Hey friends! First of all, thank you so much for responding to the survey in the last issue. I really appreciate your feedback.

You may or may not know that earlier this year I took an opportunity to take on more hours at my day job. This is a positive thing, and is helping me with things like Paying Rent. But it does leave me with fewer hours to be a solopreneur. That's okay! That's what's working in this current season. In light of this, and thanks to your feedback, I will be making a change with The Fold.

The Fold is Going Fortnightly

Nobody can remember the difference between biweekly as in twice a week and biweekly as in every two weeks and anyway, aren't they interchangeable? So for clarity, I will henceforth be calling The Fold a Fortnightly Newsletter. Also, it's a great excuse to use the word fortnightly.

Shall we have a quilt, then?

Gifts From Our Foremothers, Part 2

In Flux. Reclaimed garment fabrics, silk, hand-dyed and commercial cottons, machine pieced and quilted. 40x48 inches. 2023.

In Flux is a commissioned quilt. My client ordered it as a gift to give to her granddaughter, who is a high school senior this year. I chose to build this design around my favorite traditional quilt block, the Log Cabin.

I was given a specific color palette to work from, styled the Colors of Love: dark greens, pinks, red and white, and calming blues.

The log cabin is an apt metaphor for family history. It represents the home, the hearth, shelter, safety, legacy, building something for the next generation. It's also a design that's infinitely variable. It can stretch to fit any available space. To me it says, we are always changing, we are flexible and resilient, yet some essential core remains the same. I thought this was the best message I could send to a person about to embark on a new chapter.

In Flux includes fabrics that were hand-dyed, some by me, some by a friend, and some by persons unknown. In addition to quilting cottons, there are also garment fabrics and a little bit of silk.

When you order your custom Sarah Atlee quilt, you get more than something to keep you warm. You get a work of art that will increase in value over time. Documentation is a key component. Your quilt will have a signed label sewn to the back that includes its year of creation, plus a little information about me.

I will also save swatches of each of the fabrics that I use in your quilt, with a note about how those fabrics came to me.

If I have enough scrap fabric left, I can make you a pair of matching potholders as well. (This is a $60 value, folks!)

Like what you see, but want it in a different size?

Different colors? Another variation? Let's talk about your custom quilt! Check out my Commissions page and book your Quilt Customization Session today.

This Is Not The Sarah You're Looking For

A few people have contacted me asking about my hand-painted buttons. I didn't understand this, because I've made buttons exactly one time in my life, and it's not something I built my career around. After a bit of googling, I learned this:

There is another Sarah Atlee who is an artist. She makes (or made) hand-painted buttons. I am not her. She is not me. We are not one nor the same. If you came to The Fold looking for buttons, I am so sorry to disappoint you. I hope that you'll stick around anyway.

Is anyone else's mind blown by this? Just me?

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Happy Spring!​
xoxo Sarah

Quick Question.

Before we get into things, could you do me a quick favor and answer one simple question?
Your feedback will be really helpful for me!

​

Gifts From Our Foremothers, Part 1

When I make a quilt, I'm connecting with my ancestors. And I don't mean my particular bloodline or geography. Quilting is thousands of years old, and fundamental to human culture. I share this practice with people all over the globe.

The oldest recorded depiction of a quilt comes from Egypt, and is thought to be from 3400 BCE. Quilting has been used to make armor, as a practical alternative (or in combination with) leather and metal. Today, quilts are mostly used to keep us warm. But I see quilts as magical vessels for the human experience. They carry our stories, our emotions, our dreams across time and space.

The Glue of Generations

"The multigenerational aspect of quilting, with techniques typically taught to younger women by their elders, allows the legacy of a family, community and/or culture to be preserved. Thus, to look at a quilt today is to behold history." - Tracy L. Vaughn-Manley​

Read more about the role of quilts in American history in this excellent article by Dr. Tracy L. Vaughn-Manley, a professor of African-American studies at Northwestern University.

Historical Roots

In 2019, I had the privilege of visiting an exhibition of African-American quilts in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Below are a few of the many photos I took. Generally the makers are unidentified, but I've included some information from the exhibition labels. (The catalog from this show is out of print, but you can find used copies.)

Red and Blue Pig Pen Quilt (detail view). c. 1930. Found in Kansas City, Missouri. Cotton. Machine pieced.

One-And-A-Half Log Cabin Square. c. 1970. Found in Chicago, Illinois. Cotton, wool and a few synthetics. Hand painted and hand quilted.

Praise the Lord Quilt (detail view). 1885. Found in St. Joseph, Missouri. Cotton. Hand appliqued, hand pieced, hand and machine quilted.

"The appliqued hands in this quilt may be a reference to the African-American protective charm called a 'Hand' (as in a helping hand) or a 'Mojo.' Appliqued hands are often made by drawing around a real person's hand. If the person was older, the hands may be a reference to the African idea of protective ancestral powers."

Log Cabin Embroidered Quilt. c. 1930s-40s. Found in Chicago, Illinois. Cotton, wool and rayon. Machine pieced, hand embroidered and tied.

Log Cabin Embroidered Quilt (detail view). c. 1930s-40s. Found in Chicago, Illinois. Cotton, wool and rayon. Machine pieced, hand embroidered and tied.

Looking at these quilts really gives meaning to the word inspiration, as in breath. I want to take them into my brain and my soul like deep gulps of air.

Sneak Peek at In Flux

I have been working on several quilt commissions this year. One of these quilts is for my friend, a gift for her granddaughter. I thought very carefully about what the structure of this quilt should be, and I landed on my favorite quilt block, the log cabin. (Detail image above.)

The log cabin is an apt metaphor for family history. It represents the home, the hearth, shelter, safety, legacy, building something for the next generation. It's also a design that's infinitely variable. It can stretch to fit any available space. To me it says, we are always changing, we are flexible and resilient, yet some essential core remains the same.

I'll take a deeper dive into In Flux next week. I recently had 6 new quilts professionally photographed, and I just got the images back. They are awesome, and I can't wait to start sharing them with you. Stay tuned!

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A Song For Those Who Read This Far

This week you get a song instead of a GIF. Enjoy!

​Regina Spektor / Folding Chair​

Until next time,​
xoxo Sarah

Self Portrait: Ear. Acrylic on canvas, 2009.

Howdy, Pod'ner.

(Okay, I'm done now.) Seriously though, I've rounded up links to several podcast guest appearances I've done over the past couple of years. Enjoy!

If you've only got 5 minutes, here's the short short version: My Interview with Subkit​

Who Should I Talk With Next?

I love being a podcast guest, and I want to do more of it! I would love to hear your podcast recommendations, on any subject related to art, creativity, entrepreneurship, managing chronic illness, and the healing power of quilting. Who are you listening to?

​Breakfast with Sergio (May 2020)

We talked a lot about Patreon, and what it's like making art during the pandemic.

​Then Again with The Northeast Georgia History Center (September 2021)

What exactly is a quilt, anyway? And why have humans been making them for so long?

​Unleash Your Inner Goddess (August 2022)

On finding the courage to take a new path.

​Made of Mettle (September 2022)

Why community is essential to both building a business and growing as an artist.

​Ongoing Mastery with Kirsten Rourke (January 2023)

How can I be a better podcast guest? Kirsten gives me some great tips.

What are your favorite podcasts?

