Interview with Jason Pierson, March 25, 2023

Partial Transcript: I'm Amy Milne, and I am here with Jason Pierson. It is March 25, 2023, and I'm interviewing you for the Quilter's Save Our Stories oral history project. We're here in Sylva, North Carolina at the Jackson County Public Library with a fantastic audience of quilt lovers and quiltmakers, and I want to first ask you about the quilt that you brought. Tell me about this quilt.

Segment Synopsis: Pierson discusses his touchstone quilt, which he just finished making. It is organic cotton that has been dyed using natural dyes including goldenrod, marigold, and black walnut. The pattern is based on the traditional Sawtooth Star block, but Pierson enlarged the pattern and made nine different variations of the block that he pieced together. He dyed all of the fabric in one day while teaching a dyeing workshop in Fines Creek, North Carolina. Pierson explains that this quilt is a good example of his work, because he tends to use large, bold geometric shapes instead of smaller pieces.

Keywords: Amy Milne; Fabric - Hand-dyed; Fabric dyeing; Fiber - Cotton; Fines Creek; Male quiltmakers; Natural dyeing; North Carolina; Piecing; Sawtooth Star - quilt pattern; Sylva

Subjects: Male quiltmakers; Quilts--United States

Partial Transcript: Why did you pick this one?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson explains that he chose this quilt because he finished it recently, and it is the largest quilt he's made for several years. He was previously making smaller quilts to use as wall hangings or on table tops. Pierson's proud of how the large quilt turned out. He does sell his quilts and plans to offer the touchstone quilt for sale. Pierson mentions that whoever buys the quilt will know that it has been documented by the Quilters Save Our Stories project. Pierson says that when he first started quilting, he would give his quilts away to family members. Now Pierson and his family have too many quilts to keep for themselves. Pierson doesn't have a large collection of his quilts at home because he has been successful in selling his more recent quilts.

Keywords: Quilt Purpose - Home decoration; Quilt purpose - Personal income; Quiltmaking for family; Selling quilts

Partial Transcript: What is your first quilt memory?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson still has a quilt that his great grandmother, Anna Gabler, made for him when he was a baby. It has a traditional block with a pattern of a boy wearing a hat and overalls. Pierson says that he and Milne recently saw a similar quilt at a Community Quilt Day event in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is a blanket stitch applique attached to a thick polyester blanket. The quilt was considered special when he was growing up, so it was stored in a closet instead of being used on a bed. Pierson explains that he grew up in Michigan but now lives in the South, where there is a longer and more vibrant quilting history.

Keywords: Applique; Community Quilt Day; Fiber - Polyester; Grandchildren; Grandmothers; Michigan; Quilt Purpose - Gift or presentation; Quilt purpose - Birth; Quiltmaking for family

Subjects: Quilts--United States

Partial Transcript: How do you connect the dots between that relative and your quilting now? Is there any connection?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson says that he's not sure if there's a connection between receiving a quilt from his great grandmother as a child and his quiltmaking now. He has an appreciation for handmade things, and both of his great grandmothers were quiltmakers. His grandmothers and mother weren't quilters but did sew some garments. Pierson explains that he's never lived in a house that didn't have a sewing machine in it. He didn't learn how to quilt from his family, but he became interested in using a sewing machine and started altering his clothing in high school. Pierson doesn't do garment sewing now, but he eventually learned to quilt on his own.

Keywords: Grandmothers; Home sewing machine; Mothers

Subjects: Sewing

Partial Transcript: Yeah how did that happen?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson discusses teaching himself how to quilt after checking out a book from the library: School of Sewing by Shea Henderson. He completed every project in the book, which increased his sewing skills. The final project in the book is a quilt, which was the first actual quilt that Pierson made. After finishing that project, Pierson realized that he could continue making quilts. He taught himself how to quilt solely from library books, but he has since learned more about quilting from Youtube and by following other quilters on Instagram.

Keywords: Books; Instagram; Learning quiltmaking; School of Sewing; Shea Henderson; Social media; Youtube

Partial Transcript: Does anybody else in your family quilt now?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson says that his mother-in-law, Lorelei Yerse, who was in attendance for the interview, is a quilter. His mom is also interested in quilting but is hesitant about the process.

Keywords: Family; Family life; Mothers

Partial Transcript: Do you have any concept about what, if people can draw anything about you as a quilter from your quilts? Say, this quilt?

Segment Synopsis: For a lot of Pierson's quilts, he takes traditional block patterns and modifies them, often changing the scale or colors. He explains that his work shows an appreciation for traditional quilting, while putting his own modern perspective on traditional designs. Pierson also focuses on sustainability when considering his fabrics and quiltmaking techniques. He primarily does his quilting using a sewing machine, but Pierson likes to sew the binding onto his quilts by hand.

Keywords: Hand quilting; Machine piecing; Modern quiltmaking; Modern quilts; Quiltmaking inspiration; Sustainability; Traditional quilts; quiltmaking process

Subjects: Machine quilting

Partial Transcript: So that's important to you, if your quilt was perfect that wouldn't have as much appeal to you.

Segment Synopsis: Pierson explains that he likes being able to see that a person made something with their hands. This is true of quilting, but also other art forms like pottery or woodworking. Pierson has also practiced arts and crafts other than quilting including bookmaking, watercolor painting, and cross stitch. He also went to school for theater stage management. Even though he has tried a lot of arts and crafts, quilting has really stuck with him.

