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pretty much the reverse—it is more of an art form, and you have a great number of very talented artists you work with in the field. It’s very, very creative. “As much as quilting in [Central Pennsylvania] is very traditional, such as Amish quilting, the quilting you see at a quilt show is really extraordinarily arty,” she said. Long’s overseas experience seems to have combined with an inborn talent for quilting she inherited from her greatgrandmother.
“I have a couple of her quilts, like her wedding quilt. I also have my grandfather’s baby quilt that she would have made,” Long said. “So the quilting gene must have come from somewhere.” She has had quilts published in quilting magazines and has created copyrighted quilt patterns, but public speaking and teaching are where Long feels she’s most engaged in spreading the word about her art. Long has been teaching courses on fiber art for more than 20 years, having
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August 2011
50plus SeniorNews
taught extensively in other states, and she never make the same mistake twice, so now shares her knowledge locally. She has that’s pretty good teaching,” she laughed. done programs for the Lancaster Quilt & Decades ago, Long graduated from Textile Museum, the Lancaster Historical Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Society, and the Heritage Center degree in home economics, but at age 50, Museum. In 2008, her piece of Asian she returned to college for graduate fabric art called Lattice was chosen as part studies in East Asian history and of a trunk show that traveled through Japanese. The years spent living and Canada for a year. traveling abroad had provided Long with Long, a Berks County native, is now an invaluable firsthand learning living in a retirement community and experience, and her college coursework founded its first quilters guild. She helped flesh out the knowledge base she recently presented a lecture there on needs to educate others about the Japanese fiber art historical and cultural techniques, focusing significance of Asian specifically on the fiber art. period between 1606 Long sees quilts and 1868. not only as art, but During this time, also as functional Japan’s government pieces, using them as kept the country in bedding, tapestries, complete isolation and gifts. from the rest of the “I live in a padded world, forbidding house; my walls are foreigners entrance covered with quilts,” into the country and she said. denying Japanese There is one quilt citizens the option to hanging on her wall return if they left. of which Long is “So for 250 years, especially proud: her Long’s replica of the Dear Jane all of these fiber arts replica Dear Jane quilt, quilt—which took almost four years of Japan developed in which took her almost to complete—now hangs in her total isolation, and apartment but has been displayed four years to in quilting museums on several they’re absolutely complete—“three occasions. amazing techniques,” years and eight Long said. months, but who’s This 250-year incubation period counting?” she joked. affected many aspects of Japanese life and The original Dear Jane quilt, now cultural development, including the housed in the Bennington Museum in methods used to create and design Vermont, was created in 1863 by Jane garments suitable for the four classes that Stickle, a farmer from Shaftsbury, Vt. comprised the country’s very structured Sickle’s Civil War-era quilt is constructed class system. For example, Long is from 225 squares and triangles, and each fascinated by the kasuri weaving 4.5- by 4.5-inch piece contains, within technique, where all of the thread is resist itself, as many as 50 pieces of fabric. dyed before the fabric is woven to reveal Long knew going in that the a preplanned design. replication of the Dear Jane quilt was In conjunction with her lecture at going to require a commitment of time Willow Valley this summer, Long’s work and patience that would be staggering for was on display in the community’s even an experienced quilter. Cultural Center for the month of July. “It’s very easy for a quilter to say, ‘Oh, The 19-piece exhibit included some of I’m kind of tired of working on this,’ her quilts, scrolls, and banners, as well as because quilts don’t take a couple of pieces from her collection of antique weeks; some take a couple of years,” she Japanese kimono and haori (short work said. “I kind of made a deal with myself. jackets), all between 70 and 120 years old I said, ‘If you’re going to start this and examples of different Japanese fabric- project, you’re going to have to work on dyeing techniques. it every day except major holidays. I With the amount of time Long has honestly did work on that every day for spent educating others on the history and four years, whether it was 15 minutes or methods of quilting, it is surprising to two hours. learn that she is actually self-taught—if “I always figure if I ever had to take you ask her, it was somewhat of a trialjust one item besides my cat,” Long and-error method of skill refinement. chuckled, “I would save that because I “Once you make a mistake, you’ll cannot make that one again.” www.SeniorNewsPA.com