Meet Laura Strickland | Fiber Artist and Quilt Pattern Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Strickland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve have been creative for as long as I can remember. The creative process is healing. When you are working through a difficult situation, season, or aspect of your life, being able to create is extremely therapeutic. Also, according to Jewish docutrine, being creative is seen as one of the highest forms of worship. I believe being creative draws me closer to God and is an expression of my gratitude for the many blessings and gifts He has lavished on me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I create art quilts and modern quilt patterns. I approach my quilt designs as art. My quilts reference heavily on Pop Culture from the 1970’s and 80’s. I provide memorable touchpoints that can transport the viewer/maker back in time to a place that now only exists in memories. The marriage of my formal art training and my love for textiles has fostered and carved out a niche specifically for me to inhabit. There have been times I have felt overwhelmed and unaccepted by the greater community around me. In those times I have to cut through all the outside influences and focus on hearing and listening to that inner voice that reminds me who I am and retores to me the direction I am called to take. Many have said, “Find something you love and do it. If you do, you won’t work a day in your life.” This statement is the complete opposite of the truth. The truth is find your passion, the thing that drives you. Pursue that passion with wild abandon. Chase it as far as you can. Work it into every nook and cranny of your mind, body and soul. It will permeate every aspect of your life and you will actually embody that passion. You will constantly work toward perfecting that passion. You will always work harder for those things that speak to your soul. However, in this unending pursuit, you will find joy, contentment, beauty. But, most importantly you will find your life’s purpose. If you have a nostalgic love for the mall era and all it’s bombastic iconography, Orange Blossom Quilt Design Studio is where you will find your tribe. We are here in roller skates and parachute pants, rocking our side ponytails, blue mascara and roll-on lip gloss. So grab your walkman and checkerboard Vans, along with your quilting supplies; and lets make some bright fun quilt projects,

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Georgia is such a wonderfully diverse place to visit. I love a little bit of the weird side of things. I would reccomend a trip to the Georgia Guide Stones. If you are in Georgia and have never experienced them, they are worth a day of exploring. The best place to grab a bite to eat is The Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia. My wedding reception was there. Miss Billy even let me throw my bridal bouquet to the crowd on the porch from the front balcony. Make sure you have some of the fried green tomatoes and the peanut butter pie. A road trip up to Athens would also be on my list. Athens, home of UGA, offers much Georgia culture First visit to my favorite author, Flannery O’Connor’s home town, Milledgeville. Then pop over to Athen’s Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery to pay our respects for Harriett Powers, my quilting idol. Rounding out the day with lunch at Guthries Heading back via the “Atlanta Highway” with the B-52’s and REM blaring through the car speakers about a Love Shack and losing one;s religion.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am an artist because my grandmother nutured my desire to create. I am a fiber artist because my other grandmother fostered my love of textiles and worked with me to learn traditional fiber arts. I was always told and cheered on by my mother who thought and still thinks I can do anything. These 3 strong and encouraging women laid a foundation that enabled me to follow my dreams and accomplish anything I decided I wanted. I attended the Virginia Governor’s Magnet School for the Arts during highschool where Lynn Sword, a fiber artist, further fueled and nourished my desire to express myse;f in fiber. There are many women who have come before me that have put in the work for me to be able to stand on their collective shoulders and continue to push forward. It is now my turn to give the next generation of girls a position on my shoulders. I do it humbly and willingly, knowing that all of the ladies who did it for me are honored in me taking my place in this ladder.

Website: https://orangeblossomquilt.com/

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Image Credits
Photo taken by Mandi Elder