Quilting is such a time-honored tradition – so how can you keep it fresh and let your own style shine? Artist Courtney Kennedy does just that, combining her deep appreciation for traditional quilting with her love of modern, contemporary art to create portrait quilts that are nothing short of extraordinary. Courtney displays her fiber work at art shows throughout the Midwest, impressing everyone from young painters to seasoned quilting veterans.

Like many quilters, Courtney comes from a long line of Stitchin’ Women. “Both of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers quilted, and for years our house was full of ancient hand-pieced blankets passed down through generations,” says Courtney. But during her childhood, she focused her creative energy on painting, drawing and other artistic expression.

While attending the School of Art Institute in Chicago, Courtney’s creative environment inspired her to try many new things, including sewing by hand. Courtney enjoyed fabric so much that she took a job at fabric store, and eventually she taught herself how to quilt.

“My first quilt was a really simple block called the rail fence block. It helped me get used to strips and blocks,” she says. “Then I jumped right into portrait quilts… I have the tendency to dive into difficult stuff right off the bat.”

When Courtney returned to St. Louis, she took a job managing a fabric store. She found herself surrounded by quilting experts who were more than happy to share everything they knew. “It was intimidating bringing in projects to show them, because they’re really accomplished and they really know what they are doing,” says Courtney. “It always meant a lot when they would say they liked it.”

While learning new techniques, Courtney was also inspired to read about quilting - everything from worldwide fiber art to the history of the textile industry. She developed a deep appreciation for the craft and women who, she explains, “used quilting and embroidery as a means of expression when there were few acceptable outlets for females to oust their creative spirit.”

“I really feel drawn to quilting,” says Courtney. “I think it is a true art form that women have perfected for centuries, and when I make quilts now, I really feel connected to past generations who used them for everything from a cover to keep warm to sign posts on the underground railroad.”

Courtney’s knowledge of quilt history and contemporary art gave her a wealth of ideas and the creative vision that most artists strive to find, and she soon developed a unique perspective of Past Meets Present Meets Punk.

Courtney regularly displays paintings, drawings and other modern art pieces. However, in a world of paint, clay and pastels, Courtney’s quilting stands out from the crowd. She also incorporates hand embroidery into her shows. “Embroidery is a good skill to have in case you have an art project. Like, ‘It’d be good to draw it, but it’d be even COOLER it embroider it.’”

Courtney gets involved in her local art community by watching for ‘open calls for artists’ in the paper and online, and submitting her work. For the past two years, Courtney has been involved with Venus Envy, an all female art show.

And even when she’s not creating work for shows, Courtney continues to look for inspiration, both through new mediums like the underground comic scene and older quilters who have mastered time-honored techniques. “It’s a great way to bridge the generation gap,” she says. “I think it’s cool that you can sit down with someone’s grandma and geek out about quilting together, and they’ll think you’re the coolest girl in the world.”

Stitchin’ Advice:

On Quilting: Measure twice, cut once. Make sure you cut items straight, and make sure you are using a flat surface. Press and iron. It was hard at keep that ¼” seam allowance at first, but I got it. If you make sure to cut straight and give yourself that ¼” seam allowance, your pieces will come together perfectly.

On Getting Involved With Your Local Art Scene: Don’t be afraid! Take some good pictures and really think about your work. Make sure that the medium you are using is the best one to express the concept you wish to get across.

For most women attending college in 2008, school is their primary concern. For Allyce King, a student from O’Fallon, Mo., she has far more on her mind.

Already, Allyce is a fashion designer, a vodcast host and an author - titles she accrued even before turning 21. She’s the co-host of DIYStyle, an online video podcast, or vodcast, sponsored in part by Baby Lock. Allyce and Melissa Watson, her co-host and partner in crime, began hosting the show in October of 2007.

But Allyce’s sewing career began long before that. At age six, she first developed a love for needles and thread. Ever since, she has fostered a passion for color, texture, fabric and the creativity that sews them all together. Currently, Allyce attends Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., majoring in fashion design. Each semester is grueling - in a single semester, she designed and executed a line of clothing for one class - but somehow, she still manages to sew, craft, draw, paint and scrapbook for fun. And, of course, she always has time for her Yorkie, Paddy.

