1970s Hexie Love

c. 1970, Oregon

Great Hexagon quilts do not come along every day, but it is not completely unheard-of to find one made around the 1970s. Hand work was groovy. I've got a few 1970s Hexagon quilts, and one of the particularly memorable examples is this Hexagon Diamond design, plucked from a flea market in Tigard, Oregon for a song. The quilt is 78" x 80" and is 100% polyester double knit. Hand quilting is done along one edge of each color row, allowing the other edge to puff out;  and a three-dimensional, layered effect is achieved.

c. 1970, Alaska

The quilt from Tigard is directly across from the other Hexagon quilt in the exhibition, the Honeycomb Hexagon from Alaska. The two quilts seem to call out to one another.

c. 1970, Texas

reversible Flower Garden, c. 1970s

There are two other 1970s Hexagon quilts in my collection, both made of polyester, but they are not on display at the museum. One is a Tumbling Block Star with green diamond path, and the other is a reversible Flower Garden with an irregular edge, Both quilts are phenomenal.

There are just a few more days to get some 1970s hexie love as part of "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. LAST WEEK - THROUGH SATURDAY!! For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.

Notorious: The Mountain Mist Bicentennial Star Quilt

The Mountain Mist Bicentennial Star Quilt is kind of notorious. Why, you ask? Because the whole thing was supposed to be done as appliqué, including the triangles; and it was marketed as an "easy and fun" quilt, appropriate for beginners. LOL?

There was a pattern and a kit, for crib and full size. The kit came with pre-printed white fabric indicating where to stitch down the precut red and blue fabric, and instructions.

There were also instructions for other types of items, such as pillows. Found one of those on eBay, from a seller in Maryland. It is signed and dated, 1975.

It must have been absolute torture to make the quilt, particularly with cotton/polyester blend fabrics. No surprise, we don't see many of them available for sale. I can't imagine many were completed. Sometimes, ideas that may not have been the best, such as a quilt for beginners with lots of appliqué work, turn out to be the most difficult to find objects. 

There were other Bicentennial quilts, and one that was similar to the Mountain Mist quilt called the Star of '76. Both of these quilts featured the Bicentennial star logo.

The American Revolution Bicentennial Commission selected the logo via contest in 1974, and the winning design was by Bruce N. Blackburn, who was also co-designer of the modernized NASA insignia used from 1975-1992.

The Mountain Mist Bicentennial Star quilt, which came from an eBay seller in Massachusetts, is on display with other Bicentennial ephemera as part of "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. LAST WEEK - THROUGH SATURDAY!! For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.

1970s improv snake trails

This 1970s improvisational Snake Trails quilt is something you don't see every day. Snake Trails are already unusual, and are often made with fans or solid curved pieces; but the improvisational patchwork and applied trim make this one an exceptional example. The colors are great, too.

And look! It has Sweet Little Calicoes! I love 1970s calicoes. Against the sky blue background, they really pop.

The quilt is 66" x 86" and was machine pieced on cloth foundation. It has machine applied trims, and is sparsely machine quilted with curves, which appear to be hand-guided. 

One of my favorite calicoes is the bright green fabric in the third detail photo above. It has lots of tiny flowers and rich little pops of color. After the 1970s, calicoes were much less lively, and the colors veered toward the mauves, dusty roses and teals. Ghastly, in my opinion. Thank goodness for the 70s calicoes!

The Snake Trails quilt is part of an eye-opening group of barely-vintage quilts, currently on display in  "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. LAST WEEK - THROUGH SATURDAY!! For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.

More bowties!

This wonderful 1970s polyester Bowties quilt came from an eBay seller in Sacramento, California. The seller picked it up in Lodi, and I bought it in 2011, at the end of my first year collecting 1970s quilts. It is 100% polyester double knit, is 70" x 84" and includes a nice variety of fabrics and colors.

The bowtie block has been popular for a long time, and I have a few others from the 1970s including the one in my blog post from Saturday, September 26th.

That quilt has a secondary design of white "snowballs" although I have heard snowballs are easier than bowties. I have also heard the snowballs have to touch to truly be a snowball quilt. The makers of these quilts probably were not aware of any rules, if there were any.

Another example from the 1970s is also like an Apple Core design with interlocking shapes that fit together like a puzzle. You could call it an Apple Core or a Bowtie, I suppose. A third one has red sashing and mostly soft colors in the blocks. It really dances.

All four of these quilts are 100% polyester double knit, and they are all quite cheerful. The colors are vivid, color combinations intriguing, and the placement of darks and lights creates a lot of movement.

The Bowties quilt from California (at top) is part of an eye-opening group of barely-vintage quilts, currently on display in  "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. LAST WEEK - THROUGH SATURDAY!! For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.

Bowties? or Snowballs?

Sometimes a quilt can be more than one pattern, and this wonderful 1970s polyester quilt is a good example. Depending on how you look at it, the quilt could be called either a Bowtie or a Snowball quilt.

If you're a stickler for details, the block is Bowtie and the secondary pattern, Snowball. In other words, each unit is a bowtie block, but when the blocks are put together, they form a secondary pattern-- a white snowball in the negative space.

The quilt came from an eBay seller in Jacksonville, Florida, and it is 70" x 83 & 1/2". It is all hand quilted, and notably, under $50. A similar quilt was offered to me a couple years earlier by a well known quilt dealer for the "friendly" price of $1650. (ouch!)

This quilt is part of an eye-opening group of barely-vintage quilts, currently on display in  "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.

Her First Quilt

"Oh Dear!" by Christine Yi, at the 2015 Northwest Quilting Expo 

"There's a lot to be said for not knowing what you 'can't' do." 

-Mary Kate Karr Petras, Quilters Newsletter Magazine.

Today, as I was heading for the exit after spending several hours at the Northwest Quilting Expo, a friend waved me over to meet someone who made one of the quilts in the show. It turned out to be Christine Jiun Yi, who made the magnificent yellow, white and gray "Dear Jane" quilt, third-place winner in the Large Quilts category.

It was her first quilt.

Yes, you heard that correctly. Her first quilt.

I just looked at her, mouth hanging open, shaking my head, and said, "You're insane." Of course, I meant that in the nicest possible way, and was simply trying to find a way to express my amazement before actually bowing down to her. Her first quilt. A Dear Jane. And she made it modern!

The Original "Dear Jane" quilt, 1863, Jane Stickle,
Bennington Museum, Vermont

For any readers who may not know about "Dear Jane" this quilt is the quintessential test for a quilter. The original Dear Jane quilt, completed by Jane Stickle in 1863, is part of the collection of the Bennington Museum in Vermont and is regarded as one of the all-time great masterpiece quilts. Making a Dear Jane is usually an epic saga. It's the type of quilt that takes years to make, even for the most experienced quiltmakers.

Christine Yi completed her Dear Jane top in a year.

A year!

When I heard that, I didn't know what to think. I was shocked, but I wanted her autograph. It was thrilling to meet someone with such an amazing gift, who had absolutely no concept of how extraordinary her accomplishment was. She wasn't intimidated by Dear Jane because nobody told her to be. She just did it. On top of that, she made an excellent choice when picking a long-arm quilter, and Nancy Stovall did a terrific job with it.

I posted a picture of the quilt with a brief description on Facebook, and the comments started rolling in immediately. Mary Kate Karr Petras of Quilters Newsletter Magazine said, "There's a lot to be said for not knowing what you 'can't' do." And I couldn't agree more! There's something to be said for being fearless, having fun, and doing what you enjoy. Kudos to Christine Yi. I can't wait to see what else she's got up her sleeve. May she thoroughly enjoy her quilt journey. 

