Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Edge Treatment

I made another visit to the International Quilt Study Center
 and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska the other day.
There are two shows up right now.
Elegant Geometry: American and British Mosaic Patchwork,
curated by Bridget Long is up until January 8, 2012.

Lovers with a Broken Heart by Yvonne Wells

Yvonne Wells: Quilted Messages
is on exhibit until February 26, 2012

I've seen photos of Yvonne Well's quilts but it was great to see them
on the wall to see the scale and the detail.
In one gallery we thought about thinking big.
In the other we thought about thinking small.

But one thing the galleries had in common was fascinating edge treatments.
Here's an early 19th century fringe.

And an early example of an edge turned in---what we would call a knife edge.

A woven, colored twill tape from the 19th century.
 (For a while we were calling this Trenton tape
 but it was used in many places outside of New Jersey)

And then I noticed the edges on Yvonne Well's quilts.
What is that little bug along the binding?

A tiny triangle along the edge in another
 ---is Prairie Point the right word?

They just pop up.

Another 19th-century edge-no binding, no border.

This 19th century quilt is on a slant board,
possibly because the edge is so out of whack.
The quilt gets narrower with every descending row.
 The right edge of the photo is square, the quilt is not.

Next Saturday at IQSC: Storytelling in the gallery with artist Yvonne Wells.
Saturday, November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PMhttp://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/online_exhibitions/yvonne_wells/wells.html

See photos of the Yvonne Wells exhibit here:
http://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/online_exhibitions/yvonne_wells/wells1.html

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for the photos. I would love to learn how to make my own fringe for my quilts.

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  2. How fun to take an up close look at these quilts. I love surprises!!

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  3. The quilts with hexagons (my current obsession) show us why so many remain unfinished as the quiltmaker struggles with the question, "What shall I do when I reach the edge?" - kudos to these as they answered that question. I have to say I've never tried fringe on the edge of my quilt!
    Lisa
    Lalexander733 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  4. I love Yvonne's pieces and the simplicity of her art, yet powerful messages. Love how she hides a few things, here and there on her bindings.

    Debbie

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  5. Fabulous post, there are so many ways to finish our quilts!

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  6. Thank you for bringing us Yvonne Wells work! I hadn't seen it and now I'm fascinated.

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  7. Kari Mecca, of Kari Me Away, carries a lovely chevron-striped twill tape, in case anyone wants to try this for an edge.

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