Chester County Edition
August 2011
Vol. 8 No. 8
The Art in the Craft World Traveler Infuses Asian Designs into Quilts, Banners By Megan Joyce It’s been almost 40 years since renowned quilter Nancy Long first picked up a needle, her creative mind envisioning a quilt instead of a collection of old dresses. Long’s husband’s military career meant the couple lived and worked on the opposite side of the globe for many years, including stints in Thailand, Korea, and the Netherlands. “I had all these gorgeous cotton dresses made in Thailand. I brought them all back and decided to make a quilt out of them—and that’s sort of where I got started, cutting all those dresses up that were no longer in style.” Long has a career history as interesting and varied as her home addresses. Her résumé ranges from home economist and service corps director to kitchen designer. Long even taught math, science, and social studies to GIs working toward their GEDs during the Vietnam War. But it’s her talent for and love of quilting—fiber art—that has been her passion for nearly four decades. She has seen the art form come and go in cycles of popularity since the 1970s, but it’s been only within the last 10 to 15 years that the world of quilting has undergone a dramatic transformation. “It used to be that quilting was more of a craft. There was not a great deal of individualism in quilting, but there were a few artists who sort of came in and chose that as their medium,” Long said. “Now, quilting is probably please see ART page 16 Nancy Long, quilt designer and expert on Japanese fiber art, is seated in front of a century-old kimono with hand-painted swan detailing, once worn by an apprentice geisha. To the right hangs one of her own quilt designs featuring Japanese family crests.
Inside:
Tips for Moving Antiques page 5
Meringues with Summer Fruit page 7
Landisville, PA Permit No. 3
PAID PRSRT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE