Make Modern is a new Australian online quilt magazine, for quilters, by quilters. We caught up with its editor, Jane, to find out more about this new publication.
Can you tell us a bit about how Make Modern came about?
Kristy and I are in a real –life quilt group together and one meeting we started chatting about how there was a lack (particularly in Australia) of magazines that cater to the modern quilter. I have a background in magazine journalism and Kristy has a lot of blogging/design experience, so before we knew it we were standing in the car park for an hour after quilt group discussing our idea. Then we brought in Lara, one of our very good online quilting friends, to round out the business side.
We decided to publish digitally because we believe the online community is a huge part of the modern quilting movement and most of our demographic are in tune with digital. It was also more accessible internationally.
Can you tell us about the very first quilt you made?
I’ve been quilting a very long time… my first quilt was a picnic quilt made from navy, red and hunter green plaids in 1995, when I was 21 (just so you don’t think I’m ancient!). I took a break from quilting for a few years, but was drawn back in about four years ago by all the inspiring new fabrics and blogs, and by the whole modern quilting movement. I think it’s brought a new lease of life to the quilting industry.
Can you tell us about your most recent Work In Progress?
Hahaha… are you implying I might only have one work in progress? I have a zillion things on the go, I really need to finish some off! But right now, I’m thinking about how to quilt a mini that will be featured in our next newsletter and I’m about to baste a paper pieced quilt for the next issue of Make Modern, it’s all about the purple, since it was the year of Radiant Orchid (and it just happens I have a child who is obsessed with purple and is waiting to claim it).
There’s a lot of debate out there as to what exactly makes a quilt ‘modern’. What do you think defines modern quilts, as opposed to more traditional quilts?
Oh, isn’t that the million dollar question!! I talked about that on our blog recently. I think it’s a combination of things, and like any aspect of quilting, it’s very personal. The use of more modern fabrics, maybe heavier use of solids or low volumes (though I am starting to think the solid trend is waning and was a reflection of fewer awesome fabrics being available when the movement first started). There are so many amazing fabrics available now, we are very spoiled for choice.
Design is certainly an element, and a lot of the time that’s setting – we’re not hemmed in by rows of blocks with sashings and borders, and it makes for more interesting design possibilities. Colour wise I think modern quilters tend to use more vibrant colours, though the last couple of years we’ve seen more pastel and darker hues in fabrics, which is really useful when exploring value. Sometimes it’s the element of surprise – like a pop of orange in an all blue quilt, or one different block. The use of negative space is also a factor.
Ultimately, I think if a quilter identifies as a modern quilter, then they are. Some of my quilts are more modern than others, that’s for sure. But I choose to label myself as a modern quilter.
And I think it’s important to note that it’s not a case of ‘modern vs traditional’ – one is not better than the other, one does not require more skill than the other, there is room in the world for both modern and traditional, and art quilts and whatever else one wants to do with fabric. Having a viewpoint of ‘all quilter are awesome’ is important if the industry is going to stay strong.
What do think defines modern quilters, as opposed to more traditional quilters?
Mostly I think it’s a mindset.
Modern quilters might be more likely to break rules, or try new things. Part of modern quilting is definitely testing the waters, trying something new.
The internet has been invaluable in the development of modern quilting – though this is probably not only relevant to modern quilters. It is certainly far easier than it was when I first learned to quilt, with a mentor and a few good books. I think it has been much easier for modern quilters to connect with each other on a large scale through blogs and Instagram, which has built that strong community.
Do you see any unique attributes in Australian quilts/quilters?
Not hugely, because a lot of what we are influenced by comes via the internet which is international. But I think Australians have a different sense of humour that comes out in some of our work.
I love that there is some Australiana creeping into modern quilting, like Emma Jean Jansen’s Terra Australis fabric lines, cat&vee’s Australian animal panels, and our Kristy’s Aussie animal paper pieced patterns.
With all the magazines, books, blogs, podcasts, webinars out there about modern quilting, what makes Make Modern stand out?
One of our big goals at Make Modern is to create community, so while a lot of what is out there on modern quilting is about what individuals are doing, we’re bringing together a group of great contributors each issue, we’re reporting on things happening in the quilt world, we’re providing information that helps readers get into the modern quilting community. We really want the magazine and our associated social media to be a place where quilters can contribute and be heard.
We also have a strong Australian focus. While our content will never be 100% Australian, we recognise that there is a lot of amazing stuff happening in the Australian modern quilt world and we want to share that more widely with our readers.
A quilt made by MMQG member Melissa features on the first edition of Make Modern. Can you give us some information about how our members might be able to contribute to future editions of Make Modern?
We love contributions and we want to have a wide range of contributors, so we would definitely love to hear from your members if they have any ideas. It does not matter if you’ve been published before. We are looking for original projects with a modern twist, and everything from bed quilts to wall hangings to cushions to bags to softies etc. We are always looking for interesting people to profile too. You can view our submissions guidelines here: http://www.makemodern.com.au/submissions/#!submissions/cczt
Or email Kristy – submissions@makemodern.com.au for a full submissions package and to talk projects.
How can we purchase our very own digital edition of Make Modern?
You can purchase single issue, six month or one year subscriptions at our shop: http://www.makemodern.com.au/submissions/#!shop/c1cgf
When a new issue is available you will be notified by email and can then download the PDF copy.
You can also take a sneak peek at the first issue here: http://issuu.com/makemodern/docs/make_modern_preview/0
