Bill Stearman, Quilt Maker

Here's an interview that I had February 19th, 2023 on   CBC with Nicole Martin on Fresh Air  . It was great fun! CBC Fresh Air

 ‘1971 … When we couldn’t ask.’ 52” x 64” (irregular) Recycled denim, pieced with recycled polyester thread, organic cotton batting, Oeko-tex100 and GOTS certified cotton backing. Quilted by @quintequilter  Artist’s Statement It was a different time. I was 21. Same sex relationships were newly legal in the bedroom. But to approach someone anywhere else, was not. The Hanky Code was invented so that we could recognize each other and know interests. It was a way to avoid police harassment, job loss, and public shame from names being published in newspapers. We can’t go back. Stay proud! Keep moving forward! #gayhistory  #mygaylife  #wevecomealongway #werenotdoneyet  #neverforget  #historymatters  #gayhistorymatters  #muchofmylifeishistory  #theresnogoingback  #keepmovingforward  #gayquilter

 “Maintain The Wave” 60” x 72” Quilted by Deanna Gaudaur. quintestudios.com As an openly gay, married man living in small town rural Ontario, Canada, it is incredibly important to me that our rights and freedom don’t go backwards. So, as a nation, we need to maintain the wave, and keep progress with rights and freedoms moving forward! ABOUT THE QUILT The top and backing are organic, Oeko-Tex100 certified, cotton. It’s pieced with organic thread and quilted with recycled polyester (Mara 100 rPET). Organic batting, dulled the white too much, so I used a bleached non organic cotton batting. I’ve got a long way to go, but I am committed to becoming as sustainable in my quilt making as possible. And a HUGE thank you to Bridget O'Flaherty for being a friend, an educator, a role model, and an inspiration!

  Since my Art Show, I’ve stayed busy working toward becoming more sustainable in my quilt making. I’ve only just begun the journey, and the learning curve has been steep! I’ve completed seven quilts that I consider part of my shift toward sustainability.  They’ll be photographed by Mike Gaudaur,  quintestudios.com  next week.  His wife, Deanna Gaudaur, my fabulous quilter, is finishing up quilting them.  She’s available through the same website as her husband. I HIGHLY recommend her! I’ve put together a new presentation based on what I’ve learned so far. In this presentation, I’ll tell you what I found easy; what I found hard; what seemed impossible; and what I think I’ve learned.  And I’ll show you some quilts I’ve made during my process. I’ll tell you about … I ndustry standards and certifications; o rganic fabric and understanding differences;  brands/manufacturers;  Canadian sources/shops;  thread;  dyes and dyeing; and...

This is what took up much of my time in 2022.  There were 20 quilts in the show. Five of them sold. The rest are still available. Scroll through this post to see them all! Here are the quilts with their artist’s statements … Reclaiming Pride: a Gay Bedspread 2020 Commercial cotton, cotton batik 83”h x 70”w SOLD This is a ‘word quilt’, but the words are in Morse Code. My goal was to take hateful words thrown at me as a gay man, own them, and then turn them into something beautiful … to take away their power. This quilt simply and beautifully states … ‘Two f*gg*ts sleep here’. Words Found on the Back of a Painting by a Non-binary Trans Artist 2020 Commercial cotton, raw edge appliqué 63”h x 59”w A feeling of not fitting in, has been a factor for much of my life. I’m not Trans. I don’t identify as non-binary in a binary world.  And I was born in my ‘right’ body.   To think about this ‘wish’ made by a non-binary artist, moves me to tears.   January 5th 2021 Rec...