Threads of Life (Hilos de la Vida):
The Quilting Guild of Anderson Valley

Story by Maria Goodwin

At first glance, a visit to the Even Start Resource Center building on the Anderson Valley Elementary School campus is unremarkable—the drab utilitarian exterior belies the activity within. (Even Start is a federally funded parent literacy program.)

Even Start program coordinator Molly Johnson Martinez’ office/workspace is crammed into a corner of a large multipurpose room—there is the usual office clutter, computers, filing cabinets, papers and the like, but what makes this scene so unusual is that the rest of the room is devoted to Hilos de la Vida, a group of Mexican women who make and sell their unique folk art story quilts. The quilting class is a riot of color and sound—women working alone or in small groups, chatting, engaged in designing quilts, selecting fabric, plotting layout, cutting material, pinning and stitching.
Boxes of quilting materials are stored along the walls, under tables, and stuffed into open shelving. The atmosphere throbs with energy, both from the quilters and from the children in the adjoining preschool learning center.

Before class, students, teachers and volunteers usually share a midday potluck in the kitchen area. Conversation in both Spanish and English is lively with topics ranging from nutrition, children, politics, weather and back to food. The adults sit on child-sized chairs enjoying homemade Mexican and American food while infants nap, and children play nearby. After the late morning repast, the students move to the long tables in the classroom/workroom.

It was just three years ago that Susan Kerr, working for Mendocino County Office of Education, was assigned one day a week to Anderson Valley teaching parenting skills in Molly’s Even Start program. Susan was a quilter and, after seeing Susan’s work, Molly invited her to bring more of her quilts to parenting classes to show the women. Molly felt that learning to make quilts would give the women something to do with their hands during class, as well as encourage communication among the students. In the beginning no one had any experience in art or quilting. Many were just beginning to learn computers and English! As the women worked together learning to design and make story quilts, their camaraderie grew, as did their language skills. Sewing was by hand at first, but soon volunteer quilters in the community assisted and some used sewing machines were donated.

What began as a teaching tool grew into a phenomenon no one could have predicted; what happened surprised everyone—teachers, volunteers, and the Mexican women themselves. The women made quilts depicting vignettes from their culture, homeland, and the natural and spiritual worlds. The result was a dazzling variety of engaging and often provocative scenes. Delighted and wanting to share with the community, Molly arranged a showing at Lauren’s Restaurant in downtown Boonville, which was enthusiastically received. More exhibits followed at venues in Mendocino and Ukiah including exhibits at many local wineries, restaurants, and galleries.

Because the Even Start program is a literacy project, Molly asked students to write the stories they were telling with their quilts. Some women were hesitant to write; some found computers daunting, but working with staff encouragement, these hurdles were overcome. They translated as much of their stories as possible, working with dictionaries, friends and family members, so besides quilting, English language learning and computer skills went into the mix.

The quilt subject matter draws heavily on universal themes of family, celebration, struggles and hardship. Quilts made for the November Day-of-the-Dead commemoration hosted by Little River Inn were so popular; the exhibit has now become a yearly event. The quilts are as individual in style as their makers—some quilts are fanciful renditions of dreams or charming glimpses of everyday life, others tell stories of harrowing border crossings and families left behind.
Still others reflect cultural pride—student Alma Carillo, an admirer of famed Mexican artist Diego Rivera, made her own version of Woman with Calla Lilies in homage. A common theme in all the work is the forthright sincerity that emerges, whatever the subject matter.

Mendocino College’s Fine Arts department gallery director Paula Gray, M.F.A. commenting on a highly successful exhibit there says, “The quilts are a mix of craft and magic; it comes out of the heart and people respond from their hearts.”

Soon the story quilts were in demand for purchase and the women were selling them at shows in the Bay Area—La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, Marin County Farmers’ Market, and in many galleries and fairs from Long Beach to Chicago. Extensive media coverage further spread the word—radio and TV interviews, articles and press releases. It was agreed that the women would receive 90 percent of the sale price with 10 percent returning to the quilting program. For some of the women, this was the first time they had earned their own money. While monetary support was welcome, an additional benefit was the equally important feeling of connection with community. Traveling to various venues to exhibit and sell quilts, the women were plunged into situations they would never have experienced otherwise. Explaining their story quilts to viewers and answering questions further advanced their practical English language skills.

The women were very much affected as, for many, this was their first time outside their small circle of family and friends in Anderson Valley. It’s not too dramatic to say that for some, it was a life-changing experience. “I never thought I could make anything,” “I never thought I’d say something that Americans would want to hear,” “I was surprised and pleased that Anglos would be interested in our culture,” were just some of their comments. Angeles Segura, in the program since its inception, enthuses, “Because of this school I got my GED—this allows me more job opportunities. Working on the quilts improved my computer skills. I want to encourage other mothers to go to school so they can achieve this too. This keeps my brain busy; it fills the need to express my feelings.”

