Jeffrey Gutcheon died recently.
He hasn't been on the quilt horizon in recent years, but this was one of the great pioneers, along with his then-wife Beth, of modern quiltmaking.
An amazing, multi-talented man who's better known in the world for his musical prowess. But we know him for his talent for variations and innovations on traditional quilt design. Oh yes, and those wonderful fabric lines.
He will be missed. You can go to this link to sign his guest book and leave your respects.
GUTCHEON--Jeffrey.
Composer, arranger, songwriter, author, designer and architect, died in
New York on June 23d following a long struggle with Lewy body dementia.
Born in New York City in 1941, Jeffrey was Phi Beta Kappa at Amherst
College, then earned a B. Arch from MIT. He played piano and organ in
many styles (rock, country, gospel), and performed and recorded with,
among others, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Steve Goodman, Ringo Starr,
Great Speckled Bird, and Geoff and Maria Muldaur. The album he released
with his band Hungry Chuck (Bearsville records, 1972) has achieved cult
status, the subject of numerous bootlegs and re-issues. He designed
recording studios, most notably the Hit Factory on 48th St. He was one
of the great stride piano players of his generation, and the original
musical director of Ain't Misbehavin' the first hit non-book musical,
which won the Tony award for Best Musical 1978. A polymath, he was also a
force in the American art quilt movement, and authored or co-authored
several iconic books on the subject. Jeffrey designed and distributed
innovative fabric patterns for two decades through his company, Gutcheon
Patchworks, and taught quilting and fabric arts to fans around the
world. He served as president of the board of the Haystack Mountain
School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine and is a member of the Quilters'
Hall of Fame. He recorded four albums with the Texas band Lost Country
before declining health forced his retirement. He is survived by his son
David Gutcheon, his sister Peppi Graves, Ed Graves and his niece Lucy
Graves, and is mourned by extended family and friends from the many
worlds in which he lived his life. A memorial will be held in New York
in the fall, and donations may be made in his honor to The Jeffrey D.
Gutcheon 1962 Music Fund by contacting the Amherst College Development
Office.
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