Eleanor Levie

Eleanor Levie is proud to have edited the catalog for "Art Quilters Celebrate Independence" -- a juried, traveling exhibition of artwork by Studio Art Quilt Associates of Pennsylvania (SAQA-PA) in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Thirty-nine innovative art quilts and quilted artworks explore the broad meaning of independence, freedom of expression, democratic values, and human rights in our country today. All artworks connect with America's storied past yet exemplify exciting conceptual and technical departures from tradition that herald the art quilt as a fine art medium. Gigi McGee, professor of graphic design at Moore College of Art & Design lent her time and talents to designing the catalog. Moore College, the premiere venue for the exhibition during the summer of 2026, is in Philadelphia, the cradle of liberty and the birthplace of our democracy. The exhibition then travels to the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza in Oaks, PA; Phillips' Mill Community Association in New Hope, PA; and the Reading Public Museum in Reading, PA, finally ending in late May 2027. Levie and sister members of the SAQA-PA exhibition committee hope readers get a chance to travel to one of these venues and see the artwork in the cloth. In any case, the individual photos and artists' statements featured in the catalog provide extraordinary insight into the inspiration for each of the quilted artworks.

Since 1978, Levie has worked as a needlework and crafts editor, author, and book producer, with quilting as a specialty. "American Quiltmaking: 1970-2000" is her history book, and "Great Little Quilts" provides the backstories for 45 antique or vintage doll, crib, or baby quilts, with directions for recreating them. Levie produced eight volumes of the Rodale's Successful Quilting Library series, each teaching techniques for a specific area of quilting. Other books Levie has edited, such as "Quilt Blocks Go Wild," "Unforgettable Tote Bags," and best-sellers "Skinny Quilts & Table Runners I and II," and "Country Living's Country Quilts," offer how-to's for diverse projects. Outside the quilting arena, Elly is the creative force behind "Country Living Country Paint," "The Parent's Party Book," "Halloween Fun," and other collections of projects and techniques that kickstart creativity.

Levie regularly presents programs and workshops to quilt guilds and cultural groups, in person and on Zoom. There, she routinely shares her own quilt art--eclectic, eccentric, and teaming with recycled linens, and sometimes the unlikeliest plasticized packaging find their way into her work. The goal is to inspire quilters to stretch beyond their comfort zones and make original art. Levie's own art quilts have been juried into several SAQA exhibitions, global, regional, and virtual, as well as into Art Quilt Elements, Da Vinci Art Alliance exhibitions, Quilters Art magazine, and other publications.

A resident of Center City Philadelphia, PA, Levie and her husband walk everywhere and are apt to run into historical reenactors like Ben Franklin, shown with her here.