Happy Saturday! This is Cayci from the Marketing and Operations teams here at Aurifil. I’m often behind the scenes, but today I am thrilled to dip my toe in the inspirational water that is Auribuzz! I’m excited to share my recent experience visiting the mid-career retrospective from renowned artist Heidi Parkes, on view now at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts.
✨ Soft Magic ✨
This exhibition was nothing short of magic. My textile artist pals Katie, Claire, and I took a day trip from Chicago to Cedarburg, Wisconsin. None of us had ever been to the WMQFA – what a treat! Located on a historic farmstead, the gallery exhibition space resides in a refurbished barn. This natural, raw barn wood backdrop adds such an authentic layer to the viewing experience. I guess I need to start dreaming up plans to convert a barn into a sewing studio now?
As we drifted through the majestic space, we were each drawn towards different quilts – quietly absorbed in the emotions and intentions woven throughout. We were all enamored by Heidi’s unique practice called diary quilting – a term she coined herself. In a Threads article, Heidi says: “I define the diary quilt as a quilt that tells the story of the maker… My approach is improvisational and often abstract, and I love how the process enables me to gain insight as I fashion my narrative through textiles. You don’t have to be an experienced quilter to make a diary quilt: A few hand-sewing skills and a willingness to play with fabrics, shapes, and stitches are all you need for your storytelling adventure.“
I’d like to highlight a few poignant examples of this storytelling practice. These were some of my favorites from the exhibit – they left me lingering and digesting long after leaving the show.
Magical Thinking Attempt no. 1
In an excerpt from her exhibition catalogue1, Heidi articulates: “The first six quilts in this series begin where hormonal-health frustration met with new age advice to use my menstrual blood as natural dye… Facing debilitating and numerous monthly symptoms, this series laughs and cries that emptying my diva cup into a Ziplock bag with fabric in it may be as good a cure as any… This first work in the series focused on an effort to see beauty in my body, and to stop ‘othering’ parts of myself. The thread is dyed with medicinal herbs and teas, another example of the infinite to-do list thrust upon my daily routine in an effort to heal. I was perhaps more surprised than anyone that this series coincided with a resolution of my symptoms, thus furthering my belief that quilts can cast spells.“
Magical Thinking Attempt no. 8
I was touched to tears by this work orbiting love, companionship, and holding physical + mental space for those we love. Plus, the textural use of the wrinkled and folded handkerchief is *chef’s kiss*. Heidi writes2: “Anticipating my and Beau’s third anniversary, I began the quilt by taking a scrap of fabric to a lecture from artist Alayna N. Pernell and embroidering 365 x 3 tally marks to more fully visualize our three years together. A tender topic while I was sewing it; furniture stood in for ‘us’ to protect our privacy, and a chair alone, chairs together, a couch, and rocking chairs cast a spell for space, togetherness, and longevity…We’d look at the quilt-in-progress together and discuss our goals and dreams for the future of our relationship. Asking myself if I was ready to cast a spell for our love helped me to know better what was in our hearts.”
Destroy/Repair
As an upcycle maker myself, I was completely mesmerized by this particular collaborative quilt. From a technique standpoint, the use of the white yarn affixed atop added such visual interest and really emphasized the joining of multiple moments – the transcendence of place and compounding of years. The different stitches, thread use, colors, and shapes all come together to tell a beautiful story of individuality, unity, intent, letting go, and coming together. The bold edging stitches draw attention to the process in such a thought-provoking way.
This work was created by Joe Cunningham, Stephanie Fortin, Luke Haynes, and Heidi Parkes over the span of 2016-2024. Heidi elaborates4: “In fall 2016, Luke e-mailed us about a collaboration to mend, destroy, and mail a quilt. Luke cut a slash, Joe mended it with his machine and cut a grid, Stephanie unquilted and dyed the fabric, I reassembled, hand quilted, and cut holes in the quilt, keeping the stolen bits for myself, and then, a few years later, Luke repaired the holes with dense machine quilting and added white lines of yarn. This quilt was another step forward for me in becoming messier!”
I could dive into what I love about every single quilt in this exhibition. But in the spirit of encouraging you to experience this magic for yourself, I’ll stop at those three treasures. If you’re in the Midwest – or just down for a trip to WI – I highly encourage you to check out Soft Magic, on view at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts until June 8, 2025. If you’re not able to check out this show in person, you can snag a copy of the Exhibition Catalog from WMQFA’s online store via the button below. Or if you’re obsessed like me, you can go to the show AND buy a copy while you’re there.
To learn more about Heidi’s inspiring and thoughtful practice, head over to Heidi’s website. Keep an eye on her workshops, gallery, sign up for her newsletter, follow her on instagram… all the things!
I hope that in sharing about my visit, you found some inspiration! I’d love to hear what resonated with you – comment below. Have you seen Heidi’s work on display before? Have you tried diary quilting yourself? What Aurifil thread weight do you reach for when you’re hand quilting or big stitching? How might we inspire genuine curiosity in each other to try something new and to share our stories? Will you try to manifest your own magic?
Thank you for visiting Soft Magic & sharing about the show. ❤️❤️❤️
You are most welcome, Heidi! Thank you for sharing your practice – your work is such an inspiration! ✨💟
You’re a great writer, Cayci! Love hearing about your experience — I may have to journey on over to WI now!
Aw thank you so much Lima! It was my pleasure to share about this trip and I cannot wait for future adventures!