Interview with Emily Parson, November 2, 2001

Partial Transcript: This is Patricia Plunk, today's date is November the 2nd, 2001.

Partial Transcript: Okay, first of all, I want you to tell us about the quilt today--

Segment Synopsis: Parson discusses the pattern and color scheme of the quilt which she has brought to discuss in her interview. She tells the interviewer about her inspiration for the butterfly pattern of the quilt. Parson also talks about the award she has won for the quilt featured in the interview. She plans to sell the quilt in the future.

Keywords: Artistic inspirations; Butterfly patterns; Butterfly quilts; Quilt patterns

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Tell us, uh, about your interest in q, quilting.

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about visiting an exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum while she worked in New York City as a fashion designer. She discusses how she was inspired by the quilt exhibit she saw and began quilting from books sold at the museum. She tells the interviewer how she transitioned from traditional quilts to free-form art quilts.

Keywords: Art quilts; Fabric dying; Folk art museums; Textile arts; Textile museums; Traditional quilts

Subjects: American Folk Art Museum; Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Fashion designers; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Are there other quilters in your family?

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about her mother and sister, who collect fabrics. She then discusses her first quilt memory, recalling her grandparents creating a quilt when she was a young child.

Keywords: Anecdotes; Fabric collectors; Family memories; Family quilts; Quilters; Textile collectors

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Tell me about which aspects of quilting you most enjoy and also if there's one aspect you don't enjoy, let us know about that.

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how she doesn't enjoy putting the binding or the sleeve on the quilt and she doesn't enjoy shipping the quilts to shows. She discusses the aspects of quilting she does enjoy, including machine quilting and hand dyeing fabrics.

Keywords: Hand dyed fabric; Machine quilting; Quilt binding; Quilt sleeves

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Explain a little bit more about how you dye your fabrics.

Segment Synopsis: Parson walks the interviewer through her hand dyeing process for fabric. She discusses when she dyes the fabrics, how much she dyes, the different kinds of fabric she dyes, and the process of dyeing the fabric.

Keywords: Hand dyed fabrics; Hand dyeing fabrics; Processing textiles; Textile dyeing

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Talk to us a little bit about, uh, what you think makes a great quilt and what makes a great quilter.

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about her love of art quilts and how great quilts are visually striking and have beautiful technique to their design. She discusses the quilters at the Quilt Festival in Houston and how they inspire each other to create new quilts.

Keywords: Artistic qualities; Great quilters; Great quilts; Quilt festivals; Quilters

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: In your estimation, what makes a quilt appropriate for a museum collection?

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how traditional quilts are already well-represented in museums and art quilts need further representation, as they make up a large body of work of American quilts. She believes a museum-quality quilt exemplifies the practices of the time period in which it was created.

Keywords: Art quilts; Museum quilts; Quilt exhibits; Quilters; Textile arts; Traditional quilts

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: You've already told us that you do most of your work on a machine...

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about her preference for machine quilting, though she believes both hand and machine quilting are important techniques in quilting. She discusses how both should be respected in the quilting community and she discusses how some quilters believe machine quilting is "cheating".

Keywords: Hand quilting; Machine quilting; Quilting preferences

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Tell us about ways that quilting is important to your life, as a whole.

Segment Synopsis: Parson tells the interviewer how she met her best friends through quilting. She discusses the importance of community in quilting.

Keywords: Family & friends; Quilting communities; Relationships in quilting

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Communities; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles

Partial Transcript: Is there a way that your quilts reflect your particular community or the region in which you live?

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how she was inspired to create geometric quilts while she lived in the city, but now that she lives in the country her quilt designs are more influenced by nature.

Keywords: Art quilts; Artistic inspirations; Creative processes; Geometric quilts; Nature quilts; Quilt designs; Quilt patterns

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Can you tell us about ways that you think quilts have special meaning for women's history and experience in America?

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how women throughout history have used needlework to express themselves.

Keywords: Creative expression; Needle arts; Needlework as art; Self-expression

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women; Women's history

Partial Transcript: How do you think quilts can best be preserved for our future generations?

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how quilt collectors are important to the preservation of quilts, as are museums. She discusses her interest in making bed quilts, which she gives to family. She talks about how she does not give quilts to non-family members, except to a friend from England who accompanied her on a trip to Europe.

Keywords: Bed quilts; Family quilts; Quilt collectors; Quilt museums; Quilt preservation; Traditional quilts

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women

Partial Transcript: Oh, my studio at home.

Segment Synopsis: Parson talks about how her home has a studio in which she designs and creates her quilts. She discusses the positive benefits to her family and her in having an in-home studio, as she is able to take care of her family and create her quilts in the same place.

Keywords: Art studios; In-home studios; Quilters

Subjects: Artists; Arts & crafts; Crafts & decorating; Decorative arts; Fabric arts; Fabrics; Quilting; Quilts; Quilts--Design.; Sewing; Textile artists; Textiles; Women