Quilter's Question:

Q: Are there any men who do this for a hobby, or are there any men who do this because it's their profession? I'd feel a little better if I knew of other men who do this. I don't want to be the only man on the face of the planet who spends his time quilting. :))

A: Believe it or not, there are (and always have been) quite a few men who
make quilts, and make money making quilts.  

As a matter of fact, there was an article in our local newspaper (the San Diego Union Tribune) about a retired man engineer who is designing and making some really unique quilts - kind of 3 dimensional-looking quilts.  

Michael James has been around for years; I took a class from him in the mid 1980s, and he is now a professor in art / fabric arts at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

 Ricky Tims is a kind of cowboy quilter who took up sewing as
a broke adult when he inherited his grandmother's sewing machine.  He
travels the quilt guilds giving workshops and making speeches.  And
there are always quilts made by men hanging at local quilt shows.

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society in Paducah, Ky. sponsored a traveling quilt show that featured the work of 22 men -- 26 quilts in all -- many of whom are as macho as they come. In March, the show was in Greensburg, in April the Quilt Show was in Pittsburg and in June, the fine folks in St. Petersburg enjoyed the show. featuring men and their quilts.

October 2005 saw the opening of a traveling show "Men of Biblical Proportion." The goal for this exhibit was to present a theme about men, by men, and for men.  Male characters of the Bible fit this description.  It was aptly named “Men of Biblical Proportion. This exhibit will travel to quilt shows, churches, museums and galleries throughout the US until the end of 2007.

A Google search will turn up many more men in the quilting world. Guess it's not just about making blankets - it's about creating art that captures the spirit, imagination and history.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

Web www.How-To-Quilt.com