NEW YORK— Charles Johns is a quilter. Even in the mostly women-dominated art form Johns says he is seldom discriminated against.
He teaches at The City Quilter shop and gallery in Chelsea, and participates in workshops, shows, and an occasional competition. His passion for fabrics and colors started when he was 6 years old, learning to sew on his parents’ machines. He would later go to the tailor of his small town of Windham, Ohio, to learn as much as he could. He continued his formal education by getting a master’s degree in costume design, but soon fell out of love with costuming, as it became too much of a job and did not offer him a creative outlet.
About two years after moving to New York City, a friend convinced him to take a quilting class. “It stuck with me,” he said.
The Epoch Times: What do you enjoy about it?
Charles Johns: It is understanding color. If you do not understand how colors work together, it can make a big difference. When you do costume design, [for example] you need to worry about things like how the lights are going to hit it on stage, will it show and how it fits with the whole scheme of things. With a quilt you are working only on this piece of art.
Epoch Times: Is there a quilting community in New York?
Johns: There is. There are three guilds in New York. These are groups of people who devote a lot of their time to quilting. There’s the Empire guild, the Brooklyn guild. ... These are quilters that get together, hold special events; they put on shows. There is [also] Quilters of Color and the Art Quilt Group. New York only has a small portion [of the national quilting scene]. If you go to Texas, there is a guild on every corner. If you go up to Canada there is a large group of quilters. Right now there is a very concentrated group of men who are quilters.
Epoch Times: Quilting is often considered a woman’s craft. Do you agree?
Johns: There are a few who say that quilting is a woman’s world, but when you have people like Ricky Tims, who is a nationally renowned quilter, you can argue that quilting has come to the man’s world. I belong to an online group called quilt guy. It is a forum to talk about things. We talk about machines, about fabric swaps, etcetera.
Epoch Times: Is there a difference between women-sewn quilts and men-sewn quilts?
Johns: No. I have made a wedding quilt that was all white and red; it had a very neutral feel to it. I also made quilts for little girls that were very feminine and I also made quilts for guys that were very masculine. It depends on what fabrics you are using. As a quilter I don’t feel one way or another. When I teach I try to keep it very neutral so the students can choose where they want to go. I don’t know anyone [personally] who thinks that it is a woman’s world or a man’s world. It is an art world.
Epoch Times: Do you get inspiration from the city?
Johns: I have one quilt that I am working on that is an art deco quilt that I got [the idea] from walking around. I have another idea, and I have taken pictures of all water towers that are on the buildings. I find ideas on tile floors. Sometimes if I am in the subway if I see something in the tile I like, I might take a picture. These are things that will give me inspiration, but I will never copy something exactly.
