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Man Quilter = Oxymoron?

Posted by wcquiltworks@gmail.com on April 1, 2011 at 2:25 PM
In my Facebook travels yesterday, I came across the neatest link to an article in Maclean's magazine:


I thought, "How cool!  Canada's news magazine publishing an article on quilting - and not just quilting, but men who quilt!  What a newsworthy angle!"


I have heard of men who quilt.   But since the word association that comes to mind when most people think "quilting" is "traditional craft done by women," I thought it fascinating that men who quilt have a niche within a niche, so to speak.  


And why not?  Men have designed and sewn for eons as tailors, so why should their expertise be confined to clothing?  It's not much of a jump to go from clothes to quilts, although going from quilts to clothes would be quite the challenge for me!

I was surprised, however, by the feedback from people I talked to and from the Maclean's readers who commented on the article.  Apparently not everyone thinks men who quilt are cool, like I do.   Some people really do seem to believe that "man quilter = oxymoron."

When I mentioned the Maclean's article in discussion, the response I got was, "Well, that seems pansy.  They aren't real men!"

Now I know from the article that male quilters are used to the implication that if they quilt, they must be gay. My reaction to that, however, is "how small-minded is that?? What's the big deal? If women can drive truck and become auto mechanics, then why can't men quilt?"

I read the article myself more than once, and I don't understand the comments such as this one, posted by "unknown:"

"i think it great men like to quilt too but being snotty about is another thing i wouldnt get to over cofindent you might get knocked down" [sic]

and the following snippet from NightOwl:


"I'm a female quilter and artist, who started woodworking a few years ago. If one is mechanically inclined, has good visual/spatial abilities and fine motor skills, it's pretty easy to become competent at most crafts.I must confess to being a bit irritated by the inordinate amount of attention and rewards paid to male quilters, when women have been making masterpieces for 200+ years, with very little financial reward. It's like it doesn't matter, until men start doing it."

 Other complaints were of the male/female stereotyping that was contained in the article, but I'm sorry, I just don't see it.  Men and women are different.  Men and women quilt for many of the same reasons, but I don't doubt that there are gender differences behind some of the other reasons that we quilt. To which I say, "so what?" I agree with the commenters who said that "all press is good press!"  


Having been a message board moderator for a number of years, I know how easily the written word online can be misconstrued.   Myself, I saw the article as newsworthy and a way to make people aware that the "quilting = traditional female craft" stereotype isn't true in this day and age.  If people want to display what appears to be pettiness and jealousy in their comments, well, I'll just assume they didn't understand the intent of the article.




Categories: man quilter, Canada

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