About The ArtistFor as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by textiles. Growing up in Montana in a large family, most of our clothes were handmade, including from flour sacks. I was never embarrassed about the flour sack dresses; in fact I thought it was rather wonderful that the flour came in fabric that could be made into clothes. The scraps were made into quilts by my mother and grandmother. My taste has perhaps become more refined, but wherever I am in the world I search out the textiles of that place. For me, the textiles tell the story.
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I was also born with a wanderlust gene and always knew that someday I would go overseas. As soon as I graduated from college, I joined the Peace Corps and spent two incredible years teaching English in a girl’s Lycee in Sfax, Tunisia. I met my husband in that fantastic inspiring place, we married, had children and moved to Eugene, Oregon. This was the seventies, a time of a quilting renaissance and the blossoming of craft fairs. My portable booth full of quilted things soon evolved into a full blown business, which I named The Patchwork Camel. I designed and produced a line of clothing as well as a variety of patchwork merchandise, from potholders to full sized quilts.
After our children had grown up, my husband, Owen, and I headed back overseas to teach—in Damascus, Syria for six years, and then Sumatra, Indonesia for five. Both countries have a rich textile heritage. In both places I regularly visited textile artisans, studied their techniques, and collected their work. I took full advantage of my time in Indonesia to intensively investigate Indonesian batik, culminating with a masters degree thesis, “Indonesian Batik Design: Transmitter of Culture.” Since returning to the U.S. in 2000, I have shared this knowledge of batik that I gained in Indonesia, through lectures and workshops with quilt guilds throughout the United States. For twelve of the last fifteen years I traveled the quilt show circuit with my business, Batik Tambal, selling Indonesian textiles.
Now that I have retired from the road, I can devote full time to creating textile art in my studio in Sarasota, Florida.Or have I really retired from the road? I feel sure that road that started with flour sacks and scraps back in Montana still has another stop or two to visit. I can’t wait to see where the next leg of the journey takes me.
After our children had grown up, my husband, Owen, and I headed back overseas to teach—in Damascus, Syria for six years, and then Sumatra, Indonesia for five. Both countries have a rich textile heritage. In both places I regularly visited textile artisans, studied their techniques, and collected their work. I took full advantage of my time in Indonesia to intensively investigate Indonesian batik, culminating with a masters degree thesis, “Indonesian Batik Design: Transmitter of Culture.” Since returning to the U.S. in 2000, I have shared this knowledge of batik that I gained in Indonesia, through lectures and workshops with quilt guilds throughout the United States. For twelve of the last fifteen years I traveled the quilt show circuit with my business, Batik Tambal, selling Indonesian textiles.
Now that I have retired from the road, I can devote full time to creating textile art in my studio in Sarasota, Florida.Or have I really retired from the road? I feel sure that road that started with flour sacks and scraps back in Montana still has another stop or two to visit. I can’t wait to see where the next leg of the journey takes me.
All images and text are © copyright Trish M. Hodge. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written consent.
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