An Artist Is Only as Good as Her Material

Every month members of the African-American Quilters of Los Angeles gather to swap fabric, spin yarns and show off some amazing creations. This isn’t your grandmother’s quilting bee: For these artists, ranging from teenagers to octogenarians, fabric is a creative medium. Founded in 1986, the multi-ethnic 150-member philanthropic guild offers workshops and lectures, holds a biennial quilt show and donates more than 250 quilts each year to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center and to charities such as Paul Newman’s Painted Turtle camp. On a recent Sunday afternoon in South Los Angeles, they shared a few sewing notions.

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Claudia Haskins

53, training specialist

Hawthorne

How did you learn to sew?

I learned to sew in elementary school in Kansas City, Mo. It was something I really hated. I wanted to transfer to wood shop.

What do you love about quilting?

To take something that’s large, condense it to something small and put it back to something that’s large again. I like the colors. I like the camaraderie of the sisterhood.

Do you quilt for fun or to use?

I do both. We have our own little circle of wonderful ladies called the Scissor Wizards. It’s a sisterhood within a sisterhood of quilting. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

What’s the hardest part of quilting?

If you’re putting a curve into a square piece, to get it to lay flat.

Best gossip you’ve heard here?

I’m not going to say that none goes on.

What is your favorite quilt style?

I’m more drawn to the Japanese motifs. They are soothing and calm. Quilting is a stress relief to me. My art is how I express my creativity.

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DeBorah Amoafo-Yeboah

53, textile artist; owner, Sankofa Excursion Tours to West Africa

Rancho Palos Verdes

How did you learn to sew?

I’ve been sewing since I was 8. My grandmother knew how to do everything. My grandfather was a hat maker and my father was an artist and a tailor.

You come from an artistic family.

On my father’s side. My mother can’t sew a button. They cook on that side.

What are your designs like?

My daughter loves sunflowers and dancing. So I made her a quilt with sun rays, and on the back there’s a dancer dancing to the sun. Another daughter likes music, so on the back there’s a piano, and two or three of the keys fell off to the bottom.

How do quilts reflect the world?

Quilting originated in Africa. Quilting was big during the Underground Railroad. Patterns were put out to notify where it was safe. A lot of patterns used now are not recognized by many Americans as part of the Underground Railroad.

Your funniest quilt story?

They’re all funny until they’re finished. There’s a term quilters use: UFO. It’s Unfinished Objects. All quilters have UFOs. Quilters are also fabric-holics. You have to have it.

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Ujima Wema

63, security officer

Inglewood

How many quilts have you made?

Three. I’m a brand-new quilter.

What do you love about quilting?

The creativity. You don’t have to follow the pattern. It’s an art form.

If you were going to design your own quilt, what would it be like?

I’m dying to do a quilt with trees. I want to put children around the trees from around the world.

Why don’t more men quilt?

There’s a man I work with who quilts. I couldn’t believe it.

What famous person would you like to make a quilt for?

Probably Dorothy Height. She worked with the [Franklin D.] Roosevelt administration in his “Black Cabinet.” She is a living legend. She was at the podium for the march on Washington with Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.].

What does quilting reveal about a person?

I’m more fun to be with than I thought. You let the barriers down. I’m calmer at work. I read this article where doctors said people who quilt have the lowest incidences of high blood pressure.

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Sandy Tufts

57, retired financial manager

Los Angeles

What do you love about quilting?

I’ve never done anything artistic because I didn’t think I had talent. Apparently I do have a creative side, and it’s coming through with quilts.

Do you make quilts to be used?

I made a quilt for my dentist’s baby. Something I made with my two hands, here’s a little child dragging it along like Linus and his blanket.

Why do you belong to this group?

I just happened to come by one day with a friend. Women, notoriously, in groups have issues. But there is a camaraderie and a sisterhood here. Part of that is to pass on an art form that tends to be dying out. When I was a little kid, my mother quilted for warmth. We do a quilt now for the beauty of it.

What have you learned here aside from quilting?

I’ve learned where to get good women’s foundations.

Is that a quilt term?

Oh, honey, I don’t know if you’re going to put that in there. It’s like brassieres.