A few years ago, my daughter Emily Birmingham started making group quilts around and about the Big Sur community. I was delighted to see her incorporating techniques she’d learned from my explorations in working on kawandi-style quilts, but even more impressed by her capacity to invite all comers into the quilt design, construction, and quilting process.
When we think of working in a group, we think of the quilting bee, an American craft tradition. But a collective quilt designed and constructed collaboratively and simultaneously is a new form entirely and a way of working that I had never seen before.
Since 2023, Emily has traveled with us to Spannocchia, Italy, and Tecate, Mexico, to facilitate group quilt projects with the communities there, and throughout Monterey County, California, particularly in the Big Sur area. She has taken her group quilts into restaurants, bars, living rooms, ancient Italian castles, and rustic community spaces, and worked with dozens of people with no sewing experience whatsoever to create original and inspiring works of art.
People ask her, “how do you do this?” Originally, Emily prepared these ideas to help a friend get started coordinating a group quilt project in Italy, and was happy to share them with me here as I begin to work with new communities in New Haven, CT.
“Thoughts on Making a Group Quilt
Emily Birmingham c)2024
Here’s some things that come to mind:
Having a surface or a series of surfaces that are the size of your quilt in its phases is super helpful.
Find out if your quilters are lefty/righty and seat accordingly. (They will sew away from each other)
I start from the outside / border and work circularly inwards- passing the needle or getting up and moving chairs whichever feels more comfortable.
I think of this project as “where we lay our inner perfection to rest ”
Set timers to get up from the table and STRETCH!
I refer to kawandi quilting for design “rules”. Here’s one video from “Marion’s World” that takes you through the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unhoO0zO6M4&t=29s
And Heidi Parkes for technical support (knots / thread / appliqué inspo).https://www.facebook.com/HeidiParkesArt/videos/170191350783997/?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=0NULKw&fs=e&s=TIeQ9V
Long thick needles are ideal (doll needles/ sharp darning needles)
Sashiko thread or something of a similar weight is what works best for me.
Slow Fiber (selection is amazing – Jaqui is a great resource and you maybe able to reference her site and find things closer to home) https://www.slowfiber.com/shop/mending-darning-felting-supplies-sashiko-boro-garment-repair-love-your-clothes/21
Sourcing scraps will lay a groundwork of design – if you choose scraps that inherently vibe with each other you wont have to struggle to make your quilt pleasing to the eyes. I think of this part like separating pieces when you start a puzzle in a way.
Be flexible with the outcome and encourage your quilters to do the same.
Write down whatever anecdotal metaphors reveal themself to you / your group while working because there are so many ! “
More about Kawandi-style quilt-making:
Kawandi quilting is a traditional craft from Western India that involves hand-stitching quilts from scrap fabric. The quilts are made from the outside in, with the edges turned under and stitched together.
- Materials: Kawandis are traditionally made from recycled saris and scrap fabrics
- Construction: Kawandis are constructed from the outside in, with the edges turned under and stitched together
- Stitching: Kawandis are sewn with a long running stitch by hand
- Corners: Kawandis traditionally have four corners that are established first, with “phula” made of folded fabric (a rectangle folded into a triangle) attached on point.
- Decorations: Kawandi quilts are often decorated with “phula” (fluttering triangles of fabric on the corners) and tikli (small patches).
History
Kawandi quilting was brought to Western India by enslaved Africans. The Siddi people, who are Indians of African descent, are the primary makers of Kawandis. The Siddi’s word for quilt is “kawandi”.
I have found so much personal resonance in this style of working. “Begin where you are, use what you have” has long been a motto of mine. The kawandi method traditionally uses old fabrics – the patches were often added by necessity, to repair a frayed fabric, and are also added as a decorative element. So as you go, designing stitching and quilting in one, even after you’d stitched the last stitch, your artist’s eye can meander over the pattern you’ve created and add a pop of color where you feel its needed.
When I made my first kawandi, I began with materials already at hand (lots of random fabric scraps and old clothes) and whatever sewing needle and thread I had at hand. I realized quickly I wanted a thicker thread, which required a different needle, and found my way to my friend Jaki’s amazing textile shop in Monterey, CA., http://www.slowfiber.com where I bought some cotton perle and chenille needles at Jaki’s recommendation. I love that the stitching is meant to be seen, and that the traditional white thread seems to unify every disparate color choice.
(Note: Today (Tuesday, March 11, 2025) I’ll be at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, Connecticut, facilitating a group quilt with artists Jacqueline Gleisner and Jessica Smolinksi, 4pm-7pm. All are welcome. )