Lauren on why quilts are important…
Quiltmaking requires the creative use of materials at hand to achieve a beautiful result that will warm and protect you and those you love. Living with a quilt, on the bed or on the wall, can be a daily call to mindfulness of the simple beauty that surrounds us. The gift of a quilt is a gesture of love, to someone special or to yourself.
“Creating a T-shirt quilt is telling the story of the person who wore those shirts. My clients have had quilts made as graduation gifts, to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, to blend families at a marriage, and as a tribute to someone has passed away. It is a privilege to be able to be part of marking the important events in their lives.”
Quiltmaking is like a well-lived life. The beauty comes from the creative use of the materials at hand, and embracing the unexpected result.”
Lauren Kingsland is celebrated for her colorful quilts filled with richly varied fabrics, symmetrical motifs, and repurposed materials. She is recognized for her masterful and peaceful kolam quilt series inspired by street drawings of South India. She has created more than 100 commissions for clients from their collections of treasured garments. Her goal is to break the barriers of tradition so that quilts are recognized as an art medium and as a tool for self knowledge and healing. She lectures and teaches widely including for the Smithsonian Associates, Montgomery College, the John C. Campbell Folk School, healthcare support organizations and quilters guilds.
Lauren has a BA from Stephens College in Classical Greek and Mathematics and a MA from the Maryland University of Integrative Health in Applied Healing Arts.
Her former public studios were in the Gaithersburg MD Arts Barn from 2002 – 2012 and in the Sandy Spring MD Museum from 2012 – 2017.
