On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about the art of quilting with my guest Andrea Tsang Jackson.
Andrea is a textile artist, quilt designer, author, and educator based in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. After working in various design fields and settings ranging from architecture to museums, the quilting medium called to her as a way to explore place, belonging, and agency.
Andrea pushes the limits of quilting and textiles by exploring scale and dimension and moving traditionally domestic objects into the public realm. Her work often celebrates community and collaboration, and explores ideas of belonging. The rich history of quilting also heavily influences her practice; she sees it as an extension of community across time.
Andrea is working on her second book, Quilting: A Journey to Self, which will be released with Nine Ten Publications in early 2025.
This episode is sponsored by Creative Crochet Corner.
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We talk about Andrea growing up with parents who were immigrants to Ottowa from Hong Kong. As a crafty kid, she enjoyed making jewelry and doing all sorts of other projects. Andrea went on to get an undergrad and graduate degree in architecture and she also went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education to learn about art and education. Her career has been focused on going from project to project since then, all of them focusing on the intersection fo art and education.
In her 20s, Andrea’s mom bought her a sewing machine. When she was a child, her mom made special occasion dresses for her and her sister, but Andrea wasn’t very interested in sewing until adulthood. Andrea explains how she began quilting when expecting her first child. After her second child was born, she made a second quilt. She had moved to Halifax and found a quilt shop that had solid fabrics and enjoyed choosing colors from that palette.
She made a few more quilts and enjoyed quilt making as a creative escape while raising children. When her youngest was starting preschool, her husband encouraged her to pursue quilting and see if it might become a career. Designing patterns was similar to designing a building as an architect, meaning creating the plans for someone else to create.
She joined the Maritime Modern Quilt Guild and then designed a collection of gemstone patterns. Andrea talks about the name 3rd Story Workshop and the importance of having her own space and her own thing.
Andrea’s first book is Gemology, published by Lucky Spool.
Andrea explains how her first book, Gemology, came about and then led to teaching opportunities. She also talks about why it’s important to her to mix things up including teaching, designing, doing commissions, and having an art practice.
“The Here and Elsewhere Bee” by Andrea Tsang Jackson
Andrea talks about the public art projects she’s done including The Here and Elsewhere Bee, which uses immigration stories as art material. She also talks about Our Song, Your Reflection. Someone described her work as crisp and clear, vibrant but not loud and the swan’s reflection represents the ability of a community to reflect back things about yourself that you may not be able to see.
She also talks about her forthcoming book, Quilting: A Journey to Self.
- We refer to Kat Jones from Tasmania who won best in show at QuiltCon. Hear our interview with Kat recorded at the show.
- We also refer to Lucky Spool.
And I ask Andrea to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Andrea recommends:
Keep up with Andrea on her website where you can subscribe to her newsletter, and on Instagram.