Bettye Kimbrell
Encyclopedia
Bettye Kimbrell is a master folk artist for quilting
, and one of the charter members of the North Jefferson Quilter's Guild in Mount Olive, Alabama. In 1995 she won the Alabama Folk Heritage Award, the highest honor for the traditional arts in Alabama. Kimbrell received national attention in 2008 when she was one of eleven folk artists to receive the National Heritage Fellowship
from the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts
) the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.
and detailed quilting
. She uses traditional techniques such as leaf pounding in her work and creates her own designs along with traditional patterns.
in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was the oldest of five children. Her grandmother taught her to quilt when she was 10 because she believed "idol hands are the devil's workshop." They made string quilts. These utilitarian quilts were made with scraps of square fabric for the top, feed and fertilizer sacks for the back, and cotton from their farm for the batting, with string ties every few inches to hold them together.
Kimbrell married Calvin Kimbrell and moved to Mount Olive, Alabama. In the 1960s a friend gave her name to Loveman's Department Store in Birmingham
for directing costumers to get their quilts finished. Finishing all different types and designs of quilts got Kimbrell interested in quilting as an art and not just as a utilitarian need.
In the early 1970s Kimbrell won her first blue ribbon for quilting
and describes this event as the "spark that lit the fire." Before this time she had been raising five kids and taking care of her youngest sister, who had polio, and didn't have time to devote to quilting
as a hobby. In 1979 Kimbrell organized a quilt show for the Mount Olive community center, and out of this event came the North Jefferson Quilter's Guild.
Recently Kimbrell has been an active member of Quilt Alabama and has been a master folk artist for the AFCA's (Alabama Folk Council for the Arts) folk arts apprenticeship program. She has also been a feature artist at the Alabama Folklife Festival, the Alabama Sampler portion of the Birmingham festival, City Stages and the Kentuck Festival in Northport, Alabama
. Kimbrell also has taught quilting classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School
in Brasstown, North Carolina, and at the Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama
. When not working on her own quilts Kimbrell has taken up the challenging work of restoring old quilts.
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
, and one of the charter members of the North Jefferson Quilter's Guild in Mount Olive, Alabama. In 1995 she won the Alabama Folk Heritage Award, the highest honor for the traditional arts in Alabama. Kimbrell received national attention in 2008 when she was one of eleven folk artists to receive the National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
from the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
) the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.
Her Art
Kimbrell is known for her intricate needleworkNeedlework
Needlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
and detailed quilting
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
. She uses traditional techniques such as leaf pounding in her work and creates her own designs along with traditional patterns.
Her Life
Kimbrell grew up with her father and grandparents on a farm in Fayette County, AlabamaFayette County, Alabama
Fayette County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette , who aided General George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. As of 2010 the population was 17,241...
in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was the oldest of five children. Her grandmother taught her to quilt when she was 10 because she believed "idol hands are the devil's workshop." They made string quilts. These utilitarian quilts were made with scraps of square fabric for the top, feed and fertilizer sacks for the back, and cotton from their farm for the batting, with string ties every few inches to hold them together.
Kimbrell married Calvin Kimbrell and moved to Mount Olive, Alabama. In the 1960s a friend gave her name to Loveman's Department Store in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
for directing costumers to get their quilts finished. Finishing all different types and designs of quilts got Kimbrell interested in quilting as an art and not just as a utilitarian need.
In the early 1970s Kimbrell won her first blue ribbon for quilting
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
and describes this event as the "spark that lit the fire." Before this time she had been raising five kids and taking care of her youngest sister, who had polio, and didn't have time to devote to quilting
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
as a hobby. In 1979 Kimbrell organized a quilt show for the Mount Olive community center, and out of this event came the North Jefferson Quilter's Guild.
Recently Kimbrell has been an active member of Quilt Alabama and has been a master folk artist for the AFCA's (Alabama Folk Council for the Arts) folk arts apprenticeship program. She has also been a feature artist at the Alabama Folklife Festival, the Alabama Sampler portion of the Birmingham festival, City Stages and the Kentuck Festival in Northport, Alabama
Northport, Alabama
Northport is a city in Tuscaloosa County in the west central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River across from downtown Tuscaloosa, it is currently the 24th largest city in Alabama with an estimated population of 23,442 in 2009...
. Kimbrell also has taught quilting classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School" is located in Brasstown, North Carolina. The School was founded to nurture and preserve the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains, it is an non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning...
in Brasstown, North Carolina, and at the Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama
Nauvoo, Alabama
Nauvoo is a town in Walker and Winston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 284. Camp McDowell, an Episcopalian church camp, is located nearby.-History:...
. When not working on her own quilts Kimbrell has taken up the challenging work of restoring old quilts.
External links
- APT's (Alabama Public Television) Alabama Craft: Tradition and Innovation four episodes with Bettye Kimbrell
- Interview by Mary Eckstein for the NEA an interview with Bettye Kimbrell