About
My official bio.
Elizabeth Rosenberg uses her sewing machine to create art from fabric and thread. Her carefully crafted, award-winning pieces feature abstract images of flowing lines.
Elizabeth teaches and lectures about art quilting. She is also presently a full-time college student, enrolled at SUNY Empire College, where she is pursuing a Bachelor degree in the Arts. Attending college as a returning adult student after a more than thirty-year break to raise two sons has been an exciting, fun and challenging experience.
She lives in White Plains, New York with her husband and her little chihuahua, Topolina (the Italian word for “Minnie Mouse”).
A little bit more about me.
I have been sewing since I was a child, as soon as my legs were long enough to reach the pedal of the sewing machine. I learned to knit, crochet, embroider, macramé and bead-weave as a young child. I have wonderful memories of many enjoyable hours spent doing crafty things such as painting-on-velvet, baking “shrinky-dinks” and weaving pot holders out of knitted fabric strips. Those childhood endeavors led to a life filled with the love of making handmade items.
As a young mother, I wanted to make a quilt for my newborn son, so I signed up for a class at the local library. That was in the late 1980's. I've been quilting non-stop since, and have never looked back! I joined the local quilting guild; over the next few years I signed up for just about every workshop the guild offered. I was lucky to begin my quilting journey by studying with nationally known quilters such as Roberta Horton, who taught me how to piece with plaids, and her sister, Mary Mashuta, from whom I learned to love stripes. Taking a workshop given by Ruth McDowell, I developed complex piecing skills; from instructors with styles as varied as Elly Sienkiewicz, and Jane Sassaman, I learned to appliqué. Traveling to quilt shows and seminars, I was able to study with great artists such as Melody Johnson, Michael James, Harriet Hargrave, Emily Richardson, Hollis Chatelain, Cynthia Corbin and Nancy Crow. Those fabulous instructors opened my eyes to the artistic possibilities in the world of textile art.
In 1995 I began to work in a local quilt shop (now closed) where I taught classes in free-motion machine quilting, couching by machine, free-motion machine embroidery, fusible appliqué, reverse appliqué, color/design classes, and even classes based on quilts from my own pattern line, Inventing Tradition, as well as many popular pattern /tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" >s and books.
I created my pattern business to fill a void for quilt shop customers who complained that although there were plenty of patterns available for Christmas quilts, there were no patterns available to celebrate Jewish traditions such as Hannukah and Passover. I designed a few such quilts and offered classes in the quilt shop. They proved popular, encouraging me to develop them into patterns. I marketed the patterns, selling them to quilt shops and distributors for a few years. In 2008, I sold the pattern company to 1-800-Dreidel, a Judaica distributor located in California.
About six years ago I was invited to give a slide presentation to my own guild, and then branched out, traveling to other guilds in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region. Recently, I travelled to the Washington D.C. area to present my “Goddess Project” lecture and workshop for the Friendship Star Quilters. The trip whet my appetite for travel-teaching, and I hope to repeat the experience again soon . . . if I am able to fit it into my busy school schedule!
In 2008, during a trip to Venice, Italy, I discovered the ancient art of lacemaking, as it is practiced on the lagoon island of Burano. In 2009, I travelled back to Venice for a three-week stay to learn the art of lacemaking. The beautiful, intricate lace I learned to make, called “punto in aria”, has influenced my work, leading to a new series of quilts called “Venetian Lace”. Within this series, I employ the use of both improvisational piecing and fused appliqué, along with a technique I call “free-motion-blanket-stitching”. Also new to this series is the use of hand-embroidered edgings. I am presently developing a Venetian Lace power-point presentation and a workshop.
My most recent endeavor is a book proposal that I am currently “shopping around” to publishers. The book will focus on the design element of the flowing line, how I use it in my own quilts, and the various techniques I employ to bring the flowing line to life. I'm excited about it . . . keep your fingers crossed for me!
My artist statement.
I create art using fabric and thread.
I am fascinated by lines, especially flowing lines that meander and curve as they form organic, sensuous paths. I see beautiful lines everywhere in the world around me. It give me enormous pleasure to translate them into lines of thread that create dimension and cast shadows as they hold the layers of my pieces together.
For me, it's all about that flowing line.