I'm always looking for a great listen.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Until next time,

xoxo Sarah

In-Betweener: Ice Dyeing Reveal

Hey Fold Friends! This is a quick in-between issue to tell you about my recent live stream in which I revealed a bunch of fabrics that I had ice-dyed. Videos are up on the Twitch streaming site for 2 weeks, so that will disappear on Saturday, February 18th. If you'd like to watch, here is the link.​

(The video title says Studio Decluttering but that's because I forgot to change it before streaming.)

Your regularly scheduled issue of The Fold comes out Saturday! I hope the rest of your week is lovely.

A Tour of my Studio

Suggested pairing: Everything in its right place, a playlist​

Let's take a little tour around my studio (aka the "living room" in a normal person's home). I've been following the 2023 Decluttering Challenge with Karen Brown, so it's in a pretty okay state right now.

This isn't really in the photos, but I've set up the studio for live streaming video. Click here to watch last week's stream on Twitch, where I worked on decluttering. It was a satisfying process, and I tackled several areas that I'd been ignoring. You can watch the replay for one more week.

My main work tables are two hollow-core doors from the nearest lumberyard. They're only 24" wide because that's what I can carry under one arm. (I like having furniture I can move myself.) One has been converted into an ironing board by covering it with insul-bright and a flannel sheet.

Both tables have a generous accumulation of acrylic paint.

The table "legs" are shelf units available at Target or any Target Substitute. This modular setup was my mom's idea and I gotta hand it to her because it's worked like gangbusters since I was in college.

Drawing supplies. I'll come back to you soon, my pretties.

This is the project management board, also a place to put stray papers I don't want to deal with right now. Not saying that's a great habit. But I do clean it off periodically. You can read more about the kanban board in last week's issue of The Fold.

My sewing machine is a Bernina. I call her Nina. She's a useful parking spot for stickers. Also, she sews. I put her on top of some padding to reduce the wobble when she's going at top speed. It's part moving blanket and part vintage Irish chain quilt (in sufficient disrepair that it's known as a "cutter").

For years, I put my sewing machine's pedal on an overturned milk crate. And I thought that was good enough. Every day I would press my foot to the pedal and it would move around and make me bonkers. For literal years I did this. One day I mentioned the problem during a live stream and my smart friend @solidnotions suggested putting that pedal onto a non-skid surface. Because she's very smart. I tried a few solutions and settled on a step stool with heavy-duty velcro. Folks, this stuff literally holds furniture together. The lesson here? Identify what's irritating you and fix it.

My Mom, Design Genius, chose this rug. It is the best rug.

An actual table (not a door). It's beautifully sturdy, and it has casters and adjustable height.

Bonus: I can put magnetic hooks on this table's steel frame and hang tools underneath.

This is the gym. I'm fancy.

I frequently get asked, "What is that thing behind the quilt?" It's a design wall. This one came from Cheryl Ann's Design Walls at Off the Wall Quilts. You can home brew one of these with any big piece of flannel or quilt batting on a wall. Mine is flannel stretched over a lightweight plastic frame. it works because fabric sticks to it like velcro and I can move bits around before I sew them together. Bigger pieces tend to fall off but I can pin them on.

This is the den.

I have this fantasy where I convert my closet into a quilt storage facility where they're rolled instead of folded and stored in custom-made cotton sleeves like some of my clever quilter friends make. I'm not there yet. But this way, I get to look at them every day.

I haven't talked about the hard part yet: Fabric.

My feelings about it are big enough to merit a separate discussion. Let's talk about it next week. Until then...

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A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

See you next week,
xoxo Sarah

Suggested pairing for this week's issue: Binaural Beats on Spotify​

Above: I'm wrapping up a bunch of new quilts, and I look forward to sharing those with you soon!

Yup, it's still January. I still have some of that clean sweep, tidy up, tabula rasa energy, so I'm putting it to use. (Related: a list of reasons NOT to make New Year's resolutions.) In this issue, I'm going to share some tools that help me keep my ish together ...sort of.

Tip 1: It'll Never Be Perfect

Give yourself grace in all things.

Tip 2: Project Management with a Kanban Board

​Kanban is a cool name for a system where you can move multiple projects around, depending on what needs to be done next and who needs to do it. I use it for managing the multiple quilts that I always seem to have in progress. I have a magnetic white board, index cards, and magnetic card holders. (The card holders are just like what you see on grocery store shelves - magnetic sleeves where you can slide a card in or out.)

Each quilt gets a card. Each card lists all the steps needed to complete a quilt. Not every quilt needs every step, but I like to be thorough. I created this card template, and I have them printed 4 to a page onto cardstock (regular paper is a tad flimsy), then cut them apart. If you'd like your own copy of this PDF, I'd be happy to email it to you.

I can also slot in regular index cards if I want to handwrite a different type of project list. Since I currently work solo, I don't depend on digital project management tools that would be shared with a team. (But I'd love to get there someday... soon!)

The kanban board after I've taken everything down in order to start fresh.

The kanban board after I've put back the projects that are most important.

The actual kanban board on the actual day that I'm writing this newsletter. See, there's no such thing as a perfect system. Remember what we said about grace?

Tip 3: Pen Holders

I would not have expected these little things to change my life in such a big way. Here's what they do: they stick to the inside cover of your notebook, and hold a pen. That way you're never without a pen when you go to write in your notebook. That's it. But dangit if these haven't made my life noticeably easier.

Sometimes these don't stick where I put them, like if my notebook has plastic covers. In those cases, I stick them onto the last paper page.

My calendar gets two pen holders, because I use a highlighter for appointments.

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Bonus Tip: Meditation

A lot of us are working to cultivate healthy habits (me included). I've managed to maintain a (nearly) daily meditation practice for the past couple of years. I love the Insight Timer app, but there are lots of others. Of course, you don't need an app to sit quietly, but if it helps you, use one. Remember what we said about grace?

I made myself a meditation rule: The first five minutes don't count. That's an arbitrary amount of time. For you it could be one minute, or 30 minutes, or 30 seconds. That's how long it takes my body to quiet down. I build a pillow fort around myself, usually lying down, and shove pillows under all the places where I need extra support. I set a timer for five minutes, and just breathe. And fidget, and scratch itches, and yawn, and burp, and think about all the things. And then go back to breathing. Without being mean to myself. Because being mean doesn't help, and the first five minutes don't count. Then I go on to a guided meditation or whatever.

I hope these tidbits are helpful for you in some way. Got any killer productivity tips to share with me? I'm always open!

Since I'm following along with the 2023 Studio Declutter Challenge from Just Get It Done Quilts with Karen Brown, my studio should be a lot more presentable a week from now. Shall we take a little tour then? Let's do.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

File that for me, would you?

See you next time,
xoxo Sarah

​

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By Jeffrey Pfau - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, click image to view source.

This issue of The Fold may not be super-crisp, because my Mom had unexpected eye surgery this week, and I'm looking after her. She's doing great, and recovering well. Healing vibes are welcome!

This is also the last issue for 2022.

The Longest Night

​Solstice is almost here. It's a time that has come to resonate more with me than Christmas does. I'm not Christian, nor was I raised to be. But I've grown more sensitive to the Earth's seasons and how they make themselves known in our viscera.

The winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Humans have been observing and marking the occasion since at least Neolithic times. There are numerous solstice celebrations happening right now across the northern hemisphere. Yule. Shalako. Dongzhi. Hogswatch. (Okay, that last one is made up, but technically, all holidays are.)

