Podcast
Running Stitch - A QSOS Podcast
Hosted by Quilt Alliance · EN
Running Stitch - A QSOS Podcast explores quilt stories, revealing the inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations of contemporary quiltmakers by drawing on Quilters S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories, the long running oral history project created by the Quilt Alliance in 1999.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Learning to Quilt
Nov 10, 202100:30:03Tap to summarizeSome people made sourdough, some people got pandemic pets. Sarah Steiner became the @pandemicquilter, learning how to quilt from youtube and Instagram, and making over 20 quilts since summer of 2020 after not previously knowing how to wind a bobbin. Sarah joins Running Stitch host, Janneken Smucker, to listen back to QSOS interview excerpts about how quilters learned their skills during earlier eras, sharing how the pandemic inspired her to quilt.
Transcribe →Season Three Trailer
Oct 26, 202100:02:38Tap to summarizeComing soon: season three of Running Stitch, a QSOS podcast. This season, we're focusing on younger quiltmakers -- quiltmakers who build on quilting traditions and contemporary influences to make something that's uniquely theirs. We'll listen back to interview clips with quilters from the past two decades, and talk with these quilters about the role of quilts in their lives and in society. Subscribe now and don't miss an episode of our third season of Running Stitch, a QSOS podcast!
Transcribe →Outlier Quilts
Apr 7, 202100:41:58Tap to summarizeWhat do one-of-a-kind, unusual, or outlier quilts tell us about the quiltmaking tradition? In this episode, Joe Cunningham joins host Janneken Smucker to revisit their 2007 interview and discuss how American quilt history reveals a tradition of experimentation, problem-solving, and creativity that today's quilters can draw on. Joe further contemplates the relationship of art and quilts, recalling his own evolution and liberation as a quiltmaker.
Transcribe →Researching Quilt History
Mar 3, 202100:43:07Tap to summarizeHave you ever wondered how quilt historians can unravel the story of a quilt with just a few threads? Do you want the inside scoop on how researchers look for "clues in the calico"? Our guest this week is celebrated quilt historian Barbara Brackman. Running Stitch host Janneken Smucker talked with Barbara about quilt history research and how it's evolved in the 21st century, how quilts can be used as a lens for women's history, and the new, expanded edition of her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. This episode was recorded live, as part of the Textile Talks free weekly lecture series.
Transcribe →Quilts and Authenticity
Feb 3, 202100:37:16Tap to summarizeWhat makes a quilt "sing"? Join us for this episode of Running Stitch, with our guest Denyse Schmidt, to explore that question and more. We'll talk about what it means—for an object OR its maker—to be 'authentic'. Denyse is a groundbreaking quiltmaker, and the designer of numerous patterns and fabrics, the author of Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration and Denyse Schmidt Quilts. We'll revisit her 2012 QSOS interview, explore the places and eras that inspire Denyse's work, and end our conversation discussing her upcoming fabric line, "Five and Ten".
Transcribe →Temperature Check on the Quilt Industry
Jan 27, 202100:29:47Tap to summarizeFor well over a century, quilts have meant business. A thriving quilt industry has existed since the 19th century, publishing patterns, selling fabrics and supplies, promoting quiltmaking, and offering celebrity endorsements. In today's age of social media and online retail, the business side of quilts has continued to thrive, while navigating all sorts of bumps in the road, including, most recently, a global pandemic. This week, we talk with Linda Pumphrey, Senior Account Executive for Mountain Mist. For decades, Linda has worked for quilt companies, criss-crossing the country managing her accounts. This year, she has stayed home, Zooming with her customers and colleagues. We'll talk with Linda about how quilt businesses have adapted, and the role of celebrity in the quilt industry, both today and in the past.
Transcribe →Great Quilts
Dec 16, 202000:34:47Tap to summarizeQuilters S.O.S. – Save Our Stories oral history interviews often include the question, "What makes a great quilt?" Running Stitch host Janneken Smucker asks today's guest, quilt historian Merikay Waldvogel, to answer this most challenging question, while they also listen back to other interviewees' responses. What's the answer? Good planning? Lots of fabrics? First place ribbons? Immortality? Tune in to hear from one of the world's foremost quilt authorities, who has seen 10,000s of historic quilts, and finds something to like about each one.
Transcribe →On Creativity
Dec 9, 202000:31:49Tap to summarizeRunning Stitch is back for Season Two, again digging into the QSOS oral history archive to explore the meaning of quilts in American life. In this episode, host Janneken Smucker talks to quiltmaking legend Ricky Tims about the role of creativity in his life. As a quiltmaker, musician, composer, co-host of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, and founder of Quilt Life magazine, Ricky embodies creativity. We'll revisit his first interview for the QSOS project, recorded two decades ago in 2000, and continue the conversation with a new interview exploring the intersection of music and quilting, his perspective on the creative spirit, and Ricky's new novel, Lizzy Albright and the Attic Window, co-written with Kat Bowser.
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Season Two Trailer
Dec 1, 202000:02:44Tap to summarizeJoin us for a very special sneak preview of our second season of Running Stitch. We'll be sharing more amazing interviews from fascinating folks in the quilt world, including Ricky Tims, Merikay Waldvogel, and Carolyn Crump. From an exploration of the creative spirit to a conversation about America's quilt history, you won't want to miss these new episodes!
Transcribe →Quilts and Writing
Jul 30, 202000:40:25Tap to summarizeThis episode--our last episode of season 1 of Running Stitch--features a panel discussion about quilts and writing moderated by host Janneken Smucker. Our four panelists are quilt journalist Meg Cox, novelist Frances O'Roark Dowell, quilter and mathematics professor Chawne Kimber, and poet and educator Gwen Westerman. All four are writers and quiltmakers and you'll hear them discuss connections between quiltmaking and writing, their creative processes, and the intersection of quilts and words. The discussion was recorded live as part of the Textile Talks lecture series, featuring public programming from six quilt and fiber art organizations across the country. Video of this, and other Textile Talks, is available via YouTube.
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