A Dream

Applique Sampler, c. 1880, Pennsylvania

If this amazing applique sampler quilt looks familiar, there are a lot of good reasons. I've had my eye on it for years, and have traced its auspicious journey from my "first sighting" in the Quilt Digest to its arrival on my front doorstep this afternoon. The interesting thing is a dream led me to acquire it.

In 1986, the quilt appeared in the fourth edition of "The Quilt Digest" as part of an article by Michael Kile, about "the dealer's dealer" Sandra Mitchell. There is a full view picture on page 79. I first read the article several years ago, and immediately recognized the quilt when it was available for sale through Shelly Zegart's web site. However, I could not afford it at the time.

I continued to check Shelly's web site periodically to see if it was still available, and one day, I discovered it had been sold. Not too long afterwards, I came across a picture of the quilt on the Facebook page of Houston collector Tom Reddick, who happens to be a Facebook friend. Even though I was sad to miss my opportunity, I was glad to know where it was.

Some time this year, the quilt popped up on The Quilt Complex web site as a consignment. The price was reasonable, and