As part of our Member Profiles, we want you to have a chance to meet our members.
Dana Staves is the founding president of Hampton Roads Modern Quilt Guild. She’s also a member of the Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild in Richmond. Dana is a stay-at-home mom who lives with her wife and two kids and a very adorable puppy named Petey.
“As a queer artist, holding space for makers who feel timid or excluded is really important for me, especially in the quilting/sewing community. We want to see ourselves and to know that we belong.”
Name
Dana Staves
Pronouns
She/her
What city do you live in?
Norfolk
What kind of maker are you? (Include sewing and any other mediums you work in)
I’m a quilter, embroiderer, and a crocheter. I also make clothes, which is successful sometimes.
How long have you been sewing/quilting?
Off and on for 12 years, but seriously for about 3.
How many quilts have you made?
5 completed. I always have a few in different stages.
What (and/or who) got you into sewing?
I took home ec back in high school and learned to make a simple quilt (and absolutely butchered a pair of boxer shorts). It was when I married my wife and the Navy moved us to California that I bought myself a sewing machine and gave it a whirl. I sewed a little here and there, but when I had my second child, I discovered nothing really fit my postpartum body. So I decided I’d make clothes. (Easy as that, right?) I eventually heard a podcast with Heidi Parkes, and she described art quilts, and it was like a light turned on in my brain–like wait, we can do that? Then I found the Quilty NOOK with Zak Foster and I was done. That community has taught me and held me and delighted me at every turn. So that’s my journey–and those are my guides–to quilting, which has become such a huge part of my life.
If you could describe your style in three words, what would they be?
Illustrative; narrative; earnest
What is one goal you have for sewing/quilting?
In the short-term, I want to make a few quilts I can snuggle with. I’ve made wall quilts for the past year or so and I’m ready for a change. Long-term, I just want to keep learning and trying things–find joy and play in my work, and keep digging into story. My education was in creative writing, and I spent many years writing fiction. I find I’m often channeling storytelling in my quilts, and I want to keep exploring where those possibilities lie.
Quilting is, in many ways, an invitation–to be cozy, to be challenged, to ask questions and tell stories and find healing. I’ve only scratched the surface, and I’m excited to just keep going.
Bonus Board Member Question: what is one goal you have for our guild?
My first exposure to a MQG chapter was the Central Virginia chapter in Richmond. I went for a Heidi Parkes workshop, and this warm, vibrant, welcoming group fed my spirit. I knew I wanted that closer to home. (And those women were all like, “yes! do it! enablers. lol) So my goal is for us to grow towards that, to be a guild that does things, that’s visible in our communities, and that fosters that kind of warmth.
As a part of that, I believe modern quilting is really well poised to bridge gaps in the craft-art world: to create space for marginalized groups, for diverse voices. As a queer artist, holding space for makers who feel timid or excluded is really important for me, especially in the quilting/sewing community. We want to see ourselves and to know that we belong. Sewing often happens in solitude, but a quilt guild can take us out of our solo practice. So my goal is for us to be visible, to be out in our community, whether are Pride or festivals or even just sewing at a brewery, so people can meet our members, can see us making, can maybe–hopefully–find a place with us. I want us to be a guild that does things and invites others to join us. Plus if you don’t have quilty friends, who else can you geek out about fabric and sewing techniques with?
Where can people find you and your work? Website? Socials?
My website is currently down, but you can find me on Instagram @danastavescreates
Meet More of Our Members
Want to join us?
Check out one of our upcoming events, or head on over to our membership page to become a member of HRMQG.