Interview with Juanita Yeager, August 29, 2001

Partial Transcript: This is Karen Musgrave. It's August 29th, 2001.

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager describes "Red and Yellow #2," a piece of a series of her quilts depicting flowers. Yeager states that her quilts serve as a vehicle for color and that though she does not garden, she enjoys using flowers in her work and gets inspiration from seed catalogs. Yeager describes the piece's background as multi-layered and says that while she enjoys having a visually-interesting background, she tries not to distract too much from the piece's subject.

Keywords: Art quilts; Art-technique; Decorative art series; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Quilting; Quiltmakers; Red and Yellow #2; Women artists

Partial Transcript: What special meaning does this quilt have for you?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager states that while "Red and Yellow #2" showcases her typical color palate, it also hold sentimental meaning because it was the last piece of hers that her husband saw before his death. Yeager states that her family is supportive of her art work, and she has quilts assigned to her family members to inherit after her death.

Keywords: Art quilts; Art-technique; Decorative art series; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Quilting; Quiltmakers; Women artists

Partial Transcript: What type of quilts do you make?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager discusses her early creation of art quilts, first starting with winning awards for a bed quilts and using "Log Cabin blocks." After using this block style for a while, Yeager wanted to incorporate more color and began using flowers as her pieces' subject. Yeager describes several art series with flowers early in her quilting career, recounting having one placed in the American Quilt Society and win a Better Homes and Garden national competition.

Keywords: Art quilts; Art-technique; Decoration and ornament--Plant forms.; Decorative art series; Decorative arts; Flowers in art.; Kentucky art; Quilting; Quiltmakers; Women artists

Partial Transcript: So, you've been published?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager states that several of her art quilts have been published in various magazines like the Quilter's Newsletter Magazine and in AIDS Publicity Calendars. Yeager recounts the story of how a quilt titled 'Decidedly Red" was sold to a women and the buyer's neighbor called Yeager asking to publish her quilt for in International AIDS calendar.

Keywords: Art quilts; Art technique; Decorative art series; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Published art; Quilters.; Quilting; Women artists

Partial Transcript: Are there quilters in your family?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager discusses her introduction to quilting, stating that there were no quilters in her family and that only her grandmother embroidered and crocheted. Yeager states that she initially thought of quilts in terms of their utility as bed covers, and it wasn't until after two years of creating her first quilt that her perspective began to change.

Keywords: Art quilts; Decorative arts; Quilters.; Quilting; Quiltmakers; Quilts.; Women artists

Partial Transcript: Um, have you ever used quilting to get through a difficult time?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager describes a "bad period" she went through, stating that her color palate changed to "awful depressing colors." Yeager states that as she was finishing a piece called "East of Morning" that depicted a bright sun and compass stars, she knew that coming out of this dark period. Additionally, Yeager recounts her husband's diagnosis of terminal cancer, stating that he would not allow her to get into a "funk."

Keywords: Art quilts; Decorative arts.; Kentucky art; Kentucky quilts; Quilters.; Quilting; Women and the decorative arts; Women artists

Partial Transcript: So, what are your plans for quilting in the future?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager discusses her plans for quilting in the future, stating she spent a while trying to figure out how to make her flowers look realistic without overly augmenting them with acrylic paint. Yeager states that she wants her quilts to retain the "hand of fabric" and, though for wall decoration, a "tactical snugness." Yeager also discusses her love for handwork, recounting a piece she did for Kentucky Museum. Yeager also states that she does personally does not like machine quilting, but that materials and techniques are respective to every artist.

Keywords: Appliqué.; Art quilts; Art-technique; Decorative arts; Embroidery.; Hand appliqué; Kentucky art; Machine quilting.; Needlework.; Quilters.; Quilting.; Quiltmakers; Quilts.; Sewing.; Women artists

Partial Transcript: From whom did you learn to quilt?

Segment Synopsis: Juanita Yeager describes learning to quilt, stating that she was essential self-taught. Yeager recounts learning from magazines and library books, eventually taking an adult education course in Jefferson County. Though the class didn't teach her much, her teacher introduced her to the American Quilter's Society. Yeager recounts visiting the AQS's first quilt show and discovering a world of quilting outside of her books and magazines.

Keywords: AQS; American Quilter's Society; Art quilts; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Quilters.; Quilting shops; Quilting--Patterns.; Quilting.; Quiltmakers; Quilts.; Women artists

Partial Transcript: Do you teach quilting?

Segment Synopsis: Yeager describes how she teaches quilting, and how she prefers teach people how to find their own style. She discusses teaching locally in Louisville and that she enjoys sharing her knowledge and seeing enthusiasm from new quilters. Yeager says that initially, she did not know that she would love quilting, but that it is now her legacy.

Keywords: Art as a legacy; Art quilts; Art--Study and teaching.; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Legacy art; Louisville (Ky.); Quilt education; Quilters.; Quilting.; Quiltmakers; Quilts; Teaching quilting; Women artists

Partial Transcript: So in what ways do you think quilts have special meaning for women’s history in America?

Segment Synopsis: Yeager discusses quilting as a source of documentation for American history, representing various economic, political, and geologic climates over time. Yeager also describes quilting as a source of economic and artistic freedom for women. Yeager also discusses her quilts and her community, stating that while other Black Americans may have used quilting to express their voices. Yeager says she uses quilting to express her creativity and love of color.

Keywords: African American artists; African Americans; Art quilts; Art--History.; Black artists; Black people; Decorative arts; History -- quilting; Kentucky art; Quilters.; Quilting history; Quilting.; Quiltmakers; Quilts; Women artists; Women's history

Partial Transcript: How many hours a week to you quilt or a day?

Segment Synopsis: Yeager discusses spending about eight hours a day quilting. She says that she spends time in her studio from morning until very late at night and that she becomes aggravated if she can't quilt for several days. Yeager explains that the time she spends quilting usually depends on how engrossed she is with the piece.

Keywords: Art quilts; Decorative arts; Kentucky art; Quilters.; Quiltmakers; Quilts