I have a file of quilts from online auctions that I'd like to make
But I know I never will.
This devil-may-care use of fabrics
is totally beyond me.
I guess I am just too darn sophisticated to be able to do this.
It would be totally faking it.
You have to admire the vision that combines the patchwork
pattern and the pattern in the fabric.
Neither patchwork nor prints get to dominate.
Which creates a certain dynamic
Sort of like a riot.
Somebody's calmed everything down here with a big, fat, white border.
I love the riot! One day...maybe one day I will be that brave. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNever say never! You just may surprise yourself one day and makes something totally out of character - it's been known to happen to the best of us. Thanks for sharing those wonderful wacky quilts.
ReplyDeleteI think those would be hard to recreate since the person who made them, was not using a pattern and went wild, lol. That is how I quilt and I could never reproduce my own;) I do enjoy making smaller quilts from parts of quilts and have a couple to try.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Will I ever make a quilt with curved seams, sharp points, 3,500 pieces and 250,000 quilting stitches, all by hand? Probably not. Am I completely in love with and enthralled by quilts like that? Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteMaking and loving are two separate things, which can certainly overlap; but they are not necessarily each other's prerequisites.
Hope you're enjoying your new home. Say hi some time. :)
I love the pink Wheel of Fortune with the every-which-way striped corners. If I made it, I wouldn't use a border at all.
ReplyDeleteDot
Abelian---that white border (I bet somebody else added that) really does ruin the riot.
ReplyDeleteThe top one and the blue one captioned "Sort of like a riot" are almost Kaffe Fassett. Just clean them up a little, resew to make them lie flat, make just a couple of changes, back, quilt and bind -- Voila!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for a common sense response to these quilts. I smiled all the way through your post.
ReplyDeleteToo bad for me too. I really admire the total freedom of these quilts. I just don't have a big enough stockpile of scraps. Yet.. I really love the first one.
ReplyDelete"Faking it" is my personal worry as well. At the end of the day, I think authenticity is being true to ourselves, rather than someone else's vision.
ReplyDeleteBut, I am certainly inspired by some of these elements! And, I've added the first photo to my digital collection too. :D
I will always wonder what one of these quilters would do with fabrics today?? I am sure some of them wanted less riot, but had to settle with what they had available.
ReplyDeleteOh, so inspiring!! Sure wish I could make quilts like that too. Thanks for showing them. I'll come back to this post many times.
ReplyDeleteThese quilts do make me smile and wonder "what was she thinking" and I agree with Judy about thinking "they had to settle with what they had available"
ReplyDeleteThe 8-point BIG star was my favorite - what a riot of action.
I am one of those scrappy quilters and I love it. Very cheap quilting when my friends share all their scraps! Whoo hoo!
ReplyDeleteUgh. That's taking "scrappy" to a whole (not good) level.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your sense of humor in this post, Barbara. I suspect these quilts generally show a superior "make do" attitude -- but who knows: perhaps the riotous colors and fabrics were intentional choices.
ReplyDeleteYou have to admit, though, that there's a strong sense of rhythm in the blue quilt (2nd from last) with the Baptist Fans quilting.
Thanks for sharing these gems.
When most of the quilts were made...and I am totally guessing here..the quilter probably was far more concerned with getting it done and on the bed. Based on the scrappyness I believe most, if not all are simply utility quilts. Maybe even a beginners quilt. Beauty was not the main concern. Just my two cents worth.
ReplyDeleteblessings, jill
As always, love your wit and humor!
ReplyDeleteI also love these, and often wonder if loss of eyesight or colorblindness in later life plays into some of these design choices...
ReplyDeleteI've had a paper print out of that first one in my pile for year... great minds think alike!
These are all good theories, but I also think there is a style going on here. People seemed to value the chaos. Some of them are really good design with a wonderful sense of rhythm and organization. I think I shall have to gather more pictures from the files.
ReplyDeleteI actually like the last pink one, but would remove that white.
ReplyDeleteBesides thrift, make-do, utility, colorblindness, etc., what about sheer orneryness or weariness of always being expected to follow the "rules" of what colors & patterns should be used together? Or that they should be good at quilting at all? Rebellion - that's the word I think I'm looking to use.
I forgot to add - I rather like the first quilt also, at least the part with the cheddary-orange blocks. I suspect maybe the others are a bit too chaotic for my eye (yet).
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