Meet
Els Feteris-Stam
by Jack Braunstein
A
pioneer of miniature quilts in the Netherlands is helping minis make their
mark overseas in a big way.
When the Miniatures from the
Heart Contest was launched in 1992, it was the first major miniature quilt
contest ever. A few quilters from overseas entered that year, and even more
by the second year. This contest drew several entries from Japan, and quite
surprisingly, as many from the Netherlands. Who knew that miniature quilts
were already popular there? Els Feteris-Stam certainly did. She's been a
prominent miniaturist in her country for years and has gained recognition in
the United States as well. She has won four award in previous Miniatures
from the Heart Contests, including two first-place awards.
Els used
Debbie Mumm fabrics in "Mandjes/Baskets" (7" x 9"). Els
says that the lightweight prints work well with miniatures. The border is
Seminole pieced.
In 1988, Els began making quilts
by simply reading about various techniques and then experimenting with them.
She explored making miniatures in the same way. Many of her miniature quilts
feature plaids and stripes in blue, her favorite color. Her exquisite
craftsmanship quickly became apparent to quilt shop owners, who asked her to
teach classed in their shops. Els soon came to realize, "I love to teach
people all I know about quilting."
The
Double Irish Chain serves as the perfect framework for the letters in
"Iers Welkom/Irish Welcome" (19 1/2" square). A Seminole-pieced
border completes this quilt.
At first, her classes focused on
making full-size quilts, but she shifted attention as her passion for making
little quilts grew. Upon realizing how many of her students admired her
miniatures, Els decided to offer a class on making these small-scale quilts.
Despite her enthusiasm and their interest, only a few students enrolled. "I
love making people as excited about miniatures as I am!" she exclaims.
Puzzled by the limited class enrollment, Els asked potential students whey
they didn't register for the lass. To her surprise, she learned they felt
miniatures would be much too difficult to make. This motivated her to
demystify the process by writing a book. She and quilt shop owner Margo van
Strien collaborated to write Mini-quilts, the first book on the
subject written in Dutch. Mini-quilts quickly sold out, which
confirmed Els's belief that there were thousands of Dutch quilters
interested in making miniatures. Since then, her book has had three
printings and has been translated into French, English and Spanish.
Els
designed "Berenpoten in't Bos/Bear's Paws in the Forest" (13
5/8" square) for the Mini-Quilt of the Month class that she teaches. At
first glance, the centers of the "paws" may appear to be composed of many
tiny pieces, but they actually are the result of her creative use of a check
print.
The instant success of
Mini-quilts inspired Els's next project. Realizing there was a need for
instructions written in Dutch, she created her own line of quilt patterns.
In 1994, Els started her business called Bobbin, through which she designs
patterns for Block of the Month projects, miniature and full-size quilts,
tote bags and wearable art. Bobbin also offers Els's mystery quilt projects.
Shops add their fabric to the pattern and ship a complete package to their
customers each month. Last May, Els organized a "mystery night" in which 30
groups throughout the Netherlands participated. Each group worked on
identical mystery quilts that evening. The communal event heightened the
suspense that led up to the showing of each group's project.
Ria is
the name of one of the members in de Brielse Meisjes, the quilt group Els
belongs to. Ria asked the group to make this design that's based on a
full-size quilt by Country Threads. Hence, the name "Ria's
Choise/Ria's Choice" (15 1/2" square).
Els belongs to the 15-member
guild that calls itself de Brielse Meisjes (the Brielse Girls). The group
started when enthusiastic students in one of her miniature quilt classes
decided they wanted to continue working together. Each month a different
member selects a project for a miniature quilt and all group members
participate in making it. Sometimes the project is a gift for one member;
other times it becomes a contest entry. With Els's guidance, de Brielse
Meisjes has won awards in two Miniatures from the Heart Contests in the
group category.
  Foundation
piecing patterns from Granny Nanny laid the groundwork for the houses in
"Dag/Day" (13" x 13 3/4") and "Nacht/Night"
(14 1/4" x 13 1/2"). The distinct lines of the plaid fabric seemed more
appropriate for the day scene and the more subdued prints, for the night
scent.
One doesn't need to be fluent in
Dutch to appreciate the works of de Brielse Meisjes or Els Feteris-Stam.
Like all quilts, miniatures speak to us in a universal way that everyone can
appreciate. Whether "enjoy" is written in English or Dutch, you'll be doing
just that while admiring the works of Els Feteris-Stam!
Els's latest book
It's a Small World is available in our online Quilt Shop. Click on the
book title or call us toll-free at (800)628-8244 to place your order.
To learn more about Els, visit her website at
www.bobbin.nl.
To view the quilts found in this book, visit the
It's a Small World Gallery.
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