Summary: <p>One of the aspects I love about hosting the podcast is the ability it gives me to explore topics of interest. Having spent hours working on a quilt, thinking about the connection we have to makers in the past and making individual decisions about the quilt, one aspect I haven't considered is what happens to the quilt in the long term. Bombarded with consumerist ideas, it seems like an endless cycle of making the latest and newest thing. But who decides what we preserve of this time in quilting history? What will be remembered and by whom? I tackle this topic a bit with <a href="http://www.craftyplanner.com/2017/06/12/carolyn-mazloomi/">Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi</a> and <a href="http://www.craftyplanner.com/2015/12/14/bill-volckening/">Bill Volckening</a>. Eager to explore the topic more extensively, I'm starting a podcast mini series about the preservation of quilts and the role of quilting making in history.</p><br> <p>My first is <a href="http://www.sonicstitchesquilts.com/">Laura McDowell Hopper</a>. Laura lives in Chicago and is a quilter, teacher, textile preservation specialist and curator at the <a href="http://www.niu.edu/anthro_museum/">James B and Rosalyn L Pick Museum of Anthropology</a>. I met Laura at Quilt Con earlier this year and appreciated the opportunity to hear her insightful connection to textiles. We share a love for music and both enjoy exploring the idea of craft and art. During our conversation, we talk about the Pick Museum's upcoming Quilts and Human Rights exhibit as well as why she feels quilt making is a feminist act. I also make a hilarious mistake in the episode. It's a fun conversation and I hope you enjoy it.</p><br> <p>For more information about this episode (including show notes), please check out my website <a href="http://www.craftyplanner.com/2017/08/21/laura-mcdowell-hopper/">craftyplanner.com</a>.</p>
