Julie Reuben came to quilting from bead embroidery and now creates QuiltCon award winning quilts. Look closely at the detailed hand stitching in her work. And she always has a small pouch with a project with her – you never know when you might get a few minutes to stitch!
How long have you been quilting and designing? How did you get started?
I finished my first quilt 12 years ago as a baby gift. I was exploring quilting for a year or so before I finished that quilt. I came to quilting from bead embroidery, which I was trying to teach myself. I was looking for appropriate things to bead which led me to discover modern quilting. I found the MQG’s 100 modern quilts online exhibit and I was instantly mesmerized. I started following modern quilters on Flickr and through blogs. I knew I had to learn to do this.
Except for that baby quilt, most of my early quilts were table runners or other small pieces that I beaded. Soon beading became secondary and making quilts became my main obsession. I started with utilitarian projects, making lap and bed sized quilts and pillow covers, and later began exploring wall quilts.
The first quilt I made for submission to a show, was in response to the 2-color quilt challenge at the 2019 Quiltcon. My quilt made it into the show much to my surprise and joy. After that, I started to shift more of my quilt making from utilitarian projects to art quilts. I still like making things for use, but I have so many ideas for wall quilts that I don’t have time to make everything that I want to make.
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Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
I must soak up inspiration unconsciously from all sorts of places – nature, Instagram, artwork I see in museums or other spaces. I don’t use these things intentionally as inspiration. Instead, it feels like ideas just come to me or develop out of a previous work that I have made.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
I took a class on working in a series from the late Carole Lyles Shaw, because I kept hearing makers I respect refer to working in a series. I learned that there is no big secret to working in a series – it’s being mindful about learning from what you make by consciously iterating on your own work. Since then, I have created a series of 4 color quilts that use intensive hand stitching to create a secondary design on the surface of the quilt. I am thinking about other series I might want to develop.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
I am by nature an improviser. I love just following my instinct. I have become more of a planner as I am more aware of images in my mind that I want to bring to fruition and have become more intentional about exploring ideas.
Are you a “finisher”? How many UFOs do you think you have?
I definitely have my share of UFOs. I don’t mind not finishing something that is not working, or I am not engaged by it anymore. That said, I finish the majority of the things that I start.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I create in my adult daughter’s former bedroom. It is also my home office for my full-time job as a university professor. It has three windows, so it gets a lot of natural light. One wall is a design wall. I have a lot of fabric in plastic bins on wire shelving on wheels. My primary worktable, which I use for cutting, pressing, and other tasks, folds up. Most of the things in my studio are portable which helps me get the most out of the space.
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
I come from a long line of packrats so it’s very hard for me to get rid of scraps.
What is your favorite storage tip for your fabric and creative supplies?
Shelves on wheels.
Do you use a sketchbook, journal, or technology to plan or keep track of ideas? How does that help your work develop?
I have been trying to use a sketchbook more, but it does not come naturally. I use Procreate on my iPad to sketch out ideas. I’ll sometimes do that when I am in meetings at work, when I used to just doodle.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I work on 3 or 4 projects at once. My quilts take a long to complete so if I only worked on one at a time I would be bored, but if I worked on more than this, it would take a decade to finish anything.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
I have begun quilts in several different ways.
For some of my quilts, I get an idea and immediately start working on it. Many of my ideas seem to just pop into my head but I am sure they have been percolating on the edge of my consciousness because they come to me in places where my mind is at rest, such as a walk or sitting in religious services.
I have made quilts that began without an idea, just playing with fabric. I might do this when I am frustrated with an existing project and want something else to work on or when I am responding to a challenge.
Probably most quilts begin somewhere between these two poles, with an idea or glimmer of an idea, that I play around with in my head or on paper or my iPad, and if it persists, I eventually make it, often changing it at the final stage of getting the supplies ready.
I have made one quilt, “My Pacific,” inspired by a photo I took from an airplane window and that has made me interested in doing that again. I take a lot of pictures of the world around me and I would like to use some of them as inspiration for quilts.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I love all aspects of the design process. The parts of the creation process that challenge me the most are the finishing steps. I am not by nature a precise person so when I am at the end of the making process and must carefully trim and finish the piece, I can feel quite stressed.
When you travel, do you create while on planes and in waiting areas? What is in your creative travel kit?
I have traveling projects. I have a quilt that doesn’t require a lot of thread color changes that I take on longer journeys, such as long car rides or plane travel, and I also have a small project that I keep in my purse in case I find myself with time on my hands. I keep small scissors, thread, needles, and a seam ripper in a small pouch with these projects so I am ready to stitch on the go.
Is there an overarching theme that connects all of your work?
I’m always exploring the emotional impact of color, line and shape. I am fascinated by how small bits can come together to create a whole image.
How has your work evolved over the years? Is there a common thread (pun intended!) across the years?
I can see a clear connection between my current quilts and some of my earliest attempts at making things, including my early experiments with beads. However, I have tried a lot different things that don’t fit neatly on one path. Some of these “detours” are not likely to reemerge in my work but others that I hope to pick up again and explore more thoroughly.
How do you keep track of your work and shows that you’ve entered? What works for you?
I keep a spreadsheet of shows that I am interested in entering. If I enter, I put the names of the quilts I entered and when I find out if they are accepted or rejected, I change the color of the quilt names.
How does it feel to be a QuiltCon winner?
It feels unreal. I am in awe for the amazing work exhibited at Quiltcon and can’t believe my work is included among it, much less that it is selected for an award. It’s given me the permission to take myself more seriously as an artist and to devote myself to making more work.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Enjoy the process.
Where can people see your work?
I’m on Instagram @b_plus_q
Interview posted March 2025
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