Jeanette Walton is definitely on Team Foundation Paper Piecing, creating complex designs with sharp points and angles. Quilting is in her DNA, both her mother and grandmother were quilters. Her philosophy is “Yes, you can do that!” and enjoys teaching beginners the basics of foundation paper piecing quilting techniques.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
To this day, I don’t consider myself an artist. As I think about being an artist, I can hear my Grandmother’s voice saying, “It’s just something to keep you warm,” when one of her quilts was admired. Even though I have several quilts hanging in my home, even while I appreciate a gorgeous quilted wall hanging, I can’t help but think, “Quilts are for beds!”
Why quilting? How does that medium best express what you want to communicate through your art?
I’ve tried every craft known to womankind (macrame anyone?), but nothing really stuck until I started quilting. I took a quilting class with two friends in 2001 and took to it like a duck to water. Both my mother and grandmother were quilters, so quilting is in my DNA.
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When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
Definitely a planner! I need to have a roadmap, but I’m not afraid to take a side trip.
What is it about foundation paper piecing that appeals to you?
The accuracy! The sharp points and angles! The precision! I’m solidly Team Foundation Paper Piecing, but what doesn’t appeal to me about foundation paper piecing is taking the paper off. Want to know the best way to take the paper off? Have someone else do it.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I live in the house I grew up in, and am constantly in awe of how four people happily co-existed in a space where today one person (me!) struggles. My sewing room is small and stays in a state of chaos. I aspire to neatness and organization, but I lack that gene.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
“Hey Google. Play Bruno Mars.” “OK, here’s a station on Pandora called Bruno Mars.” Old school R&B inspires me and keeps me humming while sewing. I have the attention span of a gnat, so no distracting television for me.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I am actively working on multiple projects right now. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
How do you get unstuck creatively?
I think getting stuck creatively is part of the creative process. To get unstuck, I think you just accept that you’re stuck and do something else. If you focus too much on the blockage, that’s what you think about. I find that taking a break for no specified period of time helps get my mojo back.
UFOs: taunts from the shadows or lessons learned?
My goal in life is to complete the many UFO’s multiplying in my sewing room.
Tell us about your website. What do you hope people will gain by visiting?
A website gives you credibility and says you are a real grown up business. I hope people who visit feel that they would like to learn from me and that they don’t feel intimidated by the paper piecing process. www.indigobluequilts.com
Do you lecture or teach workshops? How can students/organizers get in touch with you to schedule an event?
I love teaching paper piecing at guilds and retreats! I can be reached by email at jgwalton227@gmail.com.
Interview posted March 2023
Browse through more paper pieced projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy.