Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Two 70s Pinwheel Quilts


A second 70's Pinwheel quilt arrived yesterday (pictured above). The other one (pictured below) came a week or two ago, and it's interesting to see the two together. One is very colorful, bright, and is dominated by solid fabrics. Its blocks are smaller, which created more pinwheels and a greater sense of motion. The other one is much darker with larger blocks, and comes to life with some wonderful print fabrics.


In a way, the one with the smaller blocks and bright colors is easier to understand. It's happy, and the combination of colors suggests a birthday party. The other quilt has a much more unexpected combination of colors and fabrics, mixing turquoise, brown, black, plaid and floral print. The row of smaller blocks at the top is also unexpected and adds an element of quirkiness.




So, I can't pick a favorite. I like both, for different reasons. Same basic quilt, two entirely different visions. The quilts compliment and enhance each other, and I can picture them hanging together.

Do you have a favorite?

Which one?
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5 comments:

  1. Tonya RicucciOctober 5, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    definitely the candy colored second one! fabulous.

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  2. lizOctober 5, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    They are definitely two very different stories. The first one is moody and I get the idea that towards the end, the maker just felt "what the heck, I want this finished". Hence the higgledy piggledy arrangements nearer the edges. The second quilt seems to be more focussed. I can't pick between them.

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  3. KristyOctober 6, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    They each have something to say to me. The darker one is more focused and orderly on the inside but gets a bit out of sync on the outside. Did she run out of the fabrics or make it that way on purpose?

    The light one has some interesting optical effects that could have been emphasized but there is just a suggestion of them, not an actual pattern in the color choices. It is bright and fun to look at.

    I agree with Liz that it is hard to choose.

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  4. arts4allOctober 24, 2011 at 4:45 AM

    Came across this collection of 70's quilts by accident, and what a pleasure it is to see them!!! I made my first quilt during the winter/spring of 1974 from a variety of poly broadcloths and calicos. It was massively ugly ;-0 but it was a crib quilt for my new baby girl and I had embroidered her name and birth info in the center square. I tied it with pink embroidery floss, but never finished the final process of binding. I boxed it up and gave it to her years later (when she was in her early 20's) and during one of her many moves it got lost or accidently thrown away.

    Thanks for posting this interesting collection!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bill VolckeningOctober 24, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Glad you enjoyed. These 70s quilts are fairly new to me. For a long time I only collected 19th century quilts and New York Beauties. It's nice to delve into an era I lived in through the quilts.

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