This week I am honored to introduce you to Devida of Pixel Quilt!
I originally saw Devida’s work through Tiktok and not only fell in love with her stunning pixel portrait quilt process but also her fun and welcoming personality. After following her for a bit on Tiktok, I searched her out on Instagram and knew I wanted to ask if she’d be a feature on Creative Convos!
While Devida is not currently taking on client orders or teaching classes on her pixel quilt process, her story is still wonderful and full of insight. Devida has dedicated 2022 to not only perfecting her craft but to also creating pixel quilt portraits of women who have inspired her along her journey. I hope you can connect with her story and are maybe even inspired to try to make your own pixel quilt one day! Be sure to check out how you can connect with Devida of Pixel Quilt at the bottom of the post.
Please explain your main creative area.
My main focus is creating pixel quilts of people. After discovering quilting 17 years ago, I really fell in love with Pixel Quilts in 2021 after making a Billie Eilish pixel quilt for my daughter. Originally I had planned on making a banner that my daughter could take to the Billie Eilish concert, but it got bigger and bigger and ended up being 80″ x 80″. I don’t have a business as such but creating quilts really aids my mental health (I had a long walk with depression and creativity has been a life saver for me)
Tell us about your creative business and what your favorite thing about your business is.
M 2022 is the year that I will be focusing on perfecting my craft, with a view to opening up some commissions in 2023. I have been asked many times to produce patterns and teach my process and I may consider doing that next year, but for this year I just want to make!
I love the whole process of pixel quilts – the designing, the cutting and the making, plus during the whole process I listen to audiobooks and podcasts constantly, so it is such a relaxing process for me. There is no one part of the process that I love above any other but I do find I have to be in the right mood to design them!
What has been your favorite make or creation so far?
My favourite will probably always be the quilt of my son and his epic hair! He started growing his hair when we were in Lockdown in England in March 2020 and even after moving to Oklahoma in August 2020 he just kept growing it! And I knew that I wanted to capture that moment forever! (He is actually still growing it and people will stop him in the street to tell him how awesome it is and come up to us in restaurants to say they love his hair, its hilarious!)
What is one tip you'd recommend to someone just getting started in your creative area?
Find your tribe! Finding supportive, non-critical people is so important. I think there is an old-fashioned view of quilting that everything has to be perfect, your blocks need to be accurate, your points perfect – but I find the stress of perfection means that it takes the joy out of creating for me. Accuracy will come with practice, but just focus on making quilts that bring you joy and make you happy!
What are 3 words you'd use to describe your creative style?
- Unique
- Fun
- Carefree
Do you have an upcoming make, launch, or project that you are excited about?
2022 is all about the women who have inspired me on my journey, each month I am making a pixel quilt of a woman who has impacted me and I am gifting it to them. It’s my way of saying thank you for being such an inspiration. January was the artist Ashley Longshore – I honestly stopped in my tracks the first time I ever saw her and her art on the TV. I was transfixed! So I knew she was going to be the first! February was a British Lady called Laura Belbin, she does a blog called ‘Knee Deep in Life’ and is very honest and open with her struggles as a woman, a mother, a wife and someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, she inspires me greatly. March is Brene Brown…and really, need I explain why…she is just phenomenal!
(Devida dedicated April to Frida Kahlo, May to Martha Breck, and for June she has made a quilt for the Queen of England in honor of 70 years on the throne! If you didn’t know, she is from England but currently resides in Oklahoma.)
What is one skill (either craft related or not) that you wish you knew how to do?
Knitting – my Mum is an amazing knitter and I have always wanted to be able to sit in the chair in the evening like she does, watching the TV on and creating a masterpiece!
What would your high school superlative be? (Most likely to...)
It would be something cheesy like, most likely to make you smile! I went to high school in England and we don’t have these awards, so I guess I will never know!!
What's the oddest food you've ever tried and did you like it?
Last summer I ate at a restaurant called The Fat Duck in England and ate snail porridge!! It was a dish the chef is famous for and believe it or not, it was delicious!!
If you had to lose one of your five senses, which one would you give up and why?
I’d have to go smell, Just because I think that is the one that I could most easily live without although I’d totally miss sniffing my pug Bella because she smells like Fritos!!
Lastly, where can the readers connect with you and see more of your work?
You can connect with DEvida and see all her amazing pixel quilts and her videos sharing her process on various social media channels and her website:
Website: www.pixelquilt.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pixelquilt
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/pixelquilt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pixelquilt
IOFTA Creative Convos are bi-monthly short Q&A style blog posts that allow me, Katherine, to share other wonderful creatives and small business owners in not only the quilting space but in the creative fiber arts and textile space.
The goal is to provide a seat at the table for all types of small business creatives and to introduce my community to businesses that they may not have connected with yet.