Meet Steffi Aronson Karp

Waban, Massachusetts, USA

All photos courtesy of Steffi Aronson Karp.

Hi Steffi.  When did you start quilting? 

Although I had sewn clothing and was a knitter since childhood, I didn't take my first quilting class-paper piecing--until the mid-90s.

 


Why did you start quilting?

I had always saved sewing scraps, and attended quilt shows, aspiring to create quilts-- but not until I closed my time-consuming mail order book business did I find time to resume sewing.  One day, I was in the Button Box and I decided to take a class for beginners.  From the first rotary cut, through the mitered binding, I was hooked!

Do other people in your family quilt?  Who?

You know all those people who say, "my aunt made us a quilt for our wedding, or my sister taught me how much fun it would be to quilt together?"  Alas!  No one else in my family sews…so I'm the one who makes for others.  I have taught many of my close friends to quilt, and we have joined guilds together.

Tell us about your family.  What do they think about your quilting?

I'm the mother of 3 boys (16-19-22) and the only woman in the house aside from my dog and cat, so I needed some 'me space’.  The boys were wary, at first.  Now they are the first to check out quilts to make sure they're truly comfy.  My husband is my biggest fan!

My middle son just started college, and I've heard that his graduation quilt has gotten quite positive reviews from the students in his dorm.

 


Where do you live? 

I have always lived in eastern Massachusetts.



Do you have any pets?  Do they try to "quilt" with you? 

Our talented dog, Nali, who likes to put two tennis balls in her mouth before returning them to my sewing room trash basket, keeps me company when sewing. It doesn't seem to bother her that the balls come out covered in threads. But it bothers me when she barks at the basket until I take the balls out and throw them back.

 
Our cat, Gypsy, loves the sewing room.  She sits on (formerly neat) piles of fabric, and cuddles up on my sewing room chair--depositing lots of cat hair as evidence. She hides on sewing room shelves--startling me when I reach into a shelf to get fabric.

What other hobbies do you have besides quilting?  How do these interests affect you quilting? 

I study Jewish religious texts and Hebrew language.  I recently completed a two-year service-leading program.  I put all this together as a Faith Quilter.  I occasionally write fiction, but sewing takes up a lot of that time.

For the past 3 years I was one of the Boston area Faith Quilters.  After 9-11, the founder of the Faith Quilts Project, Clara Wainwright, encouraged us to see if we could create collaborative quilts in all kinds of faith settings. As opposed to fighting over differences, we found that we could talk about faith and faith issues, recognizing that we had many similarities. The Faith Quilters approached different organizations in order to see if members would want to make collaborative quilts and converse about their faith identities.  We ended up with an exhibit in Boston which had quilts representing 57 different faith organizations.

 
My two quilts involved over 170 different participants, from various Jewish areas of interest.  The Inspirational Jewish Women quilt involved more than 70 participants who, based on a meditation I crafted, created collaged pieces in tribute to women who inspired their Judaism.  I completed each of their squares, and designed an art installation which included their stories. 

 
In addition, I attend spiritual retreats at Elat Chayyim-the Jewish Renewal Retreat Center in Connecticut.  For their quilt, their year-round community created a 13 foot tree, while participants in their retreats created more than 100 leaves which were dedicated to teachings learned in classes there.
 
It was a tremendous privilege to work with each of those groups, and to see them as vehicles for peace in a troubled world.

 


Did you study art in college?   

Although I studied art history, I can't draw at all. But give me fabric and scissors…
 


What were your favorite arts and crafts projects as a child?

Mosaics and knitting.  I used to knit with my grandmother and her friends.

 
I loved knitting and mosaic tiles.  I tried stained glass, but you can't pull a corner into place when the material is colored glass!  I used to needlepoint a lot-in fact, I made my parents' piano bench, on which I Bargello'd around the words "Piano Bench."

Are you retired?  Or do you currently work outside the home?  What kind of work do you do? 

