Art display features variety of colorful quilts

On display now through Oct. 4 at Lakeside Hotel Casino is a variety of quilts in different sizes, colors and styles that John Willcox has created over the years. Chosen as the artist of the month for August and September by the Clarke Area Arts Council (CAAC), Willcox’s quilts are the first of this type of art to be displayed in 10 years.

Getting started

Willcox was born and raised in Osceola, and graduated from Clarke Community Schools. In 1995, he moved from the Midwest to Long Island, where he lived for 10 years. It was during that decade in which Willcox realized he wasn’t doing anything on his days off from work. In a bid to find something to do, he decided to take a quilting class that would require him to go into the city and a passion was found.

“Kind of one of those things…I took one class and I really, really liked it, and I just kept taking classes,” said Willcox.

Now back living in Osceola, Willcox is a member of the Clarke County Piecemakers Quilt Guild, and a member of the Rebel Quilters out of Winterset. He estimates that over the years he has made hundreds of quilts from full-size to baby blankets to table runners and everything in between, using many different quilting techniques, finding enjoyment in those such as raw-edge appliqué and string quilting.

Techniques

Raw-edge appliqué is a quilting technique where all of the edges of the materials are left raw, fused to a batting and/or interfacing, then sewn together to secure loose edges while still leaving them exposed. This technique is described as an easier one, that gives the quilter freedom from worrying about keeping straight lines and amplifying creativity.

With string quilting, one takes small scraps of fabric, called “strings,” which are usually leftover materials from other projects, and uses them for patterns. Willcox lets no leftovers go to waste, and has quite a collection of those scraps at his home that he uses for quilts.

Another technique that Willcox has enjoyed doing is quilt painting. When Willcox lived in Minneapolis and made workout clothes, he once ran out of a popular color and decided to paint his own fabric, and found it to be “so much fun.” Two quilts on display are ones painted with the Rebel Quilters, where his chosen fabric was laid flat, painted on side, folded and painted, and repeated twice more then left to sit for a few days. The end result was that of paint that had leaked through and moved itself, creating unique patterns on the fabric.

While Willcox has done more traditional quilting, he enjoys incorporating bold colors and designs into his works. He does utilize sewing machines for his quilts over hand sewing each piece.

Continuing education

Since that first quilting class, Willcox has continued to take classes for any techniques or new things that he might find interesting, and incorporates them into the work that he does today.

“You learn so much from other people, their techniques and how they do things,” said Willcox.

Working a rural postal route for the Osceola Post Office, Willcox spends free time working on whatever quilt project has come into his mind.

“Once I get into it, I don’t want to leave it; I just find every minute to work on it,” said Willcox.

Just how long it takes to finish a piece varies.

One piece Willcox started when he lived in New York and would come across from time to time after he moved, but wasn’t sure what it needed to be “finished.” When he took a class on wonky square quilting - which is as it sounds, the squares are not uniform to one another, but rather “wonky,” - he found that was what that particular quilt needed.

Some quilts are made in classes, or over time at quilting guilds. Prior to returning to Osceola, Willcox lived in Omaha and started a quilt series inspired by Japanese ceramicist Jun Kaneko that features stripes that don’t run together, but had to pause on that when coming here.

Displayed works

None of Willcox’s work on display is for sale, and he doesn’t do commissions, preferring to create works that come to him on his timeline. When it comes to trying one’s hand at quilting, which is something that Willcox wouldn’t have imagined before taking that first class, he encourages everyone to give some sort of creative outlet a try.

“Even if you think you can’t sew, or think you wouldn’t want to do this…make something with your hands. And the ideas [that] come out of your head,” said Willcox. “I am so lucky that I get ideas just all the time, and I always have….I think of it as a gift, and you should use that gift and do what you want with it. It’s good for my soul.”

And when asked if he had grown up watching someone in his family quilt or sew, Willcox laughed about his family,

“Not one person sews.”

He did, however, take a sewing class in college, to learn how to sew the clothes that he saw in magazines but couldn’t afford to buy.

Now, years later, that sewing class has paid off in dividends of creations, some of which have won awards at different events, including the Iowa State Fair.

Reception

A reception for Willcox will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at Lakeside Hotel Casino in the events center lobby. Willcox will be on hand to discuss his quilting and displayed works.

In addition to his artist reception, Willcox will also be hosting a free quilting program from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25 at Lakeside in the events center lobby near his display. Willcox will show the raw-edge appliqué, and offer tricks and ideas about designing and making quilts.

For those who might be interested in joining the Clarke County Piecemakers, they meet the second Monday of each month at the American Legion Hall in Osceola on the south side of the square, with set-up for the day beginning at 9 a.m.