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Mandy Blankenship

@mrsblankenship

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I am an artist, wife, and mother living in Greenville, South Carolina. I make all sorts of things, especially with words, plants, and textiles.

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Some detail shots of my quilt, One As We Are One, for @premierartscollective Kaleidoscope event tomorrow night. The title comes from Jesus’ prayer for all believers: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John‬ ‭17‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬). This landscape moves from a dry, crispy winter to something summery and lush, united by lots of meandering stitches. There’s room for every season and every type, some quiet, others loud. by @mrsblankenship

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16 days ago

Some process photos of my quilt “One As We Are One” for the @premierartscollective Kaleidoscope show Oct 1. It’s the most color I’ve used. Delighted to work with @kaffefassettstudio fabrics amongst some batiks I got from friends at the Upstate chapter of @asguildhq. Nearing the home stretch of #sashiko stitches and binding! by @mrsblankenship

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24 days ago

@indiecraftparade is finally here! Come visit me in the Annex space. Live quilting can be discussed. by @mrsblankenship

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a month ago

A quilt is three layers: a top, batting, and back, with stitching holding the layers together. Sashiko is a Japanese word that means “little stabs.” These are #sashiko mini quilts depicting bonsai tree shapes, still in process, mostly held together with loose basting stitches, waiting for more quilt lines and bias binding on the edges.

Scroll to the end for my initial drawings and The Art of Bonsai book inspiration. by @mrsblankenship

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2 months ago

Another quilt top, Mothers, based on icons I created for the 2016 Telling Her Story show @artcentergvl that eventually made their way into a poetry collection for the Sister’s, Too show I did with @iamjennyayers back in 2019. I plan to have some zines of my writing @indiecraftparade this year, and maybe a few watercolors of my icons. They’re cheerful, simple shapes that look nice in an array of colors. by @mrsblankenship

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2 months ago

For anyone wanting to follow my journey to Indie Craft Parade this year, a few snaps of in-progress work. Hand-dyed tooth pillows, for the discerning child and tooth fairy. Mini quilts, basted and ready for #sashiko thread depicting different bonsai forms. A two-sided table-runner made of Carolina Plantation and Charleston Gold Rice bags. And a lap quilt made of Carolina Plantation rice bags, vintage napkins and placemats from @blankenship’s very stylish grandma. I’ve been saving rice bags for a few years to make a quilt. The table runner and lap quilt will also be stitched with #sashiko thread in waves depicting the tides that make that red Carolina soil so fertile.

I’ve abstained from posting on social media for five years, and really I’m back because an interior designer friend wanted to show people my work. So this is proof of existence. I have more meandery, thoughtful things to say on Substack or @poetslive gatherings. Hope y’all are doing well. 🩷 by @mrsblankenship

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2 months ago

Tour Mandy’s garden with me!

If you’ve been to any of the Plant Share events I’ve hosted over the last few years, you’ve likely met @mrsblankenship. She’s been my partner in dreaming up creative ways to give plants away and meet more gardening friends in our community. (And we have a new project underway…stay tuned!)

The plants she brings to share are usually from her own garden in the Brandon Mill neighborhood (though sometimes from construction sites, when she rescues plants that would otherwise be bulldozed).

Her garden is so special. She’s taken her time, and carved out spaces for tributes to lost loved ones, play areas for her children, a firepit for gathering, and the most stylish chicken coop I’ve ever seen.

She and her husband @blankenship have incredible taste and a knack for thrifting and upcycling. And… moving rocks.

I love when a garden reflects the personalities and talents of its makers. by @mrsblankenship

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4 months ago

If you’re interested in sharing your work at Activate, we are partnering with @poetslive for an open mic.

Poets Live is a monthly gathering of poets and fans of poetry in Greenville, SC. We are a welcoming, encouraging, and inspiring open mic for new or seasoned poets of all ages and styles. We’re excited to bring the open mic experience to Activate this year (with a little musical accompaniment!) Sign up for a 3–5min open mic slot to share your work, or just come to listen.

Joshua and Mandy Blankenship are married artists and writers living in Greenville, SC. They collaborate with their kids to write and illustrate books for Blankenshop, their independent press, and foster creative community through events and teaching.

Click on the 🔗 in our bio for registration. Student discount and scholarships available! taken in First Presbyterian Church of Greenville by @mrsblankenship

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9 months ago

Join us next Friday for August First Friday in Greenville! Meet textile artist and writer Mandy Blankenship at the gallery, featuring her stunning quilted and printed pieces. August 1, 6-9pm taken in Darin R. Gehrke Ceramics by @mrsblankenship

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a year ago

The day right-wing terrorists stormed the United States Capitol I decided to abstain from social media for good. I made the choice before the terrorists arrived, mind you, having no clue about their plot. I’ve been on social media for close to twenty years, thirteen of those via the iPhone. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the internet, the last several years of vitriol outweighing the good feelings I still harbor. I met my husband on MySpace. I navigated the increasingly murky ethics of Facebook with college friends. I logged onto Instagram as an analog photographer seeking digital means. Twitter was my writing exercise to distill wit.

And then the marketers found us. Russian propagandists, too. One by one, I’ve deleted or deactivated different social media accounts in order to seek peace and clarity of thought. I don’t want to retreat from the world or become out-of-touch, but so-and-so’s hot take on real or inane problems don’t make newsworthy news. Neither does my own.

We create our culture, and I want mine to be one of wisdom. “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent” (Proverbs 17:28). It is important to speak up for justice, to stand for what is right every time. But the first people who need to hear it from me are my husband and children. My family and real-life neighbors who see me live moment by moment. We need actual, physical people in proximity to build a healthy community. I’m not interested in congregating solely with others who believe the way I do. That’s part of how we got into this post-modern, siloed mess.

I’ll keep my @mrsblankenship handles, but if you’re interested in our daily life or want to keep in touch from afar, I’ll be posting content to mandyblankenship.com. Feel free to reach out via email or phone.

I leave you with this benediction from Numbers 6:24-26:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Amen.

(Photos are all things I’ve taken a long time to make.) by @mrsblankenship

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6 years ago

“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.” -Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America by @mrsblankenship

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6 years ago

Thanksgiving at Tia’s ❤️ by @mrsblankenship

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6 years ago