Retired?  Heavens, no!  But quilting at home keeps me sane at work!  I am manager of public relations for Strategy Analytics, a high-tech consulting firm.

Where in your home do you quilt?

Four years ago we moved.  My husband and I joke that we moved so that I could move my sewing stuff from the living room (all over the living room), to my very own extra bedroom sewing space.  Hooray!  It's not the only reason we moved, but it sure is nice having my own sewing space.

 


What kind of sewing machine do you use?  How many machines do you own?

Bernina. When you say the NI or Bernina, it makes you smile.  I don't own a fancy car, but 'driving' my Bernina feels like power!  I also have a Kenmore with a ton of stitches and my original Singer zig-zag machine.  And I just bought an amazing Pfaff embroidery machine. At first I was scared to death of it!  But I've signed up for classes, and am determined to learn its secrets!

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

Picking colors and piecing are definitely more fun than quilting.  In fact, for large pieces, I send the piece away for professional quilting.

What inspires you creatively?  

Fabric calls my name!  I used to be afraid to cut into certain fabrics.  In fact, I described my hobby as 'collecting fabric,' and only occasionally had courage to cut into it.  However, a muse of mine told me to cut into everything, since you just never know if you will have time to use it.  She said that in reaction to learning about her friend who was diagnosed with a horrendous illness.

She's right.  Just cut--don't be afraid to throw something bright, or different, or unusual, into your quilt.

 


Whose quilts inspire you?  Why?

I love quilts that 'pop' - they make me smile.

 
Inspiration?...Bobbie Sullivan, who only makes about 200 quilts a year!!  She was speaking at one of the first guild meetings I attended.  I admire her artistic style, her use of patterns and color.

Amy Robertson, a member of Quilter's Connection, who takes bright, bold steps to go beyond the usual parameters of any fabric she touches.

Diana Galson-Kooy-my first quilting student. Does she ever sleep??  She creates, embellishes, completes and brightens quilts of all shapes and sizes.

The list goes on and on....Susan Carlson, Natasha Kemper-Cullen, Robbi Joy Eklow...Perhaps a better answer would be that anyone who creates with fabric inspires me!



How many quilt projects do you have in progress right now? 

Since I just finished the Faith Quilts projects (each piece measured over 14 feet by 6 feet), it's been a delight to have a minute to clean my sewing space. I actually made an entire wall hanging in just under two weeks-and it's hanging!  In my head, there are about 5 quilts pending.  I keep the fabrics and patterns and parts on different 'shelves' of hanging shoe-box holders.

How many UFO's (unfinished objects) do you have?  Have you ever abandoned a UFO?  What did you do with it?

I have abandoned a few UFOs, but sometimes return to use the unfinished parts later. Every so often I realize it's time to turn a UFO into an auction item.

 
My UFOs usually come from starting detailed, pieced quilts, and then realizing that I'm getting tired of too many small pieces. I'm more of a stack-n whack, or machine appliqué kind of gal.

Please tell me a funny story about your quilting.

Every so often I think I'll start a new project, no matter what projects are already sitting and waiting patiently for my attention.  At least 2 or 3 times, I have found that what called me is simply another version of what I needed to finish!  So I pull out the old, with renewed attention to the pattern before going onto the new.

Has quilting ever helped you through a time of struggle or heartache?  Can you share about that?

Our oldest son really put us through the ringer during his teenage years.  I began quilting in the dining room - which made it possible to keep an eye on his comings and goings.  When I was in total despair, I would look to fabric and design to cheer me up so that I could feel like I was accomplishing something beautiful, while I was up worrying in the middle of the night.

Wouldn't you know it?  When he met his birthmother (he's adopted), we learned that she is an amazing seamstress!  (When our other children learned that their brother's birthmother is also a fabric artist, they looked at him and said, "You're doomed!!!”)  Her creativity is a real inspiration to me!  I think of her often when I'm working with my sewing machine.  She and I 'talk fabric.'

