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Leftover fabrics are being given a new lease on life by upcycling them into cosy quilts and Youth City attendees were taught tricks of the trade by US art envoy quilter Colette Keith.
The US Embassy brought the mother-of-two to the kingdom to stage workshops and presentations on the art of quilting for Bahrainis aged 15 to 35 at Youth City 2030, being held at Exhibition World Bahrain.
“I am teaching basic hand stitching and how one can use recyclable materials and fabric from home to sew,” said Colette, a Lakota Indian and an enrolled tribal member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in western South Dakota. She is currently the site manager for the Northwest Indian College, Tulalip Campus, Washington on the Tulalip Tribes Indian Reservation.
“They will learn the different tribal quilting techniques from American Indian Tribes in general, and specifically how to create a star quilt, which is from my own Lakota traditions,” she told GulfWeekly.
“I am so excited about the workshop and working with Bahraini students.
“The doors that quilting opens for young people are infinite. When I was young, I developed a new method of creating a quilt that appears as a quilt from a distance, but as you approach, you see that it is entirely made of plaster — a technique I created so that I might have quilts hanging in my own home that do not sag, age or fade with the sunlight and passing years.”
The administrator, instructor, artist, guest lecturer, community advocate and liaison for 13 of America’s 32 distinguished Tribal College and Universities, was delighted to share the knowledge passed on from her mum and aunt.
“My Lakota people (tribal people on the Great Plains) design, stitch and give away quilts as part of our tribal ceremonies, so I wanted to make quilts since I was a little girl,” said the former television and radio news broadcaster, who outside of commercial broadcast stations, produces and anchors two daily news broadcasts for Cheyenne River Sioux tribal radio station KIPI 93.5 FM.
“My mother taught me basic stitches with a hand needle and thread when I was seven and later, around 11, I learned how to use a sewing machine to make pillows and doll clothes,” she added.
“My auntie taught me how to make star quilts, but because I was poor at math, my first quilt had seven points instead of eight. I was still very proud of it, but my aunties thought it was funny.”
Quilting varies from a purely functional fabric joinery technique to highly elaborate, decorative three dimensional surface treatments.
“It is important that young people learn to quilt as they use math, perception, creativity and other skills to design, piece, cut and sew together individual quilt blocks to create a complete product,” she explained, which is ideal for Youth City 2030, organised by the Youth Affairs Ministry in co-operation with Tamkeen to develop young leaders in Bahrain.
“Quilting builds bonds between community members as quilters often work together on one quilt and while doing so, share experiences and other human information and interactions,” said Colette.
“Traditions of technique and design are passed down while new traditions are made and shared. In that way, quilting is dynamic and energetic.”
It can also be considered one of the first examples of upcycling as quilters have historically made extensive use of remnants and offcuts for the creation of new products.
The workshop, which will end on Thursday (July 17), is a delight for Colette who had never visited Bahrain before. And although it was her first time to ever leave the US, she felt right at home.
“I find that Bahraini people are much like the American-Indians in America,” she said. “When I got off the plane, I saw a group of Arabic women gathered and they did the same ‘trilling’ sound that we do on the Great Plains of ‘le!-le!-le!-le!’. From there, I felt at home. Like my own tribal people, Bahrainis have been incredibly friendly and welcoming!”
She also held a lecture called ‘Quilting Techniques from Northeast and Woodland of the United States’ at Al Jasra Crafts Centre, in collaboration with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.
Colette is one of four 2019 Tribal Faculty Ambassadors for the national American Indian Graduate Centre and Wells Fargo Student Financial Literacy Initiative. She spearheaded the 1994 Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project on her home reservation, supported by former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn, and other tribal members and community volunteers. They built 30 homes in five days in the summer of 1994.
She currently lives with her fiancé and best friend, Gavin, and their rescue dog Tucker, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean Puget Sound.
In her free time, she sews, paints and designs, visits neighbours and friends, binge watches Netflix series and researches potential tribal news story ideas.
For details, follow @mysbhr and @usembassybahrain on Instagram.