It's in our blood, our bones. We gather, shelter one another, pool our resources, feast, and prepare for the winter ahead.

How does the longest night show up in you? Are you cold? Does your body want to curl up? Are you eating lots of rich foods? (I hope so!) Do you habitually brace yourself against the wind?

I feel all those things about now. I also feel a deep desire to look back, release the previous year, and make room for whatever's next. My space starts to feel too cluttered. I have moments of what Kendra Adachi calls "big black trash bag energy." So I try to remain intentional about what I release. Soon I'll be naming the new year (more on that in January).

My favorite thing about winter, though? Having too many quilts becomes the best problem.

Safety Blankie

Safety Blankie​
Deconstructed garments and other cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 45 x 42 inches.
$830 Click here to purchase.​

I made Safety Blankie while I was an artist residence at the Jentel Arts Foundation in 2017. One night I had a bad dream, and woke up literally groping for something safe to snuggle under. I thought, "Where's my blankie?" It wasn't there, so I made myself one.

Jentel is tucked into a beautiful corner of rural Wyoming, with ranches neighboring on all sides. Residents are instructed very clearly not to go anywhere on foot without donning at least two articles of safety orange (or chartreuse, if you want to mix it up).

Obviously, my quilt needed to wear orange, too. I trawled local thrift shops until I found the perfect fleece vest in - you guessed it - bright orange. For safety.

Safety Blankie can help you feel safe and secure, too! I promise you'll have good dreams underneath it. Click here to bring it home.​

Photo by Tavi Veraldi​

Do you enjoy makers' stories as much as I do? Check out Grace Rother's newsletter. Here are her eloquent remarks on the beginning of wool season. (Support a fellow maker by upgrading to the paid edition!)

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Looking for a last-minute gift?

Do you love giving your people functional art that can be used every day? Click here to browse available quilts in my web store.​

I've closed potholder orders for the season, but you can still get them from these retail locations:

​DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City (map)

​108 Contemporary in Tulsa, OK (map)

​SYNESTHESIA popup shop at the Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK (map)

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

May you have shelter, plenty, comfort, and peace. See you in '23.​
xoxo Sarah

Super Cool News!

My quilt Learning Curve (above) is going to QuiltCon 2023! More on that later.

Almost-As-Cool News

Today, December 10th, is the
​last day to order potholders in 2022.
I'm closing the books at the end of the day, and I'll reopen them next year.

If you miss today's deadline but you still want potholders, you can get them at these lovely retail locations:

• ​DNA Galleries in OKC (map)
• ​108 Contemporary in Tulsa, OK (map)
• ​SYNESTHESIA Popup Shop at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK (map)

Tell me it's Christmas without telling me it's Christmas.

December is weird. There are all kinds of extra things elbowing their way onto the calendar. Having worked in retail through five holiday rush seasons, I can say that I'm over the current year by about December 5th. I'm not anti holiday or anything, far from it. I'm just feeling the seasonal stress.

In 2019 I made a quilt to show just how over it I was. It's called So Ready For January.

So Ready For January​
Reclaimed garments and other cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 60 x 75 inches.
$1500 Click here to purchase.​

I love this quilt because in large part, it's made from the scraps of other people's holiday quilts.

I was also just getting into my longarm quilting stride. Visit So Ready For January on my website to see some more details.​

I'm really not down in the dumps here, folks! I actually love the winter. Even in the hustle and bustle of December, I find my little pockets of hibernation.

The Cure Dream

Snuggling under a pile of quilts, for example. Recently I had a dream about helping a very special band get some cozy shut-eye.

Robert Smith was like, "Can we borrow some quilts?" And I was like, OH, OKAY.​

Are You Traveling?

If you can accommodate it, I highly recommend bringing a quilt with you. I always do.​

It's hard enough to sleep when I'm not in my own bed. The weight and warmth of a homemade quilt makes a big difference. Plus, it'll jazz up any hotel room.

You know you can commission your custom quilt from me, but if you're in a pinch, I have ready-made quilts in my web store.​

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A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Put on your favorite song and dance around. It's guaranteed to obliterate grinchy vibes.

See you next week,
xoxo Sarah

​

Hey there. Hi. How are you? I hope that you are as well as possible. It's a weird season. Here's a gentle reminder that your needs are important, too. Sit with that. I'll try to do the same.

And thank you for subscribing to The Fold. I'm just so glad you're here.

In This Issue:

• Shop108 is opening for the season!
• In Gratitude: Testimonials
• Ox Bones, or, The Generosity of Friends
• ICYMI: Black Friday Deal!

Shop108, at 108 Contemporary in Tulsa

Now you can see my quilts in a new place! The 108 Contemporary Gallery in Tulsa, OK has a beautiful retail space called Shop108. I am honored to be among the artists chosen to show work there, from this week through 2023.

La La's: Out of Bounds​
Reclaimed garments, vintage sheets, and other cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 26 x 23 inches, 2021. Available at Shop108.​

Currently, Shop108 has several pairs of my potholders, and a wall hanging quilt called La La's: Out of Bounds. The shop opens to the public on November 25th; you can browse works in person or online.​

In Gratitude: Testimonials

For my birthday this year, I did an experiment. I went on my social media and asked who would like me to send them something in the mail. What I didn't know is that I would get 99 responses in under two days. You may remember this story from the July 30 edition of the Fold, The Art of Asking For 99 Favors.

Here was my big ask: For every person who wanted mail, I asked them to send back an enclosed postcard with a written testimonial.

And boy howdy, did it work. My people really came through for me. I'm still getting these postcards back in the mail, and each time, my heart swells like the Grinch's (in the 1966 original movie. I'm old, y'all). It feels amazing.

Not only did I receive positive feedback from my friends, but they've given me powerful marketing material that I can share with my clients. You can see some of them in my Instagram story highlights.

Gratitude is a beautiful state of the human mind; you know this already. I try to infuse my quilting practice with gratitudinal vibes as well. (Yes I made that word up.) Ox Bones is a soft & snuggly example of grateful quilting:

Ox Bones, aka The Generosity of Friends​
Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 62 x 44 inches. Machine washable, pre-washed. Comes with hanging sleeve (hanging rod on request).
$1,150 Click here to purchase.​

The title Ox Bones comes from a few converging ideas. First, the dark red patches (formerly a man's shirt) are ox blood color. Second, nearly all of the fabric in this quilt was given to me by friends. The more time I spend in the quilting community, the more I understand this is a solid support network. It's a net, it's scaffolding, it's a skeleton - pick your metaphor.

Third, I finished this quilt during an artist residency at the Ox Bow School of Art in Michigan. It was simply magical.

My cup ranneth over with blessings - all direct results of following the quilting path. When I snuggle up under Ox Bones, I still feel all that goodness.

This bundle of quilty love could be yours! Click here to purchase Ox Bones. ​

ICYMI: Black Friday Deal!

My Black Friday gift to you is that I will NOT email you the weekend after Thanksgiving. See you in December!

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Every heart has room to grow.

Until next time, stay cozy.​
xoxo Sarah

It's Scraptastic!

In this issue:

• Scrap Play Concludes
• Seam Situation: It Ain't Pretty
• A Fiber Art Veteran
• Sneak Peek at my Black Friday Deal!

