Evans’s passion is stitching fabric into art

GUILDERLAND — Diane Evans, a retired math teacher turned studio quilter, is the featured artist at this month’s Upstate Artists Guilds national show, “Loose Threads.”

Evans has lived in Guilderland for 22 years, and, up until five years ago, she taught math. Ten years ago, she saw a quilt hanging on a friend’s wall and thought to herself, “Hey, I want to do that.”

The same friend helped her pick out some fabric and a pattern, and from there Evans explored her options. “I’m self-taught,” she said.

Evans explained that she makes only studio quilts; studio quilts are strictly art, and are not for use in the bedroom, she said. They hang on the wall, and vary in size. Evans makes quilts as small as five-by seven-inches, and as large as 60-by-60 inches.

Over the past decade, Evans has garnered recognition and won awards for her craftsmanship. She recently had a solo artist show at EBA in Hudson, and had her work featured in a group invitational in Fulton. Evans won Best Machine Workmanship at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza.

Rebecca Schoonmaker, the “Loose Threads” director, stumbled upon Evans’s website, and e-mailed to ask if she would be the featured artist in the show.

“I e-mailed back immediately to say I’d absolutely love to,” said Evans.

The show opened on April 3 runs through April 24, and is open every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Evans’s pieces can be purchased through the show or on her website.

“I just love pulling fabrics off my shelf and getting them to do what I envision. It’s the tactile nature of the craft that I enjoy,” said Evans. “Quilting has become my full-time hobby and passion.”