"The Comforter" To Make Debut At Art Show

They say that art can be showcased in many different forms and Stephanie Atwood is letting that be known through her displays at The Oskaloosa Art Center, located in the Heartland Center across from Bank of Iowa. Stephanie began quilting merely 20 years ago, when her mother in law, Cindy Atwood, got her started in the art.

“She was my inspiration, she taught me everything I know and I am grateful for that”, states Stephanie. The first machine Stephanie owned was purchased from Cindy. That bond was the inspiration of her newest piece “The Comforter”, which up until our interview had remained unseen to anyone. With the final stages needing to be completed in order to show this piece at the closing ceremony, Stephanie says that she now has the extra push to get it done so that she can show it. This quilt is being made from the scraps that Cindy had pieced together. Stephanie has since put both free motion and computerized quilting on this piece to make it a long lasting family heirloom. Modern quilts are a favorite of Atwood’s as they have no rules and allow you to let your creativity flow. One modern piece on display is “Look Up”. This piece is being made for her daughter who will be leaving for college and she wanted to make sure that her daughter always knew that even if she was not around, if she needed answers all she needed to do it look up and she would find the answers needed to succeed.

Art Director Sara Kargol approached Atwood when she was working on a piece called “Dare to Stand Alone”, a silk impressionistic piece and asked her about putting her work on display. Atwood had taken a piece of silk and painted on it with fabric paint then quilted it to finish the piece. Kargol states,            

“Stephanie is a very introspective person. She is a thinker. When I heard that she was taking over her mother-in-law's quilting business after she passed away last year I knew Stephanie would do great things. As a friend of hers, I encouraged her to artistically approach some of her ideas through her wonderful quilting talent. She did that and more! Her pieces are intricate, finely crafted, and so beautiful! As her friend of many years, I am so proud of her effort and hard work to put up this show!”           

When she is not busy quilting herself, you can find Stephanie working on quilts for others at her newly opened business Front Porch Quilters or teaching “Quilt College”, a class where children and adults can learn this fascinating art. With the help of Christina Montgomery, they have been able to help many local children learn how to quilt a basic quilt along with other items, such as a draw string bag a class recently completed.

Quilt college is located inside the old Indian Hills Community College center in Sigourney, IA. Stephanie’s closing reception will be held this Thursday evening from 6-8pm at the Oskaloosa art center, 1701 3rd Ave. East Suite 3. The community is invited to come and see Stephanie's work and chat with her.