Why do quilters write? Why do writers quilt? Not all writers quilt, of course, just as not all quilters write.
Some people write and quilt; some quilt and write
Why? Who? How?
For the quilter who loves to read novels and the novelist who likes to quilt, what process is going on in their minds? Why? How? Where? What? These questions teased us to find answers. We drew up essential questions to ask quilters and writers. We asked them to define the point at which the two activities intersect and what do they have in common?
And why do they do what they do?
So far no book has answered these questions. This book attempts to explain WHO and WHY writers and quilters use the same process in creating their individual work. We hope to find a connection between the two arts by identifying the questions and then by identifying the artists who answer them.
The process we followed in the construction of this book was guided by the basic question of why do writers and quilters use the same process of creativity. We used the four-square pattern of quilting to divide the writing into four sections or blocks or chapters.
Within the book you will see various writing styles - everything from the informal and personal to the academic and lyrical - because different styles appeal to different people. It is a testimony to the love of beauty that so many different types of creative people choose quilting and/or writing as their means of expression.
The order of the chapter/blocks of the four-square pattern begins with the quilters and writers themselves - the WHO. Who are the writers and quilters who succeed in both arts? WHAT are the components of their art? Then we ask WHERE and WHEN those artists created their works. And finally WHY are some artists motivated to pursue artistic expression in two or more arts?
What we have discovered is that similar processes are used in both quilting and writing. We found that many of the writers and quilters were aware of these processes to the point that they felt free to talk about them or, to be more correct, to write about them. This book contains their answers.
The book is also written for those who neither quilt or write but who love and appreciate both arts - the lovers of quilts and lovers of words, lovers of novels and of fabric stores, lovers of bright colors and history, lovers of soft covers and softer words. After all, everyone writes a different book just as everyone quilts a different quilt. That is the glory of human creativity. We are hoping to explore the worlds of writing and quilting one block or chapter at a time.
Our gratitude goes out to the writers who quilt and the quilters who write, especially those of the Pearl S. Buck Volunteer Association. Pearl S. Buck International (PSBI) is a non-profit organization with three distinct functions that operate as one with the common mission of continuing the legacy and dreams of Pearl S. Buck - her commitment to improving the quality of life and expanding opportunities for children and promoting and understanding of the values and attributes of other cultures, the injustice of prejudice, and the need for humanitarianism throughout the world.
All monies raised by the sale of this book will be donated to its sponsor, Pearl S. Buck Volunteer Association, to benefit the children served by Pearl S. Buck International(R), Green Hills Farm, Perkasie, PA.