Has quilting taught you any lessons of life?

The first official quilting book I read, by Ami Simms, is called "How NOT to Make an Award-winning Quilt." I learned to just play with the fabric--don't take the whole perfect seam bit too seriously. Laugh as much as you possibly can.

 


What is your favorite Bible verse?

If I am not for myself, what am I? If I am only for myself, who am I? -Rabbi Hillel, Pirkei Avot "Ethics of the Fathers"

Nishmat Kol Chai, Tivarech Et Shimchah  is Hebrew for "The breath of every living thing, blesses You" -Shachrit (Morning Sabbath) Service

Do you quilt your own projects?  By hand or machine?  If not, who quilts them for you?

Ugh!  By “hand" is a 4-letter word!  I used to bring large pieces to Maureen DiNapoli, but she has moved to the Midwest, and hasn't set up her quilting business there yet. 



Tell me about a project that you are working on right now.

Just the other day I finished a strips-n-curves piece.  I made one in a class with Louisa Smith about 3 years ago, and it took forever.  I thought I'd never touch another one and one-half inch strip of fabric.  But I saw 4 or 5 fabrics in my 'green drawer,' and started adding, and adding, and the next thing I knew I had a strata of 35 fabrics ranging from pale blue into greens, through yellows, ending in orange.  The piece practically put itself together for me! After months of working on completing collaborative pieces, it was a joy to do this for my family, and it's now hanging in our front hallway.

Have you ever quilted in another country? 

Not quilting and not another country, but I loved buying fabric on our Alaskan cruise.  The expansive natural beauty, which we could see from our ship, totally inspired me.  I wish I had traveled with my sewing machine, but given the size of our cabin, I think I would have had a family mutiny on my hands!  So I just bought Alaskan-inspired fabrics, which were available at quilt shops right on the docks of 3 or 4 different cities on our cruise.

What is your favorite color?

Everything I quilt turns to deep purple and green!  I started a quilt in yellows and oranges, next thing I knew it had purples and greens!

Do you belong to a guild or quilting group?  Please share about that experience. 

After several years on the waiting list I have joined the Quilter's Connection guild, in Watertown, which has several 'name,' professional quilters in its membership.  I was so afraid of them that I didn't even attend any meetings the first year I was a member.  Now I realize how friendly and helpful those quilters are!  I am currently a member of the Program Committee, which means I help choose the knock-your-socks-off speakers.  I am also a member of Quinobequin Quilters, in Wellesley.  

 
At reunions, a college friend and I used to say, "We should get together."  A few years would pass, and we'd see each other, and say it again.  Once we found out that we were both quilting, we joined a guild together.  We now see each other at least once a month!

 
There are no disadvantages to joining a guild. Our guild meets monthly and has terrific programs-I really enjoyed being program chair for a couple of years. Each guild has a different feeling.

 
Both guilds that I am in have shows-which provide a fantastic deadline for completing projects.

 
For the past 3 years, I've gone away on a quilting retreat with another guild. I just love having a couple of days in a hotel with nothing to do but sew!

Do you work from patterns or innovate your own designs? 

I've done both. I'm not great at following directions. I like to innovate, while using the basic structure of a design. For my t-shirt quilt, I combined the concept of crazy quilts with interfaced t-shirts. Then I slashed it to add color and structure. I'm looking forward to making a few more, since the kids--and we--still have plenty of t-shirts from travels and sports and everyone's childhood.

You should see the look on my boys' faces when they see an old, outgrown t-shirt land on my sewing table. At first they felt robbed. Now they like the ability to re-visit a re-structured 'old friend.'

 


How has your quilting changed over the years? 

I'm bolder.  I don't feel constrained by pattern directions.  My quilts are a lot more playful.

Is there a quilting technique, pattern, color combo, etc. that you've been dreaming of, but haven't tried yet?  Please tell us about it. 

I keep a copy of a poster which hangs in - of all places - the ladies room at the New England Quilt Museum.  I have spent hours examining the photo of that quilt, but it has such subtle dimensions, I haven't yet figured it all out. Someday, I will make one for myself.

Do you collect certain types of fabrics, quilting tools, gadgets, or supplies?

Last year, a friend called to tell me that her friend was getting rid of fabric-in half an hour!  I left work and drove directly to that woman's address.  She had yards and yards of batiks, Kaffe Fassetts, Amy Butlers-and she wanted to get rid of it right away.  I ended up with about 7 cartons of fabric!  So right now, I'm trying to use up some of my delicious, enticing amazing stash of fabric.

My first weakness is fabric.  After that, it's variegated threads.  I once bought some variegated threads on eBay without checking the shipping price. (oops!).  Two weeks later, a box arrived that was wrapped in muslin and sewn closed. My address had been written right onto the fabric.  Those threads came from India, and they are gorgeous.  The woman at the post office wanted to know WHAT I could have possibly ordered in such an interesting package.  It turns out that those threads are better as bobbin threads, but they are so fantastically gorgeous, I just love them!



Do you daydream about quilts while you are doing other things?  Are there certain activities that seem to lend themselves to this daydreaming?  

I mentioned that I study Jewish texts and sometimes lead services.  As I study the prayerbook, images come to me.  My new Pfaff comes with the ability to do Hebrew lettering, so I'm excited to see how I can combine fabric pieces with Hebrew.

Have you developed any special quilting techniques or products?

After seeing some t-shirt quilts, all lined up and evenly spaced, I took our family collection of cherished t-shirts and turned them into crazy-quilt squares.  So far I haven't seen anyone else do that.  In fact, a visiting quilt artist to our guild recommended that I send that concept into Quilter's Newsletter magazine.  Maybe in some free time I'll photograph it and send it in. 

Have you ever entered a quilt show?  How was that experience?

When I entered my first guild show, I was so worried about completing a piece on time, that I didn't realize the import of what I was doing. Then, when the show was hung, and I saw half a dozen people standing near MY quilt, examining the artwork and included photographs, I was just blown away!  That's one of the great parts of belonging to a guild.  No pre-judging, just enter your favorite pieces.

I had the same experience at the Faith Quilts show, which attracted the entire Boston community.  There were 59 different collaborative quilts, and I was just blown away that so many viewers took the time to stop and read and really see the beauty of the entire piece.

Do you have any tips or advice for beginners?  What do you wish you would have known when you started quilting?

Ami Simms recommends that we not take ourselves too seriously. That’s what I recommend to my students, too.  Take the quilt seriously, not yourself!

The other advice is to take a class-or many classes. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to explore, and to get tips from those who have made tons of mistakes before you.

Do you have a quilting business? 

I wish I had time for that, but right now, I have to spend too many hours at my day job for a quilting business.  I dream of being able to make tallitot, prayer shawls. And I have tons of design ideas for those all sketched out.

Do you have any suggestions for quilters who are trying to fit more quilting time into their day?  Are there activities that you skip so that you can quilt more? 

I used to cook.  Now I look at the kitchen time as 'time away from my sewing room.'  Yet, sometimes I need to spend time out of the sewing room so that I can clear my head, or just get the rest of my life's work done.

If at all possible, keep the sewing area available to you.  I used to have to pack my machine away when I wasn't sewing, but we found my current sewing table at a yard sale, and my darling husband customized it to fit to my machine.  Now it is possible for me to leave a project out, ready to sew--even if I only have 5-10 minute segments.

 


Thanks for sharing your story and your work with us, Steffi!  You are a delightful person and your quilts are wonderful, too!

So who do you want for the next Real Women Quilt Featured Quilter?!!  I'm
always open to your suggestions.  and let me know.


Visit our Featured Quilter Achives!!   sort of like our own little Hall of Fame!!