Ricky Tims Brings Rhapsody to Paducah

Bohemian Rhapsody by Ricky Tims

This past week, I had the good fortune of meeting Ricky Tims this past week as he taught a workshop on his Rhapsody quilts at the National Quilt Museum here in Paducah. Ricky Tims has carved himself a niche in the quilting world. Recognized internationally as an artist an and educator, he is also one of the few male quilters to take such an extensive leadership role in this art form dominated by women. I first saw his quilts at a group show at the museum which showed the work of three male quilters, one of them being Ricky Tims. His stunning choice of colors, beautiful designs and immaculate stitching make them a wonder to behold.

Ricky Tims, "The Quiltin' Harley Dude"

Known for his good humor and enthusiasm, Ricky Tims can pull off flaunting "tough" symbols like riding a Harley or wearing a cowboy hat from his native Texas. At the same time, his quilts show a depth of sensitivity for beauty, color and grace. A gifted musician, his music is hauntingly beautiful and soul oriented. All of this love for raw beauty, art and nature comes together in Autumn Rock, "40 acres of heaven", a get-away for quilters in southern Colorado.

Autumn Rock, A Piece of Heaven for Quilters

The workshop Ricky Tims had here at the Quilt Museum focused on teaching students how to design and execute the technique he uses in the beautiful medallion quilts that have won so much recognition. Ricky Tims has several books out on the process, both step-by-step instructions and patterns for individual pieces. I learned most of what I know through books, but there is nothing like having the guidance and personal interest of someone who has already worked through all of the kinks and who know what short cuts will achieve the desired results.

Ricky Tims' Rhapsody Quilts

Students learn how to break an intricate design into a simple concept.

A simple drawing breaks down a complex quilt medallion.

Several steps take the student from a small drawing to a full-size template. The large piece has been drawn out on freezer paper.

Freezer paper drawing at a Ricky Tims workshop.

The freezer paper is cut up and ironed on to the fabric. Each student had brought their own stash of fabrics that they were planning to use. It was fun to see how different each person's taste translates into a unique visual, a combination that will make a similar technique achieve very different finished pieces. Ricky Tims uses hand-dyed fabrics, vibrant in color, which produce gorgeous contrasts. He also has his own line of threads, which in the Rhapsody quilts, have a necessary and complimentary impact. Those, along with books and patterns, are available in his website shop. You can also purchase cds of his music there.

Cutting freezer paper for the Rhapsody quilts pieces.

The pieces are sewn, appliqued, and assembled on a wall board. Working in a structured manner helps keep order in a process that could easily become chaotic and overwhelming.

Sewing a piece for a Rhapsody Quilt.

Pieces assembled and pinned to a wall board.

Of course, the master knows all the tricks of how to make edges meet, how to keep them from puckering, how to make seams flow naturally, when to quilt, and how to make colors sing to each other.

The participants, all women from around the country, were engaged in their tasks, thrilled to be both with Ricky Tims and here in Paducah. I sat and talked to a few and of course, they spoke of the burdens they left at home, of the relief they felt in taking a respite where for a few days, they could dive in to their creative juices full time. I thought about how any creative task really becomes a healing agent in our turbulent world, of how something so flat as fabric can make one feel so alive, of how important the quilt industry is to our city, and of how people like Ricky Tims use their gifts to inspire so many people. It gave me a warm feeling inside, an acknowledgement once again, that this is also my path, that I really do enjoy being a part of this larger community. We come in all shapes and sizes, some clunk along with mediocre results while others fly into orbit with their talents, but we feel called to the cloth, the fiber that weaves us all together.

Rhapsody Quilt workshop with Ricky Tims at the Quilt Museum.

Links to visit:

Ricky Tims (the site is divided into his quits and music)

The National Quilt Museum (list of workshops)

Nacho Grandma's Quilts (a list of other male quilters)

Here's an excellent CBS interview with Ricky Tims, focusing on the quilt industry and its economic impact. Ricky Tims emphasizes the importance it also has in developing community.

Many thanks, Ricky,
for all you do to inspire all of us!

Ricky Tims Brings Rhapsody to Paducah

Cross Cultural Collaborative: Textile Workshop in Ghana!

Kente cloth strips sewn into a larger textile.

Fiber Artists!!!

Come join us in Ghana!

Aug. 2 - 15, 2009!!!!

by Ellie Schimelman

Ghana is known for it's rich history of art and culture and although it has adapted some Western ways, Ghana still has spectacular festivals to celebrate it's heritage. Part of each festival is a durbar which is comparable to a parade where all the important people, like chiefs, dress in their regalia. This is where you can see Kente cloth in all its glory. Even if you don't know anything about Kente, when you see it you know that it is special.

Asafo flag, appliqued and embroidered.

"Dancing the flag"

Each year we organize a workshop at our cultural center in a suburb of Accra where participants can learn to weave Kente, stamp adinkra, learn about Asafo, do tie and dye, batik and other fabric decorations which are taught by master artisans. This is a unique opportunity to experience African textiles in the context of their culture. Participants visit galleries, museums, cloth markets, crafts villages and dealers in antiquities.

Many traditional approaches to cloth are being lost because young artisans want to be modern and don't want to do the tedious work required to be authentic. There is a saying in Africa that each time an elder dies a library is lost... and each time a traditional artisan dies a technique is lost. There was a time when it would take a Kente weaver 3 months to weave a piece. Now, many weavers rush to get cloth ready for the 5 day market. Another reason we offer this workshop is to show indigenous artisans that their traditions have value and should be continued.

Adinkra stamps from Ghana

Sometimes the Ghanaian artist will find a modern way to work with the traditional techniques. An example of this is making the symbols on adinkra cloth using silk screen. This is certainly much faster than the traditional stamping of the symbols onto the cloth. Each way has a different look and it's up to the buyer to decide which one they prefer.

A man wearing adinkra cloth in Ghana.

There is no doubt that there are universal connections in art. In reference to African cloth, all you have to do is look at the quilts of the Gee's Bend artists. African cloth has always had symbolic meaning. Men and women taken from Africa to the diaspora had memories of cloth designs and the meanings they carried. It's easy to see how African American story quilts retain traces of African fabric techniques.

If you'd like details about the textile workshop please download a brochure at http://www.culturalcollaborative.org and any questions can be directed to aba@culturalcollaborative.org

If you come to Ghana, we'll give you an African name. Many people are named after the day of the week on which they were born. Aba is a female born on Thursday.

About Ellie Schimelman:

I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a minor in apparel design and a major in art education. Always drawn to African art, I decided to see it in Africa and by a process of elimination chose to start in Ghana. I had really wanted to go to South Africa, but because of Apartheid, decided not to. Ghana was a good choice... English is the official language and the culture is intact.

One thing led to another, and now 20 some years later, I am the director of Cross Cultural Collaborative, with a mud house next to the ocean, about 50 Ghanaian children who call me Mami and a mission to introduce people from different cultures to each other through the language of art. The photo shows Aba House which has eight guest rooms.

My fantasy is to someday visit every African country....

Keep in touch with us through our blog!

Cross Cultural Collaborative: Textile Workshop in Ghana!