Kathleen Azeez
Have you been searching for karate patterns to make something special for someone who enjoys the sport? Kathy Azeez has selected six karate positions - three aggressive and three defensive ones and created patterns for each. Use one or combine them as a set of kick boxers in combat. She also explains how to insert a HEAD into the body BLOCK by choosing one of the various heads she has designed or by transferring a photograph of the face you desire onto the fabric. There are various examples of ways to use the patterns for precision piecing and even applique.
The instructions are complete and accurate, allowing for a surprisingly quick completion of your project.
Kathy Azeez, a self taught quilter, has been designing and sewing quilts for 25 years. Like many other quilters, she loves quilting books, magazines, classes, and, of course, fabric.
For a number of years, Kathy, along with her son and daughter, pursued karate lessons for physical/mental coordination and activity. When her son became a black belt, she wanted to award him with a unique gift using this craft she loves. A search for karate patterns yielded nothing, so she decided to design them herself. The quilt she made won an award from the Third Annual National Arts Program in Cape May County, New Jersey.
Kathy is a member of the South Shore Stitchers Quilting Guild in Tuckahoe, New Jersey. Where other members asked for the pattern, she adapted the pattern to make it flexible for a wide variety of applications.
Feel free to E-mail her with questions or comments:
KAZEEZQUILT@EARTHLINK.NET
People who do not like to create and sew by hand, by machine or both, see it all as work. But for those who love fabric art, it can be a soothing and healing experience filled with the joy of knowing you are creating something from within yourself. The wonder of seeing what can come out of creative self expression is amazing. Bringing designs alive is thrilling. I love to keep busy doing all the different parts of a project, from making a design to getting fabric, piecing or appliquéing, quilting and finally finding a home for my creation. After graduating college I took a job in Hotel & Restaurant Management. But always an artist by heart, I discovered quilting as a hobby. It all began, with a Reader''s Digest Craft & Hobbies book printed in 1979. I have been hooked or, I should say, pinned ever since.
Karate has been around for hundreds of years. When my son Zack was 5 years old, he began studying karate at the American Martial Arts Academy led by John McCray. Coming from a small town, it was an opportunity for Zack to get out and socialize in an organized sport activity. As he obtained each new color belt, he also built strong muscles in a healthy, friendly environment. Next, my daughter Jessica joined in. Years later, even I took it up after watching many of their classes and observing their strength and flexibility improve. In the classes, repetition of the movements was used to train students to react quickly and precisely, so that if needed, the correct protective movement would come instantly and instinctively. The training gave us a sense of security while also increasing our awareness of our surroundings.
The original karate pattern quilt, called “American Martial Arts Quilt”, was a gift I made for my son, when he earned his senior black belt using a flag motif to symbolize the name of the school. The quilt depicts the diversity of the school''s members of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds. The belt colors progress from the beginning, which is white, to the end, which is black, with three additional master stars. That quilt won an Honorable Mention Award from the National Arts Program (NAP) in 2004 for Cape May County, New Jersey. My daughter also earned her junior black belt, which is the equivalent to her brother''s senior black belt without the training with weapons.
Eventually I had to stop taking karate because of a neurological problem that was causing seizures that could not be controlled with medication. The surgical route to treat my problem had to be faced. I could not drive a car until the problem was resolved, but I could still quilt. I even brought my sewing machine to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to keep me busy and positively focused with an incentive to keep going. I was determined to finish my current project while at the same time being inspired to do more. The staff commented that they had seen a lot of people bring activities to the hospital to keep them busy but I was the first to bring a sewing machine and an iron. They restricted my ironing for fear that I would hurt myself, so my husband, Mike volunteered to help me out with that (probably the only time he will willingly iron in his life).