As the popularity of the quilts grew, more volunteers emerged to help. Noted quilt artist Laura Fogg helped the women with finer points of quilt making. She taught them about design, squaring off borders, affixing batting and so on. Karen Musgrave of the Alliance for American Quilts interviewed the Hilos quilters for AAQ’s Save our Stories project. These audio recordings about the women and their story quilts will be archived along with hundreds of other stories from around the country. Karen also arranged for Hilos de la Vida quilts to be accepted for showing at the prestigious Pacific International Quilt Festival last October. After promoting Hilos’ pieces to the Mexican Art Museum in Chicago, Karen was so inspired, she began offering a class to Latina women in Chicago and that group, Quilt Me a Story, has had its first show at the Museum.

One of Hilos’ earliest supporters is former NBC camerawoman Lee Serrie. Herself a quilter, she began by assisting the women with basic quilting techniques. With a grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, Serrie made a documentary telling the story of the women and their quilts. The self-titled film debuted in Boonville to a standing-room-only crowd at Lauren’s and was later shown in Mendocino. It was chosen best local film in the popular 2008 Anderson Valley Film Festival as well. The documentary was screened at the International Latino Film Festival in San Francisco in November of 2008. Many Mexican Americans spoke with Lee at the after-party reception; she says that one young man told her the film helped him realized how difficult it must have been for his parents to emigrate. Lee says that no matter what one’s opinion is of the immigration issue and its considerable implications (for both countries) the DVD succeeds in putting a human face on a story that is usually told in dry statistics. “It is heartful and moving,” she says, “and ends on a hopeful and optimistic note.”

When Molly and a group of students (Angeles, Aurora, Laura and Marina) brought over fifty folkloric quilts for a show-and-tell visit to neighboring quilters in Gualala, they also shared the Hilos DVD and answered questions from their fellow quilters. The Gualala group, Pacific Piecemakers, learned that as many as forty women (in rotating classes) shared only three machines. The Piecemakers were so impressed that they raised over one thousand dollars and obtained five new sewing machines to donate to Hilos. Not only did they deliver the new machines with quilting supplies (tools, batting, fabric) they taught the women how to disassemble, clean and service the machines—another graphic example of positive response to the group’s efforts. The Piecemakers have returned to teach a different style of quilting and replace the children’s scissors the women had been using (leftover from Molly’s kindergarten teaching days) with real scissors.

Sewing quilts fostered more utilitarian efforts—now the women are making yoga bags, oven mitts, pot holders for sale and clothing for babies and children such as pajamas and jackets. Adult School teacher Kristy Hotchkiss teaches English as a Second Language as well as the sewing/clothing construction unit of the program. She loves her classes, which can vary in size from six to fifteen attendees, and says most Mexican immigrants coming across the border now have a least a sixth-grade education, have graduated from high school or have trade school certification. She says it used to be that immigrants were mostly people with minimal education—“I think this is some indicator of the shift in the economic situation in Mexico, which has definitely worsened, as it has in the rest of the world.”

“We started sewing backwards which I believe is to our advantage,” comments Molly, also a quilter. “We did not know what we could not do, so we do it all. The designs came directly from our hearts out onto fabric. Now Kristy is helping the women learn to be more skilled seamstresses so they will be able to make clothes for their families during these tight times. When the economy turns and people want to buy more art, we will be there to meet them with more amazing pieces.”

Marina Coronado looks up from working on a conventional (non-story) quilt she is learning to make. “We like to sew,” she says, and we like to tell stories, our stories. We like to remember, and we want other people to know about the suffering in life. Stories help us learn about each other.” Working beside her, Maria Elena Hernandez talks about a story quilt she recently made about a dramatic long-ago childhood experience; the quilt successfully conveys abstract concepts with stark simplicity.

If admirers cannot own a quilt, they can soon own an 8x10 in. book with forty-two full-color photos from the quilt collection. Molly worked after hours for over a year putting this newest venture together. With assistance from the Community Foundation, the picture book of quilts and their corresponding stories in Spanish and English will soon be a reality. Income from book sales will support the Hilos de la Vida program. Much of the production was done by volunteers and with discounted services.

Keeping the program afloat requires constant effort. Molly says it’s a patchwork of funding from various sources. Recently, just three weeks short of the school losing its leased building, First Five of Mendocino County and Supervisor David Colfax worked to secure funding to help purchase the building, thus making the program more sustainable. More good news—Molly reports the program did well on its recent state inspection, which provides for continued assistance to low-income parents to gain the English and parenting skills needed to help their children in school. She emphasizes that the Even Start program is open to all low-income families with children under seven, and the building is open to everyone in the community.

Despite the efforts of faithful and tireless volunteers, Molly says more help is always needed. The task of organizing and promoting shows, recruiting more volunteers, writing grants, managing the blogspot is in itself a full-time job. Molly also notes that there are donation points for drop-off and pick-up of materials in the Bay Area listed on craigslist. She welcomes new students and is always looking for new exhibit venues. The quilters are happy to speak to groups and invite visitors to come and help non-English speakers practice their language skills. In the meantime, Hilos de la Vida continues to thrive, telling a big story, one thread at a time.

May exhibit at Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, 707-937-5818

July exhibit at Headlands Coffeehouse, Fort Bragg, 707-964-1987

DVD available at Windsong Books and Records, 324 North Main Street,
Fort Bragg

Information on Hilos de la Vida exhibits, DVD ($15), and book ($20):
Molly Johnson Martinez—707-895-3277, e-mail—mollyjm@mcn.org
http://loshilosdelavida.blogspot.com/
www.hilosquilts.com