The Most Beautiful Quilter in All of Argentina
Gloria
Fate is funny sometimes. I was in a quilter’s chat room a few years ago and a new name appeared on the screen, “Gloria.” As is customary when a new person joins a quilt chat, or so it seems, everyone in turn asked Gloria if she quilts and where she is from. There was no answer…. You see, Gloria was trying to use a translating device and was not having a lot of success. At that time, her limited study of English simply allowed her to say, “I’m sorry. I don’t speak English.”
I asked, “What language do you speak?” When Gloria answered, “Spanish,” the two of us were off and running, chatting away like old friends, oblivious to the fact that the other chatters had departed. At the end of the conversation, I told her that we really should find some other way to chat, inasmuch as it wasn’t fair to everyone else in the room who could not speak Spanish. So, we agreed to set up a private chat on Instant Messenger.
As time has marched on, I do not even remember the year
that we first became friends. There have been many letters, e-mails, photos, gifts, and
sharing about our common love of quilts. Gloria’s proficiency in English has
increased exponentially to the point that we often chat in English now.
Above all else, Gloria loves the “country look” and her choice of colors and traditional country décor items, especially cows, reflects this interest. Besides having small children of her own, she and her husband are both teachers. Somehow, in her busy life, she finds time to accept special orders for holiday gift items from her co-workers and others in her community.
So far, she has held several exhibitions of her crafts and quilts and has another one scheduled for August. For inspiration, she enjoys The Quilter magazine. She also downloads paper piecing patterns from the Internet, and places orders at Keepsake Quilting. There was a one year series of quilt magazines in Argentina, of which Gloria kindly sent me several copies. Quilting there seems to be in a beginning stage but with Gloria’s work helping to inspire other women, it will not be long before quilting is as vital there as in other places. She tells me that there is already a TV show in Buenos Aires that is dedicated to quilting.
Gloria is a very beautiful, vibrant, young woman who is hard-working, and determined to improve her life through her studies. She is a good role model for her children, and helps out with her oldest son’s Boy Scout troop. I am very happy to say that Gloria is my friend. I’ve shared some of her sorrows, and many of her joys. I am blessed to know her.
Photos from 2007
Quilting is alive and well in Argentina! This beautiful quilt was made by Gloria Tanquilevich for an exchange student who is returning to the Faroe Islands, Denmark. photo sent to us by Gloria.
Gloria holds her most recent quilt, a signed quillow (quilt pillow) made for Janina, a departing German exchange student to Argentina.
Other Links:
A Cow for Gloria: A link to a previous article about our common love of needlework cows.
To read about Latin American Art and Spanish influences on it, please read our "Voces y Visiones" article.
Dear Reader: Please do not write to me to ask for contact information for my friend. She is entitled to a personal life, and she is not a tour guide. Her life is a very busy one, and I refuse to add any burdens to it by helping to create intrusions into her daily obligations and routines. Just so you know....
©Copyright 2002-2007. Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All Rights Reserved.