Scrap Play: Concludium​
Reclaimed garments, vintage sheet, found and commercial cotton fabrics. Machine pieced and quilted. 37 x 33 inches, 2022
$815 Click here to purchase.​

This isn't like me. It really isn't. When it comes to quilting, I'm not into smooth gradations of color or soothing tonal transitions. Or maybe I am?

Concludium is the third in an ongoing series of quilts that started with Less Staccato, More Legato.

Less Staccato, More Legato​
Reclaimed garments and other cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 32 x 42 inches, 2022.
$785 Click here to purchase.​

I began these in a series of improv quilting workshops in early 2022. Usually I arrange my fabrics by color to begin, but I was instructed to instead arrange them by tone (light to dark). Turns out, this is pretty challenging for me! It made me think differently about composition. In both of the above quilts, I struggled to create areas of low contrast, because high contrast is my go-to move.

​

I played with the composition a little, but Concludium solidified pretty quickly.

So, I'm not into "pretty." I mean, I enjoy things are pleasing to my eye. But I feel like making "pretty" things is a creative cop-out. If I make something that's too pretty, I get bored.

I think Concludium is pretty. And I'm fine with it! It's PRETTY, y'all! It makes me happy.

​Concludium could make you happy, too. Into foggy-seashore-cloudy-sunset vibes? This is the piece for you. (You might also enjoy the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto.) Measuring 33 x 37 inches, this would work as both a wall hanging and a small lap quilt.

Maybe Concludium isn't quite your cup of tea? Let's talk about your custom-made quilt! Visit my Commissions page to get started and book your Customization call with me today.

Speaking of Pretty...

You know what isn't pretty? My attitude toward quarter-inch seam allowances.

Fellow Quilt Nerds, click here for permission to sew messy seams.

Veterans and Fiber Art

On Friday, we thanked our nation's military veterans for their service and sacrifice. Today, I want to tell you about a fascinating person who turned to fiber art in his post-military career.

Mark Darrell, aka The Quilting Marine, took up quilting as a way to process his PTSD. He sometimes incorporates military uniforms into his work. Here's a lovely interview he gave with Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.

Learn more about The Quilting Marine at his YouTube channel and Instagram page.

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Black Friday Sneak Peek!

Okay y'all, get ready for a really sweet Black Friday Deal! Here it comes...

​

...Are you ready?

​

...You sure?

​

It's: Nothing.

This year for Black Friday, I'm giving you the Gift of Silence. I will be the one business who doesn't email you the weekend of November 25th. You're welcome.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Remember your self-care as this holiday season ramps up. Take a nap.

See you next week,
xoxo Sarah

Slow Time

It's a funny time of year. There's a lot of potential for chaos, and in between the chaos, if we're lucky, we get to enjoy some really juicy slow time. It might be with family, or friends we haven't seen in a long time, or just spending some quiet time with ourselves.

We think of quilting as a slow mode of creation. If you're doing everything by hand, that's true. But I do most of the quilting process using machinery. That's how I'm able to keep churning them out. But I made an exception with Purple Patch.

​

Purple Patch, Fort Smith
​Reclaimed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced, hand quilted. 62 x 40 inches, 2020. $1090
​Click here to purchase.​

When I made Purple Patch, I decided to quilt it by hand. I was inspired by the way Sherri Lynn Wood quilts her pieces. I knew it would take ...longer... than machine quilting, so I gave myself a year to finish it. I just made it.

I loved the process of hand quilting. I appreciate the necessity to slow down. Being used to the grind culture and the urge for constant productivity, I don't dwell in "slow time" very often. The texture is also unbeatable, especially after laundering.

​Read the rest of Purple Patch's origin story on my blog.​

Take a Step Back

Tomorrow we'll turn our clocks back an hour. The Lazy Genius says, live in your season. For me this quarter of the year is dominated by making and selling holiday gifts. (Have you ordered your potholders yet?)

I don't seem to have room for the back-end business development I've been engaged with all year. And I'm okay with that. I'm giving myself permission to step back from those strategies and focus on more immediate tasks. (Potholders all day, woohoo!) January is the perfect time to get back to the big picture, anyway.

What does this season hold for you? Is it time to take a step back and reassess? If you're faced with different rhythms and priorities, honor that. You don't have to keep doing the same things that worked before. After all, nothing blooms all year.

Pie Season

Speaking of seasons -- pie! I feel like my Fall isn't complete until I've had a piece of pumpkin pie. That I bought. Because I don't bake.

I'm related to at least one superior pie baker, and when she had her first baby, I made a pie-ish quilt for the occasion.

The Perfect Gift

You already know that quilts make excellent gifts for celebrating life's big moments. Small moments, too. If you get in touch with me ---> very soon <---, I can have one done for you before Christmas. But you need to hurry! Visit my Commissions page for more information, and book your Customization Call with me.

If you're in a time crunch, potholders make awesome gifts, too!​

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A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

I hope your week was all treats and no tricks.

Until next time,
xoxo Sarah

Hey friends, just a super quick reminder that the SUBSCRIBER ONLY POTHOLDER SALE ends tonight!

​Click here to order your potholders.​

Use the coupon code TRICKORTREAT at checkout to get $15 off your order.

This discount applies only to potholders.
​Free shipping in the U.S.!
​Sale ends Monday night at 11:59 pm, so act now!

​

Thank you again for being a Fold subscriber. Have a fabulous day!
xoxo Sarah

Greetings, Folders! (Foldies? We'll workshop it.)

I have a special bulletin for you. This weekend (Friday thru Monday, because weekends should be longer) I'm having a Flash Sale on potholders! Your Fold-exclusive coupon code is below.

Why? Several reasons.

• We're getting close to the winter holidays, and if you want to give potholders as gifts, this is the best time to order! Right now I can still guarantee delivery before Christmas.
• It's soup/stew/casserole/pie season, and I want you to be able to take hot dishes out of the oven ...in style.
• I'm so grateful that you signed up for The Fold, and I want to show my appreciation with a special discount.
• Did I mention that shipping is free in the U.S.?

​

​Click here​ to order your potholders.​

Use the coupon code TRICKORTREAT and get $15 off your order.

This offer expires at 11:59 pm on Monday, Oct 31st 2022, so don't wait!

Discount only applies to potholders.

If you're new to my work (Hi!), here are some things you should know about my potholders.

1. Every pair is unique. I make them out of fabric scraps from other quilts, donations from friends, and the occasional dumpster dive.

2. This means you're helping to keep fabric out of landfills. Go, you!

3. These puppies are built to last. You can use them at the stove, oven, and dinner table (but not the microwave, please). They are 100% safe for your washer and dryer. You could run these over with your car and they would still work. (How many things in your house can say that?)

Here's one of mine from many years ago. Stained and scorched... but Unbroken.

So while you're munching on your well-deserved candy this weekend, head to my website and use the coupon code TRICKORTREAT to save $15 on your potholder order! (You are so far ahead of the holiday gift game, you should take a bow.)

Don't wait too long - this offer expires at 11:59 pm on Monday!

Thank you for subscribing to The Fold!

You're under no obligation to stick around, but I hope that you will. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time.

Celebrate safely,
xoxo Sarah

Earth looks like an alien planet when viewed from above. (Possibly because none of us have viewed any other planets from ground level.) This beautiful image, of hills in the interior of China, came from the Earth View web browser extension. If you spend any significant time on a desktop computer, you should have this

Prefer a more urban feel to your abstractions? Check out my Pinterest board, Urban Entropy.

