The Creativity Project Week #18: Heather Black

Heather Black has always been creative. She spent much of her life working in oil paints, but the cleanup process led her to hang up her brushes once and for all. Lucky for us, she discovered quilting in 2011 and has never looked back. Heather has skyrocketed to success with her bold geometric patterns, playful use of color and unique long-arm quilting designs under the brand name Quilt-achusetts. Her quilts have hung in numerous shows, including the Northwest Quilting Expo, AQS Quilt Week Fall Paducah, Quilt Festivals in Houston and Chicago, and QuiltCons 2016 – 2018. In addition, Heather’s patterns and quilts can be found in magazines (Modern Patchwork, Curated Quilts, and Simply Moderne Magazine to name a few), books (Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century), and have been featured in newspapers across the country. Her quilt Urban Trek won first place Use of Negative Space at QuiltCon 2018 and is included in the Best of Quilt Con 2018 traveling exhibit. Heather also works directly with fabric designers to design quilts and patterns for display at Quilt Market. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her daughter. Welcome, Heather!

How would you describe your quilting style/aesthetic?

Heather: I seem to gravitate towards simple clean geometric designs with a hint of the 1990’s.  I like it when color does all the hard work in a quilt so I’ll use several shades of one color in my designs to add depth and movement instead of accomplishing the same effect through piecing.  Of course I can’t leave out that I love curves.  Circles make their way into several of my quilts.  Some of the quilts that best describe my aesthetic would be Stratagem, Faux Hare Fair, Clambake, Urban Trek, Mountain Scene, Modern Stepping Stones, Peaks + Horizons, Misprint, Moments and Summer Sunset.

How would you describe the creative environment in your home as a child?

Heather: My father liked to doodle and we had several of his oil paintings hanging up in the house.  My mother isn’t very crafty.  She likes to tell the story of how she got a C in Home Ec.  She had to make a dress for the class and ended up sewing the sleeve to the neck and not noticing until she had to present it to the class.  The teacher said she couldn’t fail her because she’d never had a student work so hard and still get it wrong.  The teacher settled on a C and my mom was relieved.  Keeping all that in mind, I can’t remember a time I wasn’t coloring or drawing and my mother was great at nurturing that in me.  When I was 9 she got into oil painting classes and she would often enroll me in “art school” over summer break.  I think I inherited my creativity from my father but my mother is the one that made sure it developed.

What artists and makers do you most admire or have an influence on your work?

Heather: Wow, that’s a long list.  I admire so many quilters and for a myriad of reasons.  I’d definitely have to say Christa Watson.  I admire how versatile her aesthetic is and I look up to her as an excellent example of a quilt industry professional.  I love Daisy Aschehoug’s use of curves.  We both use curves frequently in our designs but the way she manipulates the negative space to create secondary pattern is genius.  Christine Perrigo’s work is amazing!  Her work on the longarm always enhances the quilt with an extra layer of design.  I love Jenny Haynes‘ work too.  Her use of color with her double drunkards path template has so much energy.  There’s so many others Sarah Golden, Carson Converse, Jayne Willlis, Debbie Jeske and so many more!

Do you consider yourself a “quilter”, an artist, or some combination of both?

Heather: It’s so scary to use the “A” word but I’d have to say both.  I had stopped oil painting by the time I stumbled into quilting as a creative outlet, I hated, HATED, cleaning brushes.  I’ve never thought of quilting as sewing but always as a creative/artistic expression so from there it is easy to consider my quilting a form of art just like my oil painting.

How would you define “making with intention”?

Heather: Making with intention for me is making with the intention of finishing.  I think it is important to persevere through tough or long projects.  That being said I do have unfinished quilt tops laying about, not many, 3 or 4, but sometimes designs just don’t translate well into a quilt or weren’t so great to begin with and I don’t believe in torturing yourself with a project you loath.  I’ve learned to design many and make few.  This helps me start projects with the intention of finishing them.

Do you think that having a craft makes us more compassionate? If so, then how?