Keywords: Hand quilting; Hobby; Painting; Pottery

Subjects: Arts and crafts

Partial Transcript: Did you feel like you were more connected to a community with quilting than you were with the other crafts or art forms?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson started quilting about the same time he got a smart phone and joined Instagram. He found it hard to connect with the bookmaking community, but Pierson has appreciated finding more community through quilting, especially online. Pierson plans to participate more with the Western North Carolina MQG (Modern Quilt Guild). He is also a member of The Quilty Nook, an online quilting community run by Zak Foster. Pierson discusses his thoughts about using social media to show a more realistic portrayal of his experiences as an artist and quiltmaker, instead of a perfect, curated online presence.

Keywords: Instagram; Modern Quilt Guild; Online quilt communities; Quilt guilds; The Quilty Nook; Western North Carolina MQG; Zak Foster

Partial Transcript: How old were you when you started quilting?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson has been quilting for seven or eight years. He tried other crafts before discovering quilting in his mid-Thirties and then began to focus on it more.

Keywords: Hobby; Learning quiltmaking

Subjects: Arts and crafts

Partial Transcript: Let's talk about your quilting space, how many hours you devote to it, that kind of thing.

Segment Synopsis: Until recently, Pierson's sewing space was in his 600 square foot house. His sewing studio is now in a friend's house where there is more room to work. He wanted to have a studio space for years, but they either seemed too far away or too expensive to rent. Pierson was able to think outside of the box and come up with a solution by using extra space in his friend's house. He works full-time in addition to quilting, but quilts on average about 5-10 hours per week. Pierson also spends a lot of time developing his creativity by reading books and listening to podcasts, and he discusses needing to spend more time on the business side of being a professional artist.

Keywords: Home studio; Podcasts; Professional quiltmakers; Quilt business; Work or Studio space

Subjects: Quilting--Vocational guidance

Partial Transcript: Do you experience any people being surprised that you're a quilter?

Segment Synopsis: Sometimes people are surprised when they find out that Pierson is a quilter, but he says that male quilters are more common now. He hasn't heard any negative comments about it. He feels welcomed by the quilting community and thinks that modern quilting probably has more male quiltmakers than traditional quilting. Pierson doesn't feel a lot of judgment about his work, although people are surprised about his large geometric patterns and hand-dyed fabric.

Keywords: Fabric - Hand-dyed; Male quiltmakers; Modern quiltmaking; Modern quilts; Quilt police

Subjects: Male quiltmakers

Partial Transcript: So tell about what your technique is like and kind of how you developed it.

Segment Synopsis: When Pierson started quilting, he bought fabric and supplies from the fabric store, but that didn't align with the other sustainable practices in his life. He discovered organic cotton muslin and began trying natural dyeing techniques for his fabric. Pierson says that natural dyeing is a long process and has a constant learning curve. He explains the steps and ingredients he uses for preparing and naturally dyeing his fabrics. Natural dyeing feels equally important to Pierson as the quilting. Pierson has taught one natural dyeing workshop and plans to teach others as time allows.

Keywords: Fabric - Hand-dyed; Fabric dyeing; Fiber - Cotton; Teaching quiltmaking

Subjects: Colorfastness (Textiles); Cotton fabrics

Partial Transcript: Would you say that's one of your biggest challenges in your quilt life, is just balance?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson says that is hard to find a balance between all of the things that he needs and wants to do. He has other interests and obligations outside of quilting, including volunteering with the Haywood Waterways Association and training to be an end-of-life doula. He has started making custom organic cotton burial shrouds that are used for natural burial practices. He's received a lot of interest in them and is hoping to lead a burial shroud workshop soon. Making burial shrouds feels important and meaningful to Pierson, and it connects his different interests together.

Keywords: Burial shrouds; Fiber - Cotton; Haywood Waterways Association; Quilt Purpose - Memorial; Time management; Work and life balance

Partial Transcript: Are there any quilters that you really appreciate their work, that you kind of follow?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson says he admires a lot of other quilters, but he doesn't think many other quilters make quilts that look like his own. He appreciates how everyone's quilts are different. Pierson is interested in continuing to make quilts based on traditional patterns, while modifying the scale and elements to create more modern quilts. He mentions the Sawtooth Star pattern used in the touchstone quilt, as well as a quilt he's currently piecing that uses an enlarged Steps to the Altar block. Pierson is also interested in using new surface decoration techniques, eco-friendly printing, and plant-based dyeing.

Keywords: Fabric dyeing; Modern quiltmaking; Quiltmaking inspiration; Quiltmaking style; Sawtooth Star - quilt pattern; Steps to the Altar - quilt pattern

Partial Transcript: What do you think makes a great quilt?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson thinks that every quilt is great, because each quilt required someone to put a lot of time and effort into it. He appreciates handmade quilts that people have created on their own, as opposed to factory-made quilts. Quilts are a creative outlet but can also serve a practical purpose. Pierson likes that there is so much variation to explore with quiltmaking techniques, ideas, and designs.

Keywords: Quilt purpose - Art or personal expression; Quiltmaking inspiration; Techniques; factory made quilts

Partial Transcript: What do you think about preserving quilts, and is it important to you that people one hundred years from now know that you made this quilt?

Segment Synopsis: Pierson does think that it's important to leave a legacy of his art and quilts for future generations. He has considered this recently when assisting with end-of-life care. Personal recognition isn't essential for Pierson, but he does label his quilts so that other people will know who made them and where they came from. He appreciates when people know a lot about their family's history, and labeling his quilts can help pass that information along to others, especially because families often don't know the details about their heirlooms.

Keywords: Quilt documentation; Quilt preservation; Quilt purpose - Heirloom; quilt label

Subjects: Friendship quilts