Meet Kristi Leduc, an art quilter whose textile journey may seem familiar to many fiber artists. Designing and sewing for childhood dolls grew into designing clothing for herself. Then she discovered the work of Katie Pasquini Masopust, a pioneer in the art quilt movement, and Kristi has been nurturing her artistic voice ever since.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
I believe I’ve been on the artist path for most of my life but didn’t realize it until later when I began creating art quilts. As a young girl, I wanted to be a fashion designer because I loved the glamorous women’s clothing of the 1940’s and 50’s shown in movies. After drawing and designing dresses on paper, I then started sewing and knitting my designs for fashion dolls. I then went onto designing, sewing and knitting my own clothing using existing patterns to help with the fit then modified into my own designs. I didn’t realize I was an artist until I started creating art quilts and then only because of encouragement and support from art quilt teachers did I acknowledge myself as an artist.
Why textiles and art quilting? How did you start?
I have always loved textiles and design. Never a quilter, I immediately jumped into art quilts as soon as I saw Katie Pasquini Masopust’s Fractured Landscapes Quilts book and was fortunate to find a class with her. Until then, I had no idea I could make art with fabric. I took many classes from talented art quilt teachers until I started developing my own style and ventured out on my own.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
What other creative mediums do you play around with?
I enjoy drawing my designs with colored pencils or design with computer software (EQ7, MS PowerPoint, etc.). I have tried various dying techniques but have not incorporated those into art quilts. There are many surface design options yet to be explored.
What inspires you? Are there recurring themes in your work? Do you work in series? How does that affect your approach?
I’m inspired by colors, architectural design, shapes/form and the beauty of nature. For the past several years, I have been working with two different series. Working in a series helps me to expand my design ideas and create a body of work.
Do you have a mentor? How does this person influence your work?
I find inspiration from many art quilt teachers and other artists. I consider both Katie Pasquini Masopust and Lorraine Torrence as mentors who have encouraged me to create my own art. Their support has influenced me to challenge myself and keep making art.
Technique(s)? What do you do differently? Do you have a signature style? (What stands out about your work that identifies you as the artist before the viewer sees the label?)
For my signature style, I usually incorporate some form of checkerboard squares along with black and white stripes as added design elements into each art quilt.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? What does it look like?
I love my studio and feel a sense of well-being every time I walk into the studio. The studio is a 10’ x 11’ bedroom with a wall of windows on one side, a 4’ x 8’ cork board as my design wall along with a design table and my large sewing table and bookcase on the other wall. The enlarged ironing board sits in front of the windows. Most of my quilt fabric storage and tools reside in the closet. I try to keep the studio neat between projects so I can start fresh. My studio space has over-flowed to the family room where my large cutting table resides and two more bookcases. Because of my other passion for fashion sewing, I have a collection of fashion fabrics in the guest room closet.
What is your favorite storage tip for fabric?
I store my quilt fabrics in 4-drawer translucent chests with casters.
Each drawer holds a color and/or a type of fabric. I store special fabric collections in their own drawers, such as hand-dyed fabrics by color family. With the casters on the bottom, I intended to pull the chests out of the closet to select fabrics but the weight was too much for the casters. I found it easier to just pull out a drawer to select fabrics and in better lighting than the closet area.
What are your favored/most used tools and materials? How do they improve your work?
I always have my three favorite tools at my sewing machine. My favorite tool is a silver stiletto introduced by Katie Pasquini Masopust. I use this often for holding/directing the fabric while stitching and for placing pieces on my art quilts. The other two tools always at my sewing machine are small embroidery scissors and seam ripper. Wonder Under fusible web allows me to place my designs where I want them and move them around when needed before fusing them permanently in place. A large cutting table with full size cutting mat and rectangular ironing board allow plenty of space for designing and working the intricate details.
Tell us about your most challenging piece. What were the obstacles and how did you get past them?
My most challenging piece has been a self-portrait because representing myself in an abstract way and incorporating ideas depicting right and left brain has been quite challenging. In order to get unstuck, I asked my fiber artist friends for suggestions how to incorporate my ideas. I now have some thoughts how to move forward but this piece is still on the drawing board until I find the motivation again to proceed.
Have you had a “never again” moment, then gone and did it again?
Well there are those unsewing (rip it out) moments that happen and sometimes repeat themselves.
Where can people see your work?
I’m a member of the Contemporary Quilt Art guild in Seattle. This is a great venue for exhibition opportunities. You can see some of my work at the CQA Exhibitions Gallery. The beginning of my new series, influenced by a class with Katie Pasquini Masopust, is displayed in her new book Artful Log Cabin Quilts.
How many UFOs do you think you have?
LOL…..many! While some things didn’t work out, others are waiting to be finished.
When you are in your creative space, do you listen to music, read audio books, watch TV or do you prefer a quiet spot? If it is music or books, what types do you listen to? If watching TV or movies, what kinds of shows?
I usually like quiet time or easy instrumental music when I’m thinking and designing. Once I get my direction going, then I listen to music. My listening choices vary depending upon my mood and what I’m doing: classic rock, R&B, easy jazz, classical, or pop.
What’s the best piece of advice you try to incorporate into your work practice?
“Make visual decisions visually” – Lorraine Torrence
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
My artistic journey is about my passion and satisfaction of expressing my creativity by making art that is beautiful and pleasing to my eye as well as sharing my passion with others through my work.
Interview posted October 2017
Browse through more inspiring art quilt projects on Create Whimsy.