Judith's great grandparents immigrated to Canada in the early
1900's. Judith's father, James Allen Baker, built up a huge cattle
ranch, The Bar U, and farm auctioneering business in the High
River area, bordering on Indian reservation territory. Judith
acquired her father's work ethic along with her mother, Joyce
Van Winckle's, artistic bent. Joyce was a wizard with any type
of needlework and sewing.
Detail of Crazy Quilt Friends
Growing up on the ranch, Judith had 2 secret places to draw
and sketch. "A blank page and a fistful of crayons were
my favorite toys," she says. One of her first encounters
with the use of embellishments was watching Dorothy Lefthand,
the wife of their ranch foreman, a Stoney Indian chief, engaged
in beadwork done on leather jackets and gloves. Thus began Judith's
passion for beads and vivid colors. It was only much later in
life that Judith discovered her own Cherokee heritage. She reveals,
"It was a relief to discover my Indian roots because I have
always felt different from others. My Indian heritage is a great
source of pride and this is expressed in a lot of my artwork."
--
Keeper of the Sacred Shield
Art Garment
Others sources of artistic influence followed: Bert Smith,
an oil painter and Charlie Beil and Charlie Russell, both painters
and sculptors, whom Judith met while working at the Banff Springs
Hotel. Taking art lessons with Charlie Beil was one turning point
in Judith's life. Thereafter, she began using pen and ink for
sketching. Johnny Hodges, a saddle maker provided artistic inspiration,
as did Duncan Crockford, a world-renowned painter, commissioned
by Judith's father to paint the Bar U Ranch foothills. Duncan
wholeheartedly supported Judith in her artistic pursuits, much
to her family's dismay as they were convinced that all artists
were bound to starve to death in garrets. Duncan proclaimed,
"Don't listen to the nay sayers lassie, follow your heart,"
a path that Judith has always doggedly followed.
Pekisko Memories
Another turning point in Judith's life came while attending
Trinidad Junior College, CO. She enrolled in some art classes
and met the man who would become her mentor: Bill Johnson, chairman
of the art department. Early in his own career, he had been an
illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post. From their
first meeting, there was mutual admiration and a special rapport
developed between them. Many years later, after Judith had published
her first book, Bill's reaction was, "Well Baker, you got
married and you had kids and got fat but by God you are using
your talent and I'm proud of you." Judith graduated not
from Trinidad College, but from the University of California
at Chico with a degree in art and journalism.
Award Winning Quilt
Made by Judith's Great Grandmother
Judith's involvement with quilting began with the birth of
her son. Though a lifelong artist she had virtually no interest
or experience in needlework even though her own mother and the
women on Judith's father's side of the family were well known
for their beautiful needlework and quilts. Judith's first attempt
was a king-size Ohio Star quilt. She now maintains, "All
I can say about this quilt is that was very busy and rather ugly."
Her next project involved the appliqué of animals onto
a single bed quilt. She comments, "This too was rather ugly
and never did get finished." Not to be deterred from any
challenge she set herself, Judith went on to win her first quilt
award for a Blanche Young Trip-Around-the-World design, which
she entered into The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede in 1982.
It won Best of Show the very same award her great grandmother,
Lola Devore Burns, had won in 1934. Other award winning quilts
followed. "Peskito Memories," an appliqué quilt
depicting her childhood home, won Best of Show at the Texas State
Fair and Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, BC, as well
as the Mountain Mist award, The Margaret Steel award for design
and color, plus many more.
Trip-Around-the-World Quilt
Adapted from a design by Blanche Young
Crazy quilting is actually part of Judith's heritage. Once
while rummaging through a chest, which belonged to grandmother
Baker, Judith found a crazy quilt her grandmother had made. This
heirloom holds special significance as Judith feels a unique
bond with her grandmother. She says, "Crazy quilting is
a special love of mine, the answer to all my diverse pleasures.
What other handcraft combines embroidery, sewing, appliqué,
laces, buttons, ribbons, beading, painting and color design?
Though other crafts may distract me, I am always drawn back to
crazy quilts. They remind me of mysterious, glittering jewels,
like gypsy cousins peeking out from a patchwork of traditional
sister quilts."
Detail of Recollections of Love
While living in Houston, TX, in 1976, Judith enrolled in a
quilting class but she eventually tired of the rigidity of traditional
quilting and yearned to apply some crazy quilting techniques
employing fabrics besides cottons and using more a more free-form
approach. As her quilting teacher belittled the crazy quilt look,
how-to books were not readily available and crazy quilting was
not popular at the time, Judith decided to teach herself. The
first piece she made was a sixteen-inch square, which later became
the cover for a small footstool. She says almost apologetically,
"It was a pathetic effort but I rather enjoyed the process."
