Karen Duling creates thought-provoking work that is both clever and introspective. Karen began making quilts to raise funds for her community animal shelter. Over time, she realized that these quilts could offer comfort to those grieving the loss of a pet, or celebrating the joys of life. Her 2014 book, Quilting for the Paws, is a celebration of the animals she loves so much, featuring patterns to make a variety of pet-themed quilts. But while her interests may have started with animals, the subject manner of her work is far ranging. Karen’s designs are conceptualized through weeks of rumination and carried out with a good dose of improvisation and whimsy. Karen has been deeply inspired by Gwen Marston, and considers her now both friend and mentor. Karen’s quilts have been featured in exhibits around the country, including “Quilt + Resist: Art, Politics, Storytelling” (currently at the Woman Made Gallery, Chicago Illinois); the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon; “Art Quilt Invitational”, an exhibit at the Bonifas Art Center in Escanaba, Michigan; and her quilt “Fish Squared” was included in an exhibit featuring medallion-style quilts shown at the American Quilter’s Society show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012. In addition, Karen’s quilts have been featured in numerous publications, including Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century, and have been the recipient of awards from the American Quilters Society and at the Modern Quilt Guild’s QuiltCon 2016 show in Pasadena, California. Karen currently lectures and presents trunk shows across the midwest, sharing her work with fellow quilters. She lives in the middle of Michigan with her husband and canine quilting pal Merle, renowned as the creator of “Merle’s Tips” in her book Quilting for the Paws. Welcome, Karen!
How would you describe your quilting style/aesthetic?
Karen: My modern designs range from whimsical to activist. Each quilt tells a story of something important to me. Craftsmanship is important and my challenge is to refrain from obsessing about perfection, as that is the point where the heart leaves the quilt.
Liar, Liar, Coal on Fire. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
How would you describe the creative environment in your home as a child?
Karen: My parents did not view me as the creative child in the family. My childhood was spent outdoors playing with boys and being a tomboy. This developed a fierce independence, which perhaps has been an asset in designing unique work and shying away from making what has been made before. I always viewed myself as a maker; be it scoubidou, vegetable gardens, clothing or jewelry. A scientist at heart, my world is about experimentation.
Green Flowers. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
What artists and makers do you most admire or have an influence on your work?
Karen: Gwen Marston has been my mentor and has led me into the liberated school of quilt making. Her authenticities, knowledge of quilt history, and free spirit have taught me to trust myself and my quilt experiments. Her pared down lifestyle allows her to create freely and that is a lesson not only in quilt making but in life.
Miriam Schapiro is an artist admired for her use of color and ability to combine feminist activism with her art, which she called “femmage”. Miriam used symbols of domesticity, including quilt blocks, in her collages of paint and fabric. Her art expresses the desire to rise-up against the constraints of domesticity. Coming from a tomboy background and working in a male dominated engineering culture throughout my professional career, my quilt making evokes complex thoughts about working in a typically female art form. The influence of Miriam and Gwen will be with me as I begin design of my next activist quilt using Gwen Marston’s collection of vintage feedsacks.
Rockslide. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
Do you consider yourself a “quilter”, an artist, or some combination of both?
Karen: My work is more art than craft. It is flattering when people see my work and call me an artist. Then there are others who ask if I still make blankets or if I had fun at my quilting bee. Clearly those folks are not seeing the art, but are seeing the craft. I am an artist when I freely create to express myself. I am always a quilter.
How would you define “making with intention”?
Karen: Because my work is an expression of a feeling or observation, I am making with intention. My intention is balanced with the openness to innovate or to change things up as I go along. Perhaps “making with intention” can be defined in this way: to produce one thing from many elements. Although my quilts are started with intention, the challenge is to keep all of the possibilities open until the quilt is finished.
Sunup. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
Do you think that having a craft makes us more compassionate? If so, then how?
Karen: Seeing the hand of the maker in a quilt leads me to imagine details about the quilt maker. Were they sewing out of: compassion, necessity, grieving, gifting or competition? Creativity and emotion rest in a shared hemisphere of the brain so there is likely a connection between craft and compassion, a connection exhibited uniquely by each maker. Quilt making has made me more compassionate by connecting me with other women, hearing their life stories, learning from them, and sharing their craft.
Gwenny’s Wood Pile. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
How does creating feed your soul/spiritual purpose?
Karen: Being a maker is who I am. It feeds me, rewards me, levels me, and calms me. I rely on quilt making to soothe my soul and to keep me going through the trials and tribulations of life. It also allows me to share my love, my passions and my fears with others through textiles.
Assault on Truth. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
Are there any rituals that you perform to prepare/ground yourself in your work?
Karen: My work space must be tidy at the start of a project and, if the project is successful, the work space will end very messy. I design my quilts through visualization, usually over a period of weeks, before starting to cut fabric. Even then, design continues to evolve until the quilt is finished.
What is the support system you have in place for creating your work?
Karen: My husband allows me the space and time for quilt making and tolerates the accompanying emotional phases. I am anxious (and maybe a bit cranky) during the design visualization process and more relaxed and open when starting to sew on a project. My husband helps with design of my sewing space and hauling my quilts to lectures and trunk shows. My adult children are supportive, although a bit surprised at how much time is spent making quilts. My tribe of fellow quilters is there for support and encouragement.
Buzzen Dutter Rolls. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
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?
Karen: Confident in my own lane of design work and use of color, I don’t often compare my quilt making with others. I do compare my mediocre social media skills with others and admire their mastery! I am envious of their productivity and amazed how many quilts can be made by one person in a month. Social media posts, primarily Instagram, provide a look inside other quilter’s creative processes and that insight is fascinating and helpful. I regularly share my work on social media and posting a finished quilt is often the driving force towards completing a project.
What was the most challenging thing you ever made?
Karen: “Catnado” involved fussy cutting 271 cats from great fabric. Nine templates were drafted to accomplish this task. Placing the cats in rows to show perspective and motion was way out there on the learning curve. Although this quilt was made for one of the Modern Quilt Guild’s QuiltCon challenges, I had convinced myself during construction that this quilt was not going to succeed and it would be my nightly snuggle quilt. I have yet to snuggle with this quilt as it traveled with the Best of QuiltCon traveling exhibit and now travels with me to trunk shows. Someday I will snuggle with my cats.
Catnado. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
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”)?
Karen: I quilt like a girl. As a recovering tomboy, I am proud of that thought. The lives of women are connected through textiles and I love being part of that world. Is it possible that my creativity is flowing so freely now because I was not previously expressing my womanhood? Quilting expresses a part of my life which had been dismissed in a tomboy’s world.
Marcescence. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
How do you see your current work in the context of quilting history?
Karen: I hope others will view my work and have many clues about what mattered to me. I hope my children will view my work as important and that they will be inspired to be makers as they go through life. I hope quilt history will see my work as an expression of adventure and experimentation.
Weiner Plaid. Image courtesy of Karen Duling.
Thank you, Karen! Each of your quilts are so unique and tell such a story. Your work is truly inspiring! For more about Karen, visit her website, or connect with her on Instagram.
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