Saturday, November 17, 2018

Where have I seen that quilt before? (6)

The French expression "deja vu" translates to "already seen" and is meant to express the uncanny feeling of recollection. Sometimes people look at the quilts in my collection and think, "Deja vu!" Chances are, they have already seen the quilts...but where? 



Does this colorful scrappy Hawaiian "Fans" quilt look familiar? Where have we seen it before? It was once part of the collection of Eli Leon, who passed away earlier this year. It appeared in Roderick Kiracofe's book, "Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, 1950-2000" (page 134).



I bought the quilt from Roderick Kiracofe three years ago, and here's what I had to say about it at the time:


The quilt is attributed to Lori Apo. It is 72" x 90" and is thought to have been made in Hawaii or California (I'm betting on Hawaii) in the 1970 to 1980 period (I'm betting 1970 - it just has that look). It has lots of great Hawaiian fabrics, including the back fabric, with its surfers, hula girls and palm trees.



I am still betting the quilt was made in Hawaii, but even if it was made in California, it was made with Hawaiian scraps. That's what makes it a Hawaiian scrap quilt. It was exhibited at Latimer Quilt & Textile Center as part of a group of Hawaiian scrap quilts a few years ago, and I'm sure it's not the last time we will see this quilt.

The best part about having a quilt collection is sharing the quilts, even if it seems like oversharing. People worry about oversharing in 2018. It's a thing. I never worry about it with old quilts. I want everyone to see them, even if some folks saw them before. The quilts may be old, but it never gets old looking at them.

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