Heather: I’m not sure.  I think it depends on what you do with your craft.  Most of my quilts stay with me.  It’s hard for me to give away quilts I’ve designed and put so much of my hopes into but I can see how creating with the purpose of giving is a very compassionate act.

How does creating feed your soul/spiritual purpose?

Heather: I recently did a blog post acknowledging that any creative gifts I have come from God and I want Him to be glorified in all I do.  I had a brief encouraging exchange with someone regarding that post which reminded me of a quote from Erica Liddell, Christian missionary to China and Olympic gold medalist, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast.  And when I run I feel His pleasure.”  I think this is true for all of us that when we are utilizing the gifts God has given us there’s fulfillment through that.  That’s the sentiment behind my Positive Illuminations quilt.

Are there any rituals that you perform to prepare/ground yourself in your work?

Heather: Clean!  I can’t work in a messy sewing room.  I seem to be able to separate my messy bed or bathroom from creating but not my immediate space.  Out of sight out of mind I suppose but I have to be able to see where I’m going to create.  Stopping to look for a lost item is awful when I’m ready to work I like to keep the flow going.  It might also have something to do with working at McDonald’s since I was 16… ‘Clean As You Go’ or ‘Time To Lean, Time To Clean!’

What is the support system you have in place for creating your work?

Heather: Some people know this but not too many, I’m a widowed-single mom with a beautiful four year old daughter and I need a support system.  Most of my support comes from God’s encouragement and my parents.  I use to work for my father at my parents house so I got to bring CoraJoan with me to work.  My parents have been very supportive of me and helping me with CoraJoan while at work but my father recently retired and I am almost done closing the books up for his business.  Now that I’m transitioning into a new life routine it will be interesting to see how that support changes.  In the past their support freed my mind to be creative after work but I’m sure it will all sort itself out.

How do you deal with comparison to / envy of others? Can you describe a time when you used comparison/envy/admiration to push yourself in your own work and self-discovery?

Heather: When growing up my mom would often tell my siblings and I that comparing yourself to someone else never ends well and that there is always someone out that that is better or more of whatever you’re boasting about to others so it’s best to be thankful for what you do have.  I think her wisdom has kept me from falling into the comparison trap too often, teens and twenties was pretty challenging though, but I’m very thankful for her words.  I am so amazed by all the talented quilters/artist out there.  I love Instagram and seeing everybody’s work and connecting with other quilters.  It definitely inspires me to keep creating.

What was the most challenging thing you ever made?

Heather: I made a double wedding ring quilt that was a challenge.  The piecing wasn’t that difficult but the time it required was almost a deal breaker.  In the end I stuck with it and finished up the quilt.  It’s hangs proudly on the back of a chair in the family room for anyone to use and is one of my favorite quilts I’ve ever made.

What does it mean to you to work in a traditionally domestic medium that historically has been regarded as predominately female (aka “women’s work”)?

Heather: Honestly, it doesn’t even enter into my consciousness.  I suppose, I would like to think that if it was flipped and quilting was historically a male hobby or profession I would still quilt because I love it.

How do you see your current work in the context of quilting history?

Heather: I think the modern quilt movement is very important to the overall history of quilting.  Quilt making is part of American history, other cultures as well, and it would be extremely unfortunate if that history wasn’t passed down to new quilters.  I believe that  modern advances in design, fabrication and machinery allowed quilters to look at the overall size of a quilt as a canvas while quilters of the past may have been limited to the block as their canvas.  I’m not an expert, at all, but I think it would be a mistake to look at the current modern quilt movement without taking into consideration technology, e.g. I design my quilts using a computer, Photoshop to be more precise, and many quilters do the same thing.  This [integration of technology] is definitely a part of quilting history.

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Thank you, Heather!  Your work is stunning and we can’t wait to see what you make next! To learn more about Heather, visit her website Quilt-achusetts. You can also find Heather on Instagram and Flickr. Would you like to be featured in The Creativity Project? I’d love to hear from you. Want to participate, but not necessarily be featured? You can do that!  Click here to take the survey! The Creativity Project can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Bloglovin’. Or sign up for my newsletter The Monthly Muse to have the Creativity Project delivered right to your inbox. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave