Each week throughout the summer we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life.
When I invite people to share the pattern that changed their life I always make it clear that I’m open to things beyond patterns – whole books or classes are certainly capable of changing our creative lives just as much as single pattern if not more so. I’m excited that Cheryl Arkison’s life-changing experience was a workshop!
Cheryl is a quilt designer, writer, and teacher. Her newest book, You Inspire Me To Quilt, is in stores now. Check out her online classes on Craftsy and CreativeLive. Cheryl lives with her family in Calgary, Alberta and blogs at Dining Room Empire.
Here’s Cheryl to share the story:
One of my first quilting friends was a woman named Meredith. We met in an online chat group for quilters. Although she lived three hours away she drove up to take me to see a Mary Ellen Hopkins lecture. I’d only been quilting for a year or so at this point, and had, frankly, never heard of Mary Ellen Hopkins. The event, however, seemed like a good idea to get out and be quilty for the night.
Mary Ellen Hopkins with Kevin Britton, a friend.
Long story short, the evening blew my mind. For one, she was funny and vibrant. Even though I was out of the norm as a 24-year-old woman in the room (at least half of everyone else’s age), I had a stereotype in my head of what all quilters were – old, staid, boring, traditional. She was anything but boring and traditional! She made us all laugh, told stories about her quilts, and opened my eyes to so much more.
I remember two lessons she taught in particular. First, use what you think is an ugly fabric. More importantly, we need to look at fabrics off the bolt, cut up, to appreciate what they can do in our quilts. My fabric selection changed immediately after this and there are always pieces that I doubt, but throw in anyway. And they always work. It also got me using 5 fabrics when 1 will do, something I still do.
“2+2=4” by Cheryl Arkison. About this quilt she says, “2010 was a rough year and this quilt was one way to put it behind me. Named for the number of pregnancies and miscarriages at the time. Inspired entirely by a random handful of crayons my daughter placed in my hand.”
And second, she was very big into something she called Private Personal Measurements. It made me realize that you can do your own thing, all the time, and the finished quilt won’t care. As a teacher, it also reminds me – frequently – that people read a ruler, sew a ¼’’, and press differently.
“Network” by Cheryl Arkison.
Now, as I deliver trunk shows and classes I’ve come to truly appreciate what she was doing then. She was entertaining as well as inspiring. I didn’t know it at the time, but now I see that. She called herself a performer and that is indeed true. It is a good lesson for this industry. People are giving up time and paying money to see me and my quilts, I owe them a show. And I think back to Mary Ellen Hopkins frequently and the show she gave me that night.
Most modern quilters, especially if they’ve come to this world in the last decade, have likely never heard of Mary Ellen Hopkins. But likely you’ve sewn with techniques she is given credit for inventing, like adding triangles to the corners of a rectangle or square to get a flying geese block or basis for a star or otherwise. This technique has been adapted for improv and seems to be a standard for machine piecing now.
Values Plus by Cheryl Arkison.
It is so important to acknowledge and remember the quilters, the women, who paved the way for the rest of us in this industry. For me, Mary Ellen Hopkins was it. I am so glad I was convinced to go out that night, it really did change my life.
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A workshop by Mary Ellen Hopkins changed Cheryl Arkison’s creative life, helping to open her eyes to what it was to be an engaging and compassionate quilting teacher.
full circle, saw her in Calgary and enjoyed her outlook on quilting, and your class on improv, opened me to say it’s ok if only I love it!!!
I saw Mary Ellen Hopkins in Paducah, ’97, and I still put quilt blocks together the way she suggested, rather then row by row. She was an amazing, vibrant, funny woman!!
Thanks to you Abby for featuring Cheryl – and to you Cheryl for paying homage to an amazing “traditional” quilter, who is anything but!
I loved Mary Ellen!!!! Bought several of her books and to this day remember and use my own personal measure! As a quilter and in other aspects of my life!
One of the things I’ve been thinking about recently, especially after having read Sherri Lynn Wood’s new book, is how the lessons of quilting and art-making can carry over into other aspects of our lives. Bravery in color choices, following our own intuition, forging our distinctive creative paths – these are life lessons as well as sewing lessons.
I have a tape of Mary Ellen on an earlier Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson. She was such a blast and more importantly did demystify the entire measurement question. I still strive for a scant quarter of an inch but I know it’s “mine” and not necessarily the same as yours! I had better think about converting these old version tapes to disks someday soon.
I love that Cheryl’s post resonates with so many people who also were influenced by Mary Ellen’s teaching!
Most all of the Simply Quilts programs I taped and then transferred to disks. Such a wealth of information is on the DVDs. The guests were generous in sharing their outlooks on quilting. Sometimes I view the programs just to visit the teachers again. Hopefully my children will pass on the DVDs for new, young quilters to enjoy.
Oh!!!how I wished I could have met her!!!!!! I loved the freedom she gave us…. Plus,what an entertainer she was
I agree with all of the comments above. In my first quilting class 20 years ago at a LQS, they used one of Mary Ellen Hopkins books.
I also wanted to add that Cheryl Arkison is totally amazing. I love her books, they are an important addition to my library. She is a WONDERFUL instructor. I have taken all of her Creative Live courses and her Craftsy course. Only wish I could take a course from her in person. She is non-judgemental and a very open-minded soul. We need more people like her.
Great post, as always, Abby.
I had several workshops with Mary Ellen. There is no one like her and never will be. Thank you, Cheryl and Abby, for bringing back fond memories.
I came from a family of quilters. , and I always loved the quilts my grandmothers made. In 1981 I took a quilting class where I learned to hand piece and hand quilt. I did complete the small quilt, but I did not enjoy the process at all. Then in October 1984 I took a class based on Mary Ellen Hopkin’s book It Is OK If you sit on My Quilt. I learned how to use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut the pieces.and how to stitch in the ditch quilt. That wonderful teacher at the recreation center at Fort Meade, Maryland, made me a quilter.
I started quilting when I found the TV daily show with Alex Anderson as hostess. I found a quilt shop, joined a monthly group ect… Mary Ellen Hopkins was a guest several times and her no nonsense methods freed me to explore. What a wonderful lady! I have retired and have been quilting for 16 years. I enjoy giving my quilts as gifts and include hand work such as Redwork. We are in an age where the Internet is a great tool to learn any new method or Crafsty classes are super. Of course my day is not complete without going to The Quilt Show site.
Thank you for bringing this memory back for me.
Mother used to make our clothes for my sister and me. She wrapped the scraps into bundles, put them into a box. In the fall she would send those boxes from our home in Vermont to her mother down in Kentucky. The next spring the box would return with quilts in them! Due to circumstances of those years, we could not travel much. As a result I saw my grandmother only three times in my life. Those quilts gave me a warm connection to my grandmother which is held, dearly, to this day. I began quilting at the age of nine years, but when I was in college, and raising young children, as well as managing, and working on my farm there was little time for quilting. I lost all when my home burned to the ground. After my five had gone onto their pursuits, and my farm life has been discontinued, quilting has taken over in a big way. I gear my themes to the person(s) for whom the quilt is to be given. I use many techniques in the designing, and making of them, personalizing them to the recipients. It is so good to see professional quilters advocating to think “out of the box” to create what becomes cherished by the recipients.