In early October, Allyce and Melissa flew to New York City to present design ideas to the board of McCall’s Pattern Company. At nearly the same time, they launched the premier of the DIYStyle Web site and vodcast. As soon as Allyce returned home, she blogged about signing on to McCall’s as a new fashion designer. ‘We were invited to propose a new pattern line for a younger market: twenty to thirty-five-year-olds who really follow fashion and who are interested in designing their own clothing. Melissa and I spent many hours putting together the trend boards, design boards, sewing samples, buying clothing samples, and organizing what we were going to say in that presentation.‘

In the end, the work paid off. According to Allyce, the entire team at McCall’s loved the girls’ ideas. On the spot, they signed them for a new pattern line called DIYStyle, and agreed to sponsor the DIYStyle vodcast series.

Like McCall’s, Baby Lock was so impressed with the talents of DIYStyle that it decided to sponsor the Web site and the vodcast as well. Now Allyce King is a Stitchin’ Woman and uses Baby Lock sewing machines in her vodcasts and on her projects.

As if all of this weren’t enough to keep Allyce busy, she recently had a DIY book published as well. My Style, My Place was written with young designers and design-it-yourselfers in mind. Full of vibrant, colorful photos and a variety of fun, modern projects, the book offers ideas that even less experienced sewers can tackle.

With so many changes going on in her life, Allyce says one thing remains constant - she works nonstop. But she’s looking forward to seeing the results. Her book came out in 2007, the DIYStyle McCall’s pattern line will come out in April, and the DIYStyle podcasts have taken off online. Allyce truly knows what DIY - Design-It-Yourself - is all about.

Allyce’s Advice‘Start small or you will never get through a project and you will get discouraged.‘‘Starting with easy fabrics is key to success. If you start with silk charmeuse or wool gabardine then it will make it much harder to finish your project.‘

Read more about other DIYStyle.net co-host, Melissa Watson

For Melissa Watson, fashion has always come easy. A sewer since age five, Melissa loves design in all of its forms, including the clothing and accessories she creates herself. Currently a business major in international studies at Portland State University, this self-described fashionista is a co-host of the Baby Lock-sponsored DIYStyle Web site and vodcast. Along with co-host Allyce King, Melissa offers instructions and encouragement to young designers via the Web, showing them easy ways to design and sew everything from an eco-friendly grocery tote to a versatile halter dress or tunic. Under the direction of these two young trendsetters, DIY has transformed from Do-It-Yourself into Design-It-Yourself.

Aside from being a business student and fashion designer, Melissa is also a world traveler. She has visited Europe, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, and speaks fluent French, has studied Spanish and Italian, and plans to learn Mandarin as well. “I absolutely love European fashion; I get inspired by the way people are so daring and willing to wear whatever they like, no matter how out there it may seem.” Each new location offers her an opportunity to study fashion and take in the colors, patterns and designs of other cultures and countries.

Since DIYStyle launched in October of 2007, Melissa has found herself in the midst of a whirlwind of activity. She and Allyce traveled to New York last fall to present their patterns and designs to McCall’s Pattern Company. Like Allyce, she blogged about her experience on DIYStyle, amazed at the opportunity she has to become a fashion designer. “There is no other job I can imagine being more fun than designing and sewing clothes! I hope we can bring fun and interesting fashion ideas to chicks everywhere who are looking for some creative inspiration, encouragement, or who are just getting started sewing and making something for themselves.”

Melissa looks for design ideas everywhere around her: magazines, boutiques and even the Web. In one DIYStyle blog entry, she describes designing and creating a tube scarf inspired from one of her favorite television shows. Soon, that same tube scarf will appear in an episode of the DIYStyle vodcast as a simple project that even beginning sewers can feel proud about making. “A tube scarf is trendy, different, easy to make,” Melissa commented. “It’s practical for our generation.” And that’s what DIYStyle is all about. Design-It-Yourself involves using creativity and sewing skills to develop unique, relevant projects. “We want to help people once again see that sewing is stylish, and even though it might take work, you will learn how to be creative with your personal style and wardrobe,” Melissa wrote.

Through DIYStyle, Melissa has the opportunity to reach thousands of aspiring fashion designers, giving them tips and tricks on sewing techniques, and re-igniting a passion for sewing. Melissa exemplifies the characteristics of a Stitchin’ Woman, and now uses Baby Lock machines for both DIYStyle and her own projects. She gives new meaning to DIY, and Baby Lock salutes her as an up-and-coming fashion designer.

Melissa’s Advice
“For sewers, start with something simple that you will really wear, and pick your fabrics wisely!”

“For designers, look at everything, research everything, then choose your own style for designs; with all different kinds of techniques, anyone can make a fabulous and unique design.”