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>>> HELLO, I'M DIANA SPRINGER
LIVE AT THE GREAT WISCONSIN
QUILT SHOW WITH AN INSIDE LOOK
INTO THE QUILT SHOW.
WE ARE HERE IN THE MARQUETTA B
JOHNSON QUILTING BOOTH WITH OUR
GUEST, MARQUETTA B JOHNSON,
WELCOME!
>> THANK YOU, DIANA, I'M JUST SO
HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU
HERE.
I'VE SEEN YOU WORK ONLINE.
I'VE READ YOUR STORY.
WE'VE TALKED ON THE PHONE
BEFORE.
MANY TIMES.
AND TO HAVE YOU HERE IN PERSON
IS QUITE AN HONOR.
WE'RE SO PLEASED YOU ARE HERE
SHARING YOUR WORK AND HAND-DYED
FABRICS, TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK,
HOW YOU STARTED QUILTING, AND
HOW YOU DYE YOUR FABRICS.
>> WELL, I GOT STARTED WITH
QUILTING BECAUSE OF THE FACT MY
GRANDMOTHER WAS A QUILTER, AN MY
GRANDMOTHER TOLD ME, SHE SAID,
MARQUETTA, YOU'RE SO FAST, I'M
GOING TO TEACH YOU SOMETHING TO
HELP YOU SLOW DOWN, AND SO MY
GRANDMOTHER BEGAN A PROCESS OF
TEACHING ME ABOUT QUILTING, AND
THE FIRST THING THAT SHE SHARED
WITH ME WAS A QUILT
EMBELLISHMENT CALLED A YO YO,
AND SO YOU'LL SEE YO-YOS AS A
FEATURE IN A LOT OF THE QUILTS
THAT I DO.
NOW, ONCE MY GRANDMOTHER LIT
THAT FIRE IN ME, I KIND OF
STARTED JUST WORKING ON MY OWN
AND DOING WHAT I THOUGHT WORKED,
BUT I HAD THE FORTUNATE
OPPORTUNITY OF SEEING A SHOW ON
PBS CALLED "SEWING WITH NANCY,"
AND NANCY TAUGHT ME HOW TO PUT A
SLEEVE ON MY QUILT AND SO MANY
OTHER SEWING TECHNIQUES, SO MUCH
SO, THAT MY SISTER AND I WOULD
GET UP, AND HER SHOW CAME ON IN
GEORGIA AROUND 9:00, AND SO
WOULD GET UP AND LOOK AT THE
SHOW, AN THEN -- AND THEN WE'D
TALK AFTERWARDS AND SHARE ABOUT
THE THINGS THAT NANCY WAS
SHARING ON HER SHOW, AND SO, FOR
ME, TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE, I
FEEL LIKE I'VE GONE FULL CIRCLE
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE STUDIED WITH
NANCY AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO
ACTUALLY SHOW AT THE GREAT
WISCONSIN QUILT SHOW, SO, YOU
KNOW, I'M JUST SO PLEASED.
>> WE'RE SO PLEASED YOU ARE
HERE, AND NANCY WOULD BE SO
PLEASED WITH THAT STORY.
SHE INSPIRED SO MANY PEOPLE, AND
SHE'D BE TICKLED THAT SHE
INSPIRED YOU.
NANCY HAD A LOVE FOR HAND-DYED
FABRICS AND WOULD BE SHOPPING
HERE IF SHE WAS HERE WITH US
TODAY.
TALK ABOUT YOUR HAND-DYED
FABRICS.
>> WELL, I STARTED DYEING IN THE
EARLY '70s.
I WAS WORKING IN AN ART CENTER
THAT EMPLOYED AN AFRICAN DYER,
AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SEW
AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DYE,
AND SO WE SHARED TECHNIQUES, AND
SHE SHARED A LOT WITH ME ABOUT
DYING.
HOWEVER, AS YEARS WENT ON, I
SORT OF BECAME CONSCIOUS AS AN
ARTIST ABOUT DOING SOMETHING
THAT WAS SUSTAINABLE AND
WOULDN'T HURT THE ENVIRONMENT,
AND I KNEW THAT COAL WATER FIBER
REACTIVE DYES NEED A LOT OF
WATER FOR RINSING AND STUFF SO I
STARTED TO USE A PROCESS IN
WHICH I USE AIR BRUSH COLORS FOR
FABRIC TO CREATE MY DYEING.
USING THIS PROCESS, I ONLY NEED
ABOUT A LITER OF WATER TO TIE
DYE 3 YARDS OF FABRIC.
>> MAGAZINE.
> -- AMAZING.>> SO I WAS REALLYY
TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND DO
THAT AND BRING IS -- IT TO THIS
LEVEL SO I COULD SHARE IT WITH
OTHER QUILTERS.
>> THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.
>> AND THEY COULD HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO USE IT.
>> THE FABRICS ARE JUST
INCREDIBLE.
GREAT JOB.
THE ATTENDEES CAN BUY YOUR
FABRIC.
>> YES, YES.
>> AND YOU'RE TEACHING A LECTURE
AND WORKSHOP HERE AT THE SHOW?
>> YES.
I ALREADY DID ONE FOR TODAY
CALLED "THE ADVENTURES OF
MARQUETTA JOHNSON, AND I'LL BE
DOING THAT AGAIN TOMORROW, AND
THAT TALKS ABOUT MY JOURNEY AS A
QUILTER TRYING TO SHARE A LEGACY
OF QUILTING THAT MY FAMILY
BEGAN, AND ALSO TO JUST TALK
ABOUT MY WORK, STRIVING TO BRING
QUILTING TO A NEW GENERATION IN
SCHOOLS AND IN ART CENTERS.
>> YOU'RE SUCCEEDING.
CONGRATULATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION
TO THE QUILTING WORLD, YOUR
INCREDIBLE TALENT, FOR
STORYTELLING, FOR MAKING
BEAUTIFUL FABRICS FOR US.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
ALL THE WAY FROM STONEMONT IN
GEORGIA.
WHAT'S YOUR WEBSITE?
>> MY WEBSITE IS MARQUE
MARQUETTAQQUILTING.COM.
>> THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR
TUNING IN FOR LIVE AT THE GREAT
WISCONSIN QUILT SHOW.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR'S
EVENT AND NEXT YEAR'S EVENT,
HEAD OVER TO QUILTSHOW.COM.
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