News: Next Saturday is OKC ZineFest!

When: Saturday, 10/29/22, 11 am - 5 pm
​Where: The Sanctuary, 2828 NW 10th St, OKC OK 73107​
​What: A gathering of local and regional zine-makers (me included) showcasing our wares.

I went to this last year just as a spectator, and it was so much fun. If you're in the OKC area and you love DIY publishing, this is definitely for you. Follow @okczinefest on Instagram for updates and info.

Not going to make it to the OKC ZineFest? Browse my online zine library! All 8 issues of Everything Sucks, So... are available in paper and digital format.

Quilting and Mapping

Anyone who's ever looked out an airplane window knows that quilts and maps just go together. They're abstract, geometric, but also organic, and depending where you look, you'll find both hard and soft divisions of space.

Just Around the Corner
​Deconstructed garments, found and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 80 x 60 inches, 2017.
​Available from Cerulean Gallery.

My 2017 quilt Just Around the Corner was a dive into the history and geography of Oklahoma City's Deep Deuce neighborhood. Using maps ranging in age from the city's incorporation in 1894 to Google Maps, I created an abstract "map" of the area expressed in fabric. You can learn more about this project and see process photos on my website.​

Detail from Just Around the Corner.

Just Around the Corner is available from Cerulean Gallery. Contact Caroline at 214-564-1199 for purchase inquiries.

Here's another piece in which I encoded day-to-day events using the abstract language of fabric:

Quilt Diary 2016.10: Arrivals, Shelves on Shelves, Too Hot, and Garage Sale. Cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted with additional hand embellishment. 18 x 18 inches.
​Available from Cerulean Gallery. Contact Caroline at 214-564-1199 for purchase inquiries.

Technical Note for the Quilt Nerds

Both of these pieces were made using Quilt As You Go techniques. However, the method of joining blocks that I used in Just Around the Corner is the one I prefer. You can learn it in this video from Missouri Star. I also recommend the book Quilt As You Go Made Modern.

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A Deeper Dive

Want to continue exploring the connections between quilting and mapping? You can't do better than Valerie Goodwin's book Art Quilt Maps. I also highly recommend following Goodwin on Facebook - she shares the most interesting art!

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

Fold yourself up in something cozy this week!​
xoxo Sarah

It's the end ...of 2022 (sooner than you think.)

Quick announcement: If you want a custom-made quilt or a large number of potholders before the end of 2022, now is the time to order.

• ​Click here to commission a custom-made piece.
• ​Click here for potholders.
• You can always browse available works on my Store page if that's more your style.

Don't Harsh My Flow

You know how it is, when you're deep into your vibe, doing your thing, going with the flow, and your phone dings. Because you forgot to turn it off before you got to flowin'. Or you're dancing like no one's watching, and someone tries to elbow in on your flow with a hey-can-I-get-your-number. Or you're writing a letter to your people and suddenly the guy with the leafblower is on your porch.

Just. Ugh.

It's not your fault, though. I'm reading Peak Mind, by Dr. Amishi Jha, and she lays out very clearly how distraction comes naturally to the human brain. It's how we evolved, how we survived, but boy howdy is it a problem when we're trying to get important work done. (The answer? Mindfulness practice.) Check out Peak Mind, and if you enjoy this kind of thing, try Deep Work as well.

On to the featured quilt of the week.

Interruption

Interruption (I Wasn't Talking To You)
​Reclaimed linens and garments, some hand-dyed, and other cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 36 x 59 inches, 2022. $930. Click here to purchase.

I began Interruption during an improvisational quilting workshop with Season Evans. Evans is a self-identified minimalist quilter. I, however, am not. You may have already guessed that from my earlier work.

But Evans encouraged us to think about big, open fields of color, accentuated with stitches. I used a couple of damask napkins that I dyed with indigo during a residency in 2019. Fun fact: the napkin in the lower left area of the quilt is the one I placed under the dye bucket to collect all the drips and splashes. It ended up so interesting in its own right that I kept it as-is.

I cut the other damask napkin into two pieces, and flipped one piece over. (One property of a damask textile is that the pattern appears in reverse on the opposite side.)

Here are some close-ups where you can see the details:

Minimal? Not really. But interesting? Sure. I had lots of fun quilting it as well, on a longarm machine, where I loaded it upside down for some reason. Whatever. Go with the flow.

I decided this piece should be called Interruption (I Wasn't Talking To You.)

Because being interrupted is the worst.

But why not turn that experience into something beautiful? Click here to bring Interruption into your own home or workspace.​

But... Thanks

Speaking of which, I now present to you a song about mansplaining that is basically the greatest thing I've ever seen. Watch and listen to "Thanks" by Libbaloops.

You must watch Libbaloops on Twitch as well, trust me, you'll love her.

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A Gif For Those Who Read This Far

Have a lovely week!
xoxo Sarah

Podcast News: Made of Mettle!

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I recently had the great pleasure of talking with Ari of the Made of Mettle podcast. She was such an engaging host, I felt so comfortable chatting with her. We shared a vibe. I highly recommend Made of Mettle, and I look forward to hearing more new episodes with the interview format.

Sarah Atlee Speaks On The Quilting Community & Following Your Joy:

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts.

Follow the Made of Mettle podcast through the website, Instagram, and Facebook.

And don't forget, if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review it. It only takes a minute, and it helps creators a whole lot!

Saying Farewell

Our creative community suffered a great loss this week. We said goodbye to artist and educator Julie Marks Blackstone. I didn't know Julie well, and I never had the pleasure of being her student, but I regularly had my socks knocked off by her work, particularly the Knotty Girl series. She will be greatly missed. Read her obituary here.​

Knotty Girl X: Pam Grier/Foxy Brown by Julie Marks Blackstone

Now let's throw it back a decade or so to...

Beside the Ironing Board

Beside the Ironing Board​
Acrylic on canvas, 12x12x1.5 inches, 2011. (Sold)

For many years before quilting took over my brain, painting was my primary medium. I've worked in a variety of styles, from gestural abstraction to hyperrealism. There were an interesting few years where my painting and quilting interests overlapped. This painting is a still life of tiny quilt blocks, in progress, sitting on a folded serape.

I told you I loved stripes.

I still have that serape blanket. I use it to brighten an otherwise bland spot in my kitchen.

Where's the Quilt?

Oh, you bet I finished that quilt, despite making the rookie mistakes of going large and complex (pro tip: try starting with small and simple). It went to a loving home, but not before it inspired another painting:

Read about this second iteration on the blog: Day/Night Quilt Fragment​

If acrylic painting is your bag, you may also enjoy this post about how I prep canvases for painting.

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Interested in seeing more contemporary still life art? Check out my Pinterest board Mirror of the Familiar.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

...hope you crushed it this week.

** There will be no newsletter next week. See you in October! xoxo Sarah

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The View From Down Here

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New Moon Who Dis, a sketchbook collage from 2020

I’m a creature of routine. I love routine, and I love changing my routine. Part of embracing routine is, for me, embracing change. Tweaking when things aren’t working right. Adjusting when I’m uncomfortable, or need to get uncomfortable. My routine is mostly defined by days and weeks, but at the prompting of Austin Kleon, I’ve begun to think in lunar cycles and seasons, too.

