Milwaukee quilter Cortney Heimerl knows her quilts won't last forever. She's okay with that.
"If you don't use a quilt, you can preserve it and the quilt will last more than a lifetime. But if you begin to use it, that small pressure of fabric between fingertips and fabric laying across laps will slowly wear it out. If you really use a quilt and you sleep with it or use it to mop your tears up during a sad movie or drape it on someone you love when they are sick, it turns into something else. It develops this patina of use, which I think is beautiful," she says.
This summer, Cortney reached the halfway point of a year-long partnership with Country Living Magazine's General Store, where customers can purchase a different design of hers in quilt, kit or pattern form each month. "The moment we saw Cortney’s work we knew she had to be part of (the General Store)," says Country Living Managing Editor Amy Mitchell. "Her quilts have such soul, and the time that she invests in each piece is remarkable. Many of our readers are doers, so the fact that she offers quilt kits as well as completed ones is a nice addition. It’s been an added bonus that she’s an absolute pleasure to work with!"
Cortney started sewing and quilting during her childhood on her family's farm outside of Portage, Wisconsin. "My mother taught me," she explains. "When I was in grade school and high school I loved to make clothes. My mom taught me to sew and follow a pattern and to save my scraps. Eventually I had a lot of scraps and so my mom taught me to quilt to use them up."
After exploring other artistic career paths during college at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduate school at New York University, Cortney came back to Milwaukee for many reasons. "Oh, I wanted a dog and a garden and a place to spread out! I also like the power that exists in a smaller community. The ability to make an impact and the ease of having an idea turn into something tangible. Ideas come together a lot more easily if you know everyone," she says.
Cortney came up with the idea for her first craft fair in her backyard, drinking a beer with a friend. "We were talking about how disconnected we felt from the art community and how we wanted to be able to meet people who made things. That conversation was the birth of Hover Craft, which is a hyper-local craft fair that encourages makers of all sorts to make. We are entering into our 7th year; it will be at The Pritzlaff Building in downtown Milwaukee on December 4th and it is the most amazing line up of Milwaukee-based talent that you will ever see. It sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. It's fun to walk through that event and see the wealth of talent coming out of this city," Cortney says.
Hover Craft's success paved the way for Cortney to organize four other markets that take place around the city during the year (all of which you should check out, of course):
Maker Market
A monthly art, craft and maker fair, which is now in its fourth year. Cortney says participants don't have to live in Milwaukee: "I have the chance to meet people from all over (Wisconsin) and sometimes all over the country."
Pabst Street Party + Mitten Fest
These two block parties are held at Burnhearts, one in the summer and one in the winter.
NEWaukee Night Market
An incredible summer event on Wisconsin Avenue that happens monthly and seems to grow exponentially each time.
Working with more than 300 vendors this year, Cortney has multiple goals in organizing these markets. "Milwaukee has this amazing community of talented people. These people make Milwaukee a dynamic and interesting place to live and to keep them here, we should support them. The next goal is to get these creative people to have a chance to sell to their fans in person and to connect with like-minded people to share ideas and resources. The final and the most important goal is to put money into creative hands. There is no motivator like money. If you can pay your bills doing what you love, I want to help you do that."
In addition to the larger events, Cortney recently tested what she calls Maker Sessions by bringing in professionals to help small, creative businesses grow and learn. And after selling out every class, Cortney may wrangle these speakers into future workshops. "I'd like to revitalize the class structure or maybe create a conference under the name, but I haven't quite figured out exactly what I want it to become yet."
While that series incubates, her advice for makers and others wanting to take the small business plunge is simple:
"Jump in. Don't wait for things to be perfect. Begin exploring and allow space for your idea to evolve. Use other makers as inspiration, but never copy. And have fun."
Words by Tori Szekeres
Photos by Dana Dufek
Video by Gold Hashtag Media
