Think quilting is all about perfection and precision? Think again. This episode, we meet Amanda Nadig, a Chicago-based artist, whose quilts are stitched from stories hiding in secondhand fabric. Inspired by parenting and teaching high school art, Amanda has developed a textile practice as life happens around her. If you’ve ever felt pulled toward fabric, or want permission to find flow in the fabric of everyday life, this conversation is for you. And just a warning - if you’re not already a quilter, watch out - we may well tempt you!
I have too many things in my life that I put a lot of pressure on myself with. I think quilting is just the way I just really am free…
- Amanda Nadig
Takeaways from this episode
- Making doesn’t have to be tidy to be meaningful.
Amanda’s quilts are pieced together on floors, on the go, and whenever time and space allow. Amanda needs to create! What could happen if you stopped waiting for ideal conditions and just started?
- Your art practice and life don’t have to compete.
Amanda’s various roles - as a high school art teacher and as a parent - inform one another in her making. Her students, children, and daily routines feed her creative process rather than pulling from it. How could your everyday life become part of your art, instead of something you work around?
- Start with what you have.
Amanda’s work doesn’t begin in a fabric store, but in her own closet, her classroom, and in secondhand bins. For Amanda, the limitations of pre-used textiles invite play, experimentation, and surprising juxtapositions. Could working with what you already have open up something new?
Explore the artwork from this episode below
During the live interview, we shared some images of Amanda’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.
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