Resume
2010
• Art Quilts XV: Needleplay, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler AZ
2009
• The Salon Seven: Stitching it Together, New Rochelle, NY
2008
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First Place
• Textile Discoveries, Chappaqua Library, Chappaqua, NY
2007
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - Second Place
• A World of Beauty, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, Finalist
2006
• Folks in Fiber, Cahoon Museu
m of American Art, Cotuit, MA,
• Nudes, Nature and Nurture, Quilters' Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA
• A World of Beauty, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, Finalist
2005
• In The Garden, NJ Quilt Convention, Edison, NJ
• The Salon Seven: Sharing The Joy, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY
• Visions of Women, UCONN, Storrs, CT, May
• Women in the Arts, Torrington, CT
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY- Third Place
• Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie, New Albany, IN
2004
• Visions of Women, Hartford, CT
• Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, N
• Cultures of Westchester: Folk Art Visionaries, Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers, NY
• A World of Beauty, International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, Finalist
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First and Second Place
• Quilts as Art at Priam Vineyard, Colchester, CT
• Expressions, New Haven, CT
• A Survey of Styles at LBI Foundation, Loveladies, NJ
• Fiber Revolution at the River Street Gallery, New Haven, CT
• Fiber Revolution at the Martucci Gallery, Irvington NY
• Reflections: NSQG Challenge ExhibitSomers, NY & Lancaster, PA - Second Place
• Art Quilts: Elements, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, NC
• Considering Quilts 2004: Fiber Artists Explore the Quilt Form, New Smyrna Beach, FL
• Quilters Heritage Celebration, Lancaster, PA, Finalist
• Quilts as Art, University of CT, Storrs
2003
• A Page from My Book: The 2003 Journal Quilt Project, Int'l Quilt Festival, Houston, TX
• Wrapped in Cloth: The Human Figure in Textiles, Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, AZ
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - Second place
• Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
• Quilts for Art Sake II,Gallery 214 ArtSpace, Montclaire, NJ
•America: From the Heart, Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, OH
• Quilts as Art, Ellen Traut Collection Gallery, Hartford, CT
• Art Quilts VIII: A Cut Above, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler, AZ
• Fiber Revolution: Quilts as Art, Rathbun Free Public Library, East Haddam, CT
• World Quilt & Textile, Lansing, MI & Manchester, NH
• A Page from My Book: The 2002 Journal Quilt Project
April - Int'l Quilt Festival, Chicago, IL
May - Int'l Quilt Market, Portland, WA
June - Quilts NY!
July-August - Appalachian Cultural Center at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
• Japanese-American Architectural Challenge,International Tour (invitational)
2002
• A Page from My Book: The 2002 Journal Quilt Project, Int'l Quilt Festival, Houston, TX
• Dallas Quilt Show, Honorable Mention, Masters Class
• Born in the USA: Contemporary Quilters Look at Their Music (invitational) Lancaster, PA
• 9/11: Las Artistas Reaccionan, US Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica
2001
• NSQG Challenge Exhibit,Somers, NY and Lancaster, PA, First Place
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First Place
• Japanese-American "Word" Challenge, Tokyo, Japan (invitational)
2000
• Singing the Blues: A Retrospective, Brookfield, CT (invitational)
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First Place
• NSQG Silent Auction, Somers, NY (invitational)
• American Quilters Society Show,Paducah, KY - 1999
• Indiana Heritage Quilt Show, First Place Professional & Judge's Choice, 1999
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY, First Place, 1999
• Quilts... A World of Beauty, Fall International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, Finalist, 1999
• Seeing Red: The Redwork Project,Indianapolis, IN - 1999
• Greater Flint Art Council Presents Quilts at the Crossroads,Flint MI - 1999
• The Hoffman Challenge 11th Anniversary,USA Tour, 1998
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First Place, 1998
• Quilts=Art=Quilts Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY - 1997
• A World of Quilts, Somers, NY - First Place, 1997
Bibliography:
• Quilting Arts Magazine, Fall 2004 "In the Spotlight: Elizabeth Rosenberg of Yorktown Heights, NY"
• Magic Patch, UK edition, "Exhibit: Wrapped in cloth, the human figure in textile" by Elisabeth Fuchs
• Magic Patch, French edition, "Exposition: Wrapped in cloth, the human figure in textile"
• Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting™ November/ December 2003, "Glory Quilts"
• Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, September 2003, Strawberry Fields Forever
• America From the Heart: Quilters Remember September 11, 2001 curated by Karey Bresenhan,
• C&T Publishing, Reaching Up to the Sky
• McCall's Quilting Magazine, Redwork Revival, June 2000
Publications:
• McCall's Quilting Magazine, December 2003, "Spinning Dreidel"
• Rodale's Successful Quilting Library Series
Volume 13: Quilt Embellishment. Put Couching in Your Lineup
Volume 11: Innovative Piecing. Show Stopping Pieced Appliqué, and
Off-Kilter but On-Target. Hearts Askew is the cover quilt.
Volume 10: Rotary Cutting & Speed Piecing. The Dog Quilt
Private Collections:
• Susan Rubino, Austin TX: Reaching Up to the Sky II
• Jeri Riggs, Dobbs Ferry NY: Trial Mystery
• James & Joyce Feather, Dallas TX: Reaching Up to the Sky
• Karen Eckmeier, Bedford NY: Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries
• Mary Gay Leahy, North Salem NY: Illumination
• Linda Hawkins, Great Barrington MA: My Favorite Zebras
• Charles Shafer and Mary Fitzgibbons, Rio Rico AZ: The Fat Ladies
• Carolyn Lee Vehslage, Erial, NJ: The Three Fat Ladies
• Zach Morowitz, New Haven, CT: Flowers & Flies V
• Suzanne Sunday, Bedford NY: Flowers & Flies IV
• Joyce Sullivan, Somers NY: Flowers & Flies III
• Barbara Sferra, Katonah, NY: Flowers & Flies VI
• Joan Weth, Croton Falls, NY: Coneflower Pop
• Georgia Heller, Stamford, CT, Citrus Posies (Journal Quilt '02)
• Karen Phelps, Yorktown Heights, NY, African Mask (Journal Quilt '03)
• Elizabeth Brooks, Suffern, NY, Morning Glories
• Linda Hawkins, Stamford, CT, Trio of Butterflies
Corporate Collections:
• Fairfield Processing Corp, Danbury, CT
Affiliations:
• Northern Star Quilters' Guild
• Studio Art Quilts Associates
• International Quilt Association