Where do ideas for art quilts come from? It took retirement for Carolyn Skei to unravel that mystery and to begin making quilts that win awards and are juried into important exhibits. She had dabbled in fabric dyeing, photography, collage, and a host of other crafts — all while raising her daughter and working as a publications editor/director. But in recent years, new pieces of the creativity puzzle have come together in an octogenarian’s adventure. On October 29 she will share what she has learned about turning her photographs, collages and drawings into quilts worthy of exhibition.
Carolyn has been the subject of interviews in Quilting Arts magazine and Art Quilting Studio quarterly, and she is the author of a number of articles about contemporary quilting. She also has been a Textile Talk presenter for Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), and several of her quilts are currently traveling in SAQA global exhibitions. Her work has been juried into Quilt Art at the Carnegie, Quilts = Art = Quilts at the Schweinfurth Center (NY), and Visions Museum of Textile Arts (San Diego). Twice her quilts have won the coveted Judge’s Choice award at the Dallas Quilt Show.
A native Texan, Carolyn retired in 2000 from a decades-long career at California State University, Fresno. She now lives in McKinney. She is an active member of Dallas Area Fiber Artists and North Texas SAQA.