Northwest Quilting Expo: The Green Cross Quilt by Gail Weiss

Green Cross Quilt, 2015, by Gail Weiss, Portland Modern

The 2015 Northwest Quilting Expo is open today through Saturday, and this year's show has a variety of beautiful exhibits including a dynamic special display by Portland Modern Quilt Guild (PMQG). If I could pick a favorite quilt, the "Green Cross Quilt" by Gail Weiss of PMQG would be it. The elegant, improvisational design was inspired by Susan Beal's Modern Crosses Quilt; but this quilt is not just modern, it is of the moment.

A quilted cannabis leaf appears in the large green cross in the lower right-hand section, and the quilt commemorates the legalization of cannabis in Oregon. You can't get much more current than that.

This type of subject matter, dealing with hotly-debated current events, is seldom seen in quilt shows. The quilt conveys its message gracefully, and that's what I find most remarkable. It is a quintessential early 21st century quilt, something for the future quilt history books.

I should also mention: Gail received her first-ever quilt show ribbon for her wonderful Hexie Jellyfish Quilt. There's a good reason why I call her Hexie Queen! Sorry for the fuzzy pictures, I just had my phone today.

Of course, there were many other incredible quilts in the show, something for everyone...but I only saw parts. Will try to post some more pictures of the PMQG display later on. I'll be back on Saturday most likely. The Northwest Quilting Expo runs through Saturday. For more information, click here. 

Throwback Thursday: My First 1970s Quilt

"I don't really intend to collect vintage 1960's or 1970's quilts, unless it's something very unusual like an early art quilt." 

- Bill Volckening, 2010

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The first 1970s quilt in my collection made such an impression on me, I can tell you exactly when and where I discovered it. I was strolling through the Portland Expo Center during the fall antiques and collectibles show on Saturday, October 30th, 2010.

When I go to these shows by myself, I move very quickly up and down the aisles. Even though the Antiques Expo in Portland is an enormous show, the scant selection of quilts is usually disappointing. Ordinary, overpriced or in poor condition is not what I'm looking for, but that's often what's there. So, I walk by most of the quilts without even stopping. Heartless, I know, but I always approach big shows with the same laser focus. Otherwise, it's much too easy to get distracted.

Nearing the end of one of the center aisles in the first building around lunchtime, I saw a flash of hot pink. It was a quilt, wadded up under a table, with only a bit of the edges showing. "Let's see what this is..." I thought, not seriously thinking it would be anything much. The seller helped me open it up, and each of us held an edge. "Very interesting," I thought.

It was bright, that's for sure, kind of psychedelic, but it was not at all what I collected. Up to that point, I turned my nose up to most anything that wasn't 100 years old or older. So, even though I was intrigued, I left without it. After obsessing about it overnight and not knowing why, I went back for it first thing in the morning on Sunday, the last day of the show. It was also Halloween. The quilt was still there, and I bought it.

The next day, I blogged about the quilt. In the blog, I said,

"I don't really intend to collect vintage 1960's or 1970's quilts, unless it's something very unusual like an early art quilt."

What. A. Riot.

Well, so much for keeping that promise...

The quilt launched a collecting spree that turned out to be a complete feeding frenzy for me. At an alarming rate, I acquired more than 100 quilts, most of them significantly undervalued. Within a few years, articles began to appear.

American Quilter Magazine 2013 

Generation Q Magazine 2013

Quilters Newsletter Magazine 2015

When I started making noise about 1970s quilts, the polyester haters came out of the woodwork. Many of them would eventually begin to love the quilts, or at least appreciate them.

QuiltCon 2015

The quilts were displayed at QuiltCon 2015, and are currently on display in their first museum exhibition at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon.

The crazy block quilt is still one of my favorites. It came from Hawaii and was foundation pieced on fabric with no batting and a flannel back. Dimensions are 65" x 77" and fabrics include cottons and synthetics. The spiraling, improvisational crazy block design has much movement within each block, but also an underlying sense of structure in the squared block edges.

This quilt is part of an eye-opening group of barely-vintage quilts, currently on display in  "Modern Materials, Quilts of the 1970s" at the Benton County Museum in Philomath, Oregon. For more information about the exhibition, location, hours,  and other venues showing quilts during Quilt County 2015, click here.