She found the appliqué work easy but found doing the embroidery
stitches very difficult and exceptionally frustrating, making
her wish that she had paid more attention when her mother had
tried teaching her embroidery as a child. The next project was
a vest made of old silk ties that also fell short of her standards,
but which she has kept as a lesson in humility! Judith kept at
it, continually practicing and improving her technique. What
followed has made Judith into a household name for countless
confirmed crazy quilters worldwide and her effort have made a
considerable impact on the ongoing revitalization of embellished
quilting and related textile arts.
Crazy Quilt Collage
Made for an Australian friend
Not only did Judith perfect existing techniques, she even
invented an original method for creating the fabric foundation,
which she named the Montano Centerpiece Method, a five-sided
centerpiece method for piecing traditional crazy quilts. As Judith
always considered doing the embellishments the best and most
enjoyable part of crazy quilting, the base work for piecing the
foundation is done by machine. She adds, "Over the years
this method has become associated with crazy quilting and may
people think this is how the Victorian woman applied their fabrics
to the base fabric but I can assure you the centerpiece method
was perfected by a dyslectic artist who came up with the idea
through lots of trial and error."
Spirit Shield
Judith applies the same artistic principles to crazy quilting
as she would to any other art medium. Because of the numerous
combinations of fabrics, stitches and embellishments used, it
is vitally important to have a balance of texture, patterns and
solids when creating the pieced block. Using rich fabrics, colours,
embroidery, beading, silk ribbon and punch needle for both foundation
and embellishment, Judith's pieces have a unique style all their
own. Along with the ethnic, geographic and artistic influences
Judith benefited from while growing up, she attributes other
aspects which give her work such a distinctive look to eight
years spent overseas in England, Germany and Japan. Judith's
career in art has taken her from painting to quilting, to crazy
quilting and embellished embroidery work. Although it keeps evolving,
crazy quilting is a staple element in her new designs, which
reflect both the traditions of past crazy quilting and contemporary
aesthetics.
Detail of Outfit
Created from Vogue pattern using Japanese Obi fabrics
And highly decorated with silk buttonhole twist
In addition to Judith's numerous books on stitching and crazy
quilting, she has also completed first novel Recollections, a tender story of the family ties and heritage, which feature
so prominently in her work. Sketches and watercolours by Kristine
Smith and collages by Judith herself interweave the chapters.
A Silk Ribbon Kit Line has been designed by Judith for C &
T Publishers, as well as a gift line of wrapping paper, cards,
gift enclosures, journals and gift boxes, taken from both her
novel and her art pieces.
Detail of Silk Ribbon Floral Embroidery
An accomplished and renowned fiber artist, Judith is in great
demand as a teacher and lecturer, moving with ease through the
embroidery, quilting and fiber art worlds. Assignments have taken
her throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan.
Classes offered have included clothing design, crazy quilting,
embellishments and silk ribbon embroidery. When not on the road,
Judith works from her home studio in LaVeta, CO and spends the
winter months in Los Angeles, CA.
Detail of Landscape Design
In closing, Judith reveals the significance of stitching in
any woman's life, not least her own, "Our stitches reveal
our influences and our environment. When a woman sits down to
her stitching, she is not thinking, 'Here in my hands lies my
contribution to history, my link to past and future.' But give
it some thought. Pieces of a prom dress, an aunt's silk handkerchief,
a section of Uncle Bill's favorite vest: all are cut and arranged
in a pleasing design to show the sentimental pieces. From a mother's
gift to a family treasure, sharing your life through a bit of
stitching creates a romantic token that becomes your family's
history."
The Crazy Quilt Handbook
Bibliography:
Art and Inspirations by Judith Baker Montano
The Crazy Quilt Handbook by Judith Baker Montano
Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano
Floral Stitches by Judith Baker Montano
Crazy Quilt Odyssey by Judith Baker Montano
The Art of Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Judith Baker Montano
Art and Inspirations
For Classes, Lectures and Commission information contact Judith
Baker Montano: at:
c/o Judith Designs
P.O.Box 1123
LaVeta, CO 81055
or winter address:
1617 Donaldson Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026
For book information contact:
C & T Publishing
P.O. Box 1456,
Lafayette, CA 94549
Phone: (800) 284 1114
Website http://www.ctpub.com