​Kurt Vonnegut said that four seasons don’t really make sense, especially depending on where you’re at in the world. I agree. I love his notion of the Locking and Unlocking times. We’re leaving Estivation, on our way to Wintering. The wheel turns.

I definitely reawaken at the end of summer. I also seem to have a burst of energy at the beginning of the calendar year. How about you? What’s your favorite season?

Don’t forget to look up at the night sky this weekend - you’ll see the Harvest Moon. NASA gives us all the details here.

Fallow Fields

They say the full moon is a time to harvest your endeavors. I want to tell you about a new quilt, Fallow Fields, that was born out of frustration at unrealized efforts.

Fallow Fields​
Reclaimed garments, reclaimed linens, hand-dyed cotton, and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 39”h x 41”w. $850. Click here to purchase.​

Back in 2016 I was invited to produce a series for (the now-closed) Current Studio’s Art of the Month Club. I made a series of small quilts I called the Current Blocks. I got on a roll and made more than were needed; some remained unfinished in my generously-named “works in progress” bin.

Earlier in 2022 I emptied that bin and spent a few minutes feeling frustrated at all the projects I wanted to make but haven’t made/had time for. I spotted several unfinished Current Blocks and decided to take action: I cut them up. (Quilters get to do this a lot; it’s so liberating!)

Here’s my design wall with those pieces, plus a few fragments pulled from my fabric stash. It felt fabulous to turn frustration into a new creation!

I’m sharing this story to bring you a particular message:

You have permission to start over.
You are allowed to stop or change something that isn’t working.
You are allowed to take an old thing and transform it into a new thing.
Sometimes a thing needs to lie fallow before it can become what it is.

Ta-daa! Feel that fresh energy? (whoosh, whoosh, fairy dust)

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The View From Up There

Quilting and mapping have so much in common. I’ve started a swipe file of screenshots from this Google Earth browser extension - so many of the images are begging to be quiltified! I guess I’ll add them to the “Future Projects” stack…

Now Accepting Commissions for Custom Quilts!

Would you like your very own quilt inspired by a Google Earth view? Let's make it happen! Visit my Commissions page to get started.

A GIF For Those Who Read This Far

…may you live in your season.

See you next time,
xoxo Sarah

Under Construction

“It’ll be a great place if they ever finish it.” - O. Henry

Welcome to the new weekly edition of The Fold! These will be shorter, snackier, and will come to you on the weekends (because you have enough to do on Monday.) Enjoy at your leisure.

...Actually, there is one thing you don't want to wait on:

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Hot Stuff Flash Sale

This weekend only, use the coupon code HOTSTUFF15 to get 15% off any item in my web store. (Excludes commissions.) Use it before 11:59 pm central time on Monday, 9/5. Oh, and I just added a bunch of new things for sale!​

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Mindful Destruction

Road to Oklahoma II: All Roads Lead Home​
Vintage quilt blocks, reclaimed garments, and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 30 x 62 inches.

As a quilt maker, I do a funny thing: I take a pile of stuff, cut it into pieces, then I rearrange the pieces and put it back together. It’s a constant cycle of destruction and reconstruction. I create problems just so I can solve them. I rip seams, make cuts, and poke holes, just so I can reattach them. Eventually, I do enough damage, and my work tells me that it’s complete.

Thus it was with Road to Oklahoma II: All Roads Lead Home.

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Awhile back I was given a shoebox full of unfinished quilt blocks. (The person who gave me these says the maker was a family member, but they’re not sure exactly who.) After some research I learned that these blocks actually form the quilt pattern Road to Oklahoma. Since then I’ve experimented with deconstructing these quilt blocks and remixing them with other shapes and fabrics.

​

Road to Oklahoma I: Under Reconstruction ​
Vintage quilt block and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 15 x 15 inches.

Road to Oklahoma I: Under Reconstruction is available at Cerulean Gallery. Call 214-564-1199 to purchase.

RtOKII: All Roads Lead Home is not yet for sale, as it’s part of the ongoing Qu’aint Collaboration. (Learn more at our Facebook page here.)

Your Reconstructed Quilt

I’m now accepting commissions for custom-made quilts. And I have quite a few of these vintage quilt blocks left that I could incorporate. Interested? I thought so! Start here.

Elsewhere: Mindful Reconstruction

A team of researchers and craftspeople in Bangladesh have been working to revive the ancient art of Dhaka muslin. This legendary fabric is purported to be fine enough to pass through a lady’s ring. Read more about this revival at Bangkok Post. Go more in depth with these articles from the BBC and Smithsonian.

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Podcast News!

In case you missed it, I got to be a guest on the Unleash Your Inner Goddess podcast by Sarah Joyce Hindle. Episode 30, Creativity, Joy & Taking New Paths is now available to listen on your podcast platform of choice.

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And guess what? I recorded another podcast interview this week, this time with the lovely Ari of Made of Mettle! I’ll let you know when this episode drops, but in the meantime, please listen to BOTH of these podcasts because they are thoughtful, entertaining, and inspiring.

Don't forget to shop the sale this weekend, and use coupon code HOTSTUFF15 for 15% off!

See you next week,
xoxo Sarah

Hey friends, this is a special bulletin from me to you.

I’m having a flash sale this weekend! And because you’re a Fold subscriber:

You’re getting the news a day early.

HOT STUFF FLASH SALE

After many years of loyal service, my iron quit. It’s an Oliso Pro, which IYKYK, is the kind of iron that can go all day everyday without complaint. I have a wee lil travel iron I’m using as a stopgap, but having a good iron is kind of crucial to having a quilting operation. It’s time for a new Oliso.

Should I huff and puff and hang my head and whine that my ironing situation sucks?

Or should I have a FLASH SALE?

Let’s do the fun thing. Yeah.

​

WHEN: From now until 11:59 US Central time on Monday 9/5

WHAT: Use the coupon code HOTSTUFF15 at sarahatlee.com/store​

YOU GET: a 15% discount on ANY item for sale (not including commissions). That includes potholders! And zines!

Hint: this is a great time to order potholders for your holiday giving.

Use coupon code HOTSTUFF15 for 15% off!

I’m not announcing this on the socials until Saturday morning, so y’all get first pick.

Thank you for being a subscriber. The next issue of The Fold comes out soon, for you to enjoy over the holiday weekend. Stay safe, stay healthy, and do something kind for yourself!

xoxo Sarah

Don’t Ask, Don’t Get

I was in a local pho joint recently when I overheard the woman behind me place her order. She asked for beef broth, veggies, no tofu, shrimp, glass noodles, six lime wedges, and extra chili oil on the side. I was like, girl, yes! Ask for the exact thing you want, because you won't get it otherwise! Before I left, I stopped by her booth to say, "Ma'am, you really know how to order your pho!"

That's the spirit of this issue of The Fold. Ask specifically for what you want, or you'll get something else.

Less Staccato, More Legato

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Less Staccato, More Legato​
Reclaimed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 32 x 42 inches. $785
Machine washable, includes hanging sleeve. Click here to purchase.

I started this improv quilt in a workshop early in 2022. The assignment was to gather a group of fabric scraps and order them by tone from light to dark. Typically I choose fabrics to sew together based on the highest amount of contrast I can get, so pairing colors that have similar tones was a challenge for me.

​I worked and worked on this piece, moving chunks around, taking things apart, putting areas back together upside down. I kept asking the fabrics, What do you want to be? Where do you want to go? What do you want to say?

