Isn't it amazing how applique artists of the 19th century
adapted nature to their quilts?
Using simple shapes they captured the natural world.
In this one from the Herr's Antiques you can guess
she's depicting a sunflower. Some quilters had
a real talent for abstracting nature.
Others....
From the Kentucky Quilt Project & the Quilt Index
Well, not everybody's at one with nature.
From gb-best quilts on eBay
From a show at the Quilters' Hall of Fame
From a sampler sold at James Julia Auction
These folky fauna quilts are my favorite to study! thanks Barbara and Merry Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteI love what I call, "Alien Applique". I've made a few myself (one just last week) and they usually end up on the UFO table at my guild meetings. My favorite is the last photo from James Julia's auction. I would love to have met that quilter!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Some of them are make me scratch my head! I love them all anyway!!
ReplyDeleteGotta love those funky designs! Or as Lori Chase says, "What was she thinking?"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the more unusual blocks were not made by children. Girls learned the art of needlework at a very young age. They are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI love those beetle shaped pieces with the little dangling balls. So funny to look at.
ReplyDeleteSadly, not all are blessed with the talent to turn real-life items into simple lines and shapes suitable for applique. Rather not so sadly - those "oddball" designs are so interesting, whether by children, less talented designers, or those making things up from their imagination, dreams or nightmares. Do the designs *have* to represent something in the real world?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh!
ReplyDeleteAww they tried. Cacti?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas and thank you for all the research - I love learning more. Plus we get to see some weird ones too! They may be weird - but they are still around!
Best wishes, Kerry