their works a special touch of Scandinavia.”

Lisbet herself took to handcraft at a young age. As a girl, she enjoyed embroidery, knitting, crochet, sewing cloth, macramé and batik tie and dye. In 1975 she began patch working. But for a long time crafting continued to be a past time. A trained pharmacist, quilting was a hobby for her. It was when she went house hunting in the seventies that she became serious about the art of patchwork. “In Sweden, I noticed that some houses had quilts on the beds. Sweden has an older tradition for patchwork than Denmark. I decided that our house should have quilts on the beds. At that time there were no books or special patchwork shops with fabrics. I had to find out everything and used old cloth

The Best of Show won by Hanan Al Kazemi

The judge Lisbet Borggreen with KTAA members

and whatever available.”

Patchwork

As her love for patchwork grew, more and more people in Denmark joined the quilting association, and with time it became more structured. “Books on patchwork and quilting became available, and the same happened with fabrics. It was around this time that the first teachers from other countries visited Denmark. I joined many of these courses with wellknown teachers mostly from the USA. We began to travel to quilt festivals in Europe and USA. For some years there were “Patchwork and Quilts Expo Europe” every second year in different places in Europe with lots of quilts and workshops. Later the European Patchwork Meeting in Alsace and the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham became established good places to see and learn. In 1986, I visited a festival in New York and found my first book about Japanese patchwork.” Interestingly, the Japanese tradition of quilting had a sudden strong influence on Lisbet, and time and again she has gone back to the country. “My first quilt related tour to Japan took place in 1992, and since then I have visited Japan many times, on quilt-related trips. In 2002 and 2005 I was invited to attend the International Quilt Carnival in Nagoya as the Danish representative.” In a short while, Lisbet also trained in judging quilts, and since then she has attended quilt shows in Birmingham, Denmark, at the Nordic Quilts Festivals and Germany as a judge.” This is Lisbet’s first trip to the Middle East, and as expected she is excited. “It is my first trip to the Middle East. I do not know what to expect, but I find it very exciting to come to such a different country and see quilts, even have a chance to judge them and to meet with quilters. I will definitely learn new thing about your country and quilt making.”

As with most quilters, Lisbet Borgreen has a very personal equation with quilting. “Quilt making means a lot to me. I like to work alone. It is very relaxing just to sew pieces together or to quilt the finished top, sometimes while listening to music. But I also like to meet with friends, and help each other with problems with quilting or get new ideas. Quilting with groups is fun too. Working and travelling together for events and exhibitions and sharing our thoughts on quilts is a very social thing.” With a large number of expatriates in Kuwait, Lisbet expects the exhibition to reflect that diversity.