The Quilts of Jennie Yeagley Burden
Q. How did you get started quilting?
A. I became a quilter about 40 years ago because I wanted quilts, but there was no quilting tradition in my family. To start, I took classes at quilt shops and joined a quilt guild.
Q. What is the biggest influence on your art?
A. I find a lot of influence in nature and everyday life. My phone camera is full of pictures of things that inspire me to quilt, like tiled walls, landscapes, layers of color in the ocean. I also have a huge collection in my folder "Quilts I'd Like to Make."
Q. Did art play a role in your childhood? (Were you exposed to artists, did you enjoy making art)
A. Art has always been a part of my life. My grandmother was a professional artist in Columbus, Ohio; she had a studio in downtown Columbus in the 1950s and 60s. I took classes from her and posed as a model for her classes. I believe I inherited my love of combining colors from her.
Q. Who is your favorite artist?
A. My favorite quilt artist is Gudrun Erla. My favorite historical artist is Claude Monet.
Q. How does art impact your life?
A. Art brings beauty to my life and solace to my soul. The creative process calms and excites me at the same time.
Q. What inspires you to quilt?
A. I love the process of quilting, perhaps more than the final product. From browsing through fabrics, selecting, comparing color combinations, determining patterns, ironing fabric, cutting, piecing, assembling. Then when the top is complete, there is choosing the quilting method and design, binding the quilt, and adding a label. And, usually, presenting it to the recipient unless I'm keeping it.
Q. What do you do when you’re not inspired to quilt?
A. When I'm not inspired to quilt, I look through quilt books, re-organize my fabric stash, go shopping for fabric. I also look to other quilters for inspiration. Pre-covid I belonged to a quilt guild and our monthly "show and tell" always inspired me. Now I find inspiration from several online quilting groups I've joined.
Q. What advice would you give to your younger self?
A. My advice to my younger self is to concentrate on quality, not quantity.
I don't have an Etsy shop. I tell people that I make quilts for love, not money. The only way to get a quilt from me is to be a family member or very good friend. I also donate children's comfort quilts to worthy causes.
Find more of Jennie's work on Facebook.
All of the above images are copyright Jennie Yeagley Burden and shared here with permission.
Try it Yourself
Make a quilted collage with Shannon Brinkley.
You will need:
several colorful woven cotton fabrics
a large piece of solid-colored fabric for the background
fusible web
iron
sharp scissors
pencil
sewing machine or sewing needle
thread