Johnnie Faye McKenzie

Artist in Residence Q1 2021

at the Blue Ridge Mountains Art Association

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I began quilting at age four, hand piecing blocks from feed sacks, flour sacks, fertilizer sacks, worn out overalls, and scraps from our clothing. It was a great treat to go to town with my father to pick out the sacks that would be added to that year’s new quilts, quilts we made out of necessity since our farmhouse was heated only by fireplaces that were never lit at night. From those early choices, I began to leave a little bit of myself in every quilt I made.

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My mother and I made quilts out of necessity. Our house was heated by fireplaces so we needed a lot of bed covers. After the cotton fields were picked and the trailers full of cotton were taken to the gin, my mother and I picked scrap cotton that opened up late or was just missed. We took the seeds out by hand, boiled it in a big cast iron pot outside on a day that was sunny and spread it out on sheets on the ground to dry. We’d use a couple of old hairbrushes to spread and pat down the cotton to make batting. It was excruciatingly tough to quilt, especially with the excruciatingly thick thread available at that time.

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After making traditional, function quilts for over 65 years, I began exploring nontraditional fiber techniques and my inspiration changed from choosing a pattern first to choosing a color, fabric, fiber, or message first. Many of my pieces are inspired by my love nature, passion for a cultural or environmental issue, or an artist’s work that lit a spark in me. I often find a magic fabric that I put on my design wall for weeks until I hear the notes it wants to sing. In 2022 I began working with three-dimensional pieces that emulate ceramic structures putting quilting in a non-traditional light. I also enjoy printing my own fabric using a gel-plate process. Learning is life. I enjoy the glories of trial and error, failure and success. And, I don’t care if my socks don’t match.