Finally I broke free of my typical staccato rhythm of lights and darks (like in And The Other) and put together passages with a more legato vibe: less dit-dit-ditta-dit, more laaaalalah.

Less Staccato, More Legato, is available now through my website. Free shipping in the US.

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Cake Days

I turned 42 this month. Woohoo! Possibly the nerdiest year in the human lifespan. Life, the Universe, Everything, all that. For this trip around the sun, I'm asking the universe to open up in a big way. I'm ready to receive.

In the weeks leading up to my birthday, I asked for a big helping of ...well, help. I wrote letters to my collectors, patrons, and friends asking for feedback. I also told everyone that custom-made quilt commissions are now open. I included a return postcard for anyone who was willing to write a short testimonial about my work.

I printed 100 letters, 100 flyers, and 100 postcards. I wrote 99 thank you notes to the recipients. 97 went in the mail. (2 were hand-delivered.)

This was a big ask for me, but you know what? It felt great. I had a little anxiety, but mostly I felt gratitude. I took time to think about how each person on the list had touched my life in a positive way. I put the envelopes into the mailbox with a full heart.

What gave me the confidence to ask 99 people for a favor? Practice. And reading The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer. I can't recommend this book enough. If you're not familiar with Amanda Palmer as a speaker, start with her TED talk here.

Recommended reading for human beings. Grab your copy here or at your local book purveyor.

Transitions: Goodbye to Patreon, Hello to Weekly Folds

I've been running a Patreon campaign for about 6.5 years, and it's been glorious. However, I feel like that project has run its course, and as I'm pivoting to focus on commissions, I will be shutting my Patreon page down at the end of August. I know some of my patrons are reading this, and I want to thank you for going with me on the journey. You are a splendid person.

Starting in September, this newsletter is going weekly! Get ready for The Fold in slightly smaller doses, more often. Like a multi-course meal turning into snacks. Who doesn't like snacks?

A GIF for those who made it to the end:

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Peek-a-boo.

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Welcome to issue number five of The Fold. Pull up a chair. Lemonade? There’s fresh mint, and a dish of sugar water for the bees.

In This Issue

• Omakase II: How quilting is like ordering sushi
• Blueprints for Estivation
• SYNESTHESIA
• Now Open: Commissions!

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Trust: The Essence of Improvisation. And Sushi.

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Omakase II: Out On The Town.
Deconstructed garments (new and vintage) and additional cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted.
42 x 63 inches. $1140 Click here to purchase Omakase II.​

Do you ever get decision fatigue? Are you ever faced with so many choices, either good or bad, that your brain just wants to crawl under the covers and weep? We've all been there. Don't ask me to order from a case of baked goods because I want one of everything. And two of those. Click here to continue reading the story behind Omakase II.​

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Let’s Estivate. I Brought a Blueprint.

Y’all know how I love words. When I learn a new word, I want to tell all my friends about it. I’d like to introduce you to Estivation. Think of it as the opposite of hibernation. When it feels too hot to do anything, we can estivate. Restivate. Guesstimate. Recombobulate. Try it next time you feel summer torpor sliding in!

Have you ever made cyanotypes, aka sun prints? This is an excellent summer activity that folks of all ages and ability levels can enjoy. I made a presentation that’s specifically about creating cyanotypes on fabric, but most of the information applies to paper as well. You are welcome to download that here.

In the summer of 2019, some friends graciously invited me to a cyanotype session and I tried something for the first time. The night before, I took some sheets of the photosensitive paper and folded them into origami cranes, like this one:

I set the folded cranes in the sun for 15-20 minutes, then gently unfolded them before rinsing. This is how one of them looks unfolded:

The darker areas of the paper are the parts of the folded crane that got the most exposure to the sun.

And this is how four unfolded cranes look put together:

Quilters, start your engines.

You can buy a paper sun print kit here, and Dharma Trading has several fabric cyanotype kits.

Related: What's the maximum number of times you can fold a piece of paper?​

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Factory Obscura: SYNESTHESIA

If you’re in the central Oklahoma area, or are passing through this summer, stop in at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK (on the OU campus). There’s a fabulous, multi-sensory, family-friendly installation there called SYNESTHESIA.

I was invited to make some unique items inspired by this new exhibit. You can find them in the gift shop!

Potholders, assorted. $60 per pair

Fuchsia table runner, 15x48 inches, $350

Lavender Fog table runner, 11x40 inches, $250

​Click here for more details about SYNESTHESIA and the handmade gifts I created for the occasion.

Commissions are now open!

You like what you like. You don’t let anyone dictate your sense of style. Your art collection matches the couch, or it doesn’t match the couch. You don’t care if anyone else likes your favorite earrings. When you see something that speaks to you, you trust that connective spark. That’s why I’d love to make a quilt for you. Click here to get started.

A GIF for those who made it to the end

We may be sweaty, but we can sweat in style. How to make your own (slightly) fancy paper fan.

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"To be is to be perceived. And so to know thyself is only possible through the eyes of the other. The nature of our immortal lives is in the consequences of our words and deeds that go on apportioning themselves throughout all time." Sonmi451 / Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell​

In this issue:

• Yoga
• A Soft Place to Land
• Quilt Story: The Cutter
• Everthing Sucks, So... issue #8

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Knees and Toes)

Do you do yoga? I practice sometimes. I first tried it in college (where my $cholar$hip paid for classes!). My favorite asana has always been the forward fold.

"Uttanasana" translates roughly to "intense stretch pose," but for me, it's about surrender. I surrender to gravity. I surrender to the reality of my body that day. I surrender the desire to make a perfect shape, surrender to imperfection. I surrender my thinking mind to my physical senses. To stillness, non-doing. And I love the journey, from all-the-way-up-there to all-the-way-down-here.

​

head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

What have you surrendered lately?

A Soft Place To Land​
Cotton fabrics, 13x15.5 inches
Machine pieced and quilted with additional hand quilting
$368 Click here to purchase.​

This is a small wall-hanging quilt I recently made, in response to a thought-work exercise with Kyla Mitsunaga, aka the Asian Auntie You Didn't Know You Needed. I'll tell the whole story another time, but this piece is about surrender.

I surrendered to some scary thoughts, deeply embedded in my subconscious. I let them come to the surface, which felt like momentary freefall. With Kyla's help, I gave them a safe, soft place to land. This experience is already giving rise to a new series. A Soft Place To Land is the first iteration. Click here to bring this piece into your own space.

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The Cutter

I have a quilt on my bed that's about a hundred years old. This is useful for several reasons.

1. It's warm. People sometimes ask me why the quilts they remember from childhood are warmer/heavier/cozier than quilts today. That may be partly nostalgia, but wool and cotton battings were much more common in previous decades. Now quilt battings are usually polyester or a cotton/poly blend.

2. It's beautiful. We musn't dismiss the utility of beauty.

3. This quilt was made with a technique unusual for the time. My friend Martha (a quilt collector who sold me this piece) told me that the quilting is freemotion, but it was done on a treadle machine. Now, if you're a quilter, your eyebrows are likely raised. Freemotion quilting is how you make loop-de-loops and pretty much any design besides straight lines. This is easy with a longarm quilting machine, and with some domestic machines (depending on the quilt's size), but I struggle to imagine getting this done on a treadle, especially considering the consistency of the stitches. Wowza.

[Why isn't this quilt being kept under archival conditions? Because some of it looks like this:

And some of it looks like this:

In the industry, this is called a "cutter."]

4. My favorite thing about this quilt: It has a history. And - this is crucial - I don't know what that history is. I only know what's happened since I saw the quilt at Martha's garage sale. Previous chapters are closed to me.

Here's why that matters.

Did you read the book or see the movie Cloud Atlas? The narrative is structured around big time jumps and seemingly unrelated characters. But it's all connected. Because no one knows what part of your life is going to go on existing after you're gone. You could be a lawmaker or a tycoon or a research scientist and your contributions to future generations might be obvious. But most of us don't know what our legacy will be. It's out of our control. We have to surrender.

Creators are often preoccupied with the idea of legacy. We are surrounded by messages telling us who to be, how to be, how to ensure our efforts make an "impact" in an atmosphere of noise. It's a lot of pressure. By choosing to acknowledge our very limited control, we can find freedom.

I don't know who made the quilt on my bed. There's no label on it. (FYI: Label your quilts!!) The maker was probably a woman. So I'll tell her now: Dear Ms. Quilter, Somehow your quilt made it into my hands, and I appreciate what you created. Thank you.

Everything Sucks, So... issue #8!

It's a good time to order the latest issue of the ESS zine. Why? Because issue #8 (Add It Up, aka By The Numbers) is the last one. For now, anyway. I started this zine as a pananorama project and I feel that it has served its purpose. Issue #8 is available now in my web store. Back issues of ESS (both paper and digital editions) will remain available as long as y'all keep buying them, whether that's through my website or in OKC at DNA Galleries or Literati Press Bookstore. Thank you for coming with me on this journey.

We'll chat again next month. Take good care of yourself.

xoxo Sarah

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Hey there. It’s good to see you again. If you decided to enjoy this newsletter without getting out of bed first, bravo! Snuggle in and get ready to read about sheets.

It’s The Little Things

You know how we have these pet peeves that seem relatively insignificant compared to *gestures around*, but they become that thing you would go to the barricades for?

Mine is pockets. I would plant my flag on the hill of All Clothing Should Have Pockets. As long as we’re still segregating clothing by gender (unnecessary, see Degendering Fashion), those clothes should have places to put things.

Hence the title of this quilt:

Pockets, aka Can You Hold This For Me?

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Pockets / Can You Hold This For Me? Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 57x59 inches, 2021. $2575 To purchase, visit my web store.

For the backing, I used a vintage bedsheet - yummily soft, faded and worn with time. As you can see in the photo above, there was a spot that needed repair before quilting. I’m a fan of visible mending.

Pockets is one of several pieces I’ve just added to my web store. Click here to see what else is new. You can read more about the process of creating Pockets here.​

Hospital Corners - Still a Thing?

I used to think hospitals were scary places. But after a few inpatient stays (shout-out to autoimmune disease!) and sitting with my mom through some procedures, I’ve changed my tune. Hospitals are where we go to get the care we need. They have snacks, and socks, and warm blankets, and really really nice people helping you to get better. It’s no suite at the Hilton, but there can be unexpected niceties.

Picture this: January 2021, pandemic, I’m in a hospital bed, and patients are not permitted to roam the hallways (for good reason). Late in the evening, a sound travels down the hall. It’s warm, and warbling… it’s a human voice. It’s a man, and he’s singing.

I thought, oh, someone’s listening to a streaming church service (it was a Sunday), or there’s an opera special on TV. The next morning, there it was again. Again I thought, TV, or a video online or something. That afternoon, again.

My fellow sick person was singing. Like, trained, operatic style. A tenor. He continued to serenade us over the next few days. I didn’t find out if he took requests, but he did get around to O Sole Mio the day I went home.

You just don’t know where you’re going to find beauty.

You know what I didn’t find at the hospital? Hospital corners. Maybe they still do this in the military, but apparently it’s not a thing in hospitals any more. They use the sheets with the elastic corners like us normal folks. Easier, and more practical.

In case you were wondering? I don't care how you make your bed. You do you, boo.

Other Kinds of Folds

Speaking of sheets, have you ever seen the work of Antonio Corradini? Corradini, a Rococco-era sculptor, was a master of depicting the human form as though draped with gossamer-thin fabric. Remember, these are marble carvings!

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Welcome to The Fold. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. There's plenty of room at this table. Algorithms, trolls, likes, little red numbers and dinging bells? Not right now. Pictures and stories? Yes.

I'm really glad you're here.

In this issue:

• Workin' the Cattle
• Love Letters, Delivered Obliquely
• Your Free Gift: a Love Letter from You to You

Workin' The Cattle

Winter-yellow grass. Warm sunrise on dots of snow. A pervading hum.

Workin' The Cattle is a quilt I made inspired by the Jentel artist residency in Wyoming. Jentel is on an idyllic piece of land surrounded by ranches. When I was there, the neighboring ranchers were "workin' the cattle". I didn't find out exactly what that means, but it was the source of a continuous, low-level mooing in the distance. Read more about the process behind this quilt on my Patreon blog (part 1, part 2).

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To purchase Workin' The Cattle for $675:

Contact Caroline at Cerulean Gallery by phone: (214) 564 1199 or email: caroline@theceruleangallery.com

Love Letters, Delivered Obliquely

I try to be a good person. I try to meet the world with empathy and compassion, try to consider other people's perspectives before giving them the side-eye. I try, but I don't always succeed.

Recently I took myself to a hotel for a two-day work retreat (very productive, and coincidentally, the same two days as a winter storm). While enjoying the complimentary breakfast, I overheard the desk clerk deliver a rant about ...things I won't detail here. Suffice it to say, our views on The Way Things Are don't match up.

Reader, I judged. Hard. Then I went back to my room, packed up (it was the end of my stay), and prepared to head out. When I returned to the front desk, I saw these:

Welcome to The Fold. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. There's plenty of room at this table. Algorithms, trolls, likes, little red numbers and dinging bells? Not right now. Pictures and stories? Yes.

I'm really glad you're here.

In this issue:

• Workin' the Cattle
• Love Letters, Delivered Obliquely
• Your Free Gift: a Love Letter from You to You

Workin' The Cattle

Winter-yellow grass. Warm sunrise on dots of snow. A pervading hum.

Workin' The Cattle is a quilt I made inspired by the Jentel artist residency in Wyoming. Jentel is on an idyllic piece of land surrounded by ranches. When I was there, the neighboring ranchers were "workin' the cattle". I didn't find out exactly what that means, but it was the source of a continuous, low-level mooing in the distance. Read more about the process behind this quilt on my Patreon blog (part 1, part 2).

​

To purchase Workin' The Cattle for $675:

Contact Caroline at Cerulean Gallery by phone: (214) 564 1199 or email: caroline@theceruleangallery.com

Love Letters, Delivered Obliquely

I try to be a good person. I try to meet the world with empathy and compassion, try to consider other people's perspectives before giving them the side-eye. I try, but I don't always succeed.

Recently I took myself to a hotel for a two-day work retreat (very productive, and coincidentally, the same two days as a winter storm). While enjoying the complimentary breakfast, I overheard the desk clerk deliver a rant about ...things I won't detail here. Suffice it to say, our views on The Way Things Are don't match up.

Reader, I judged. Hard. Then I went back to my room, packed up (it was the end of my stay), and prepared to head out. When I returned to the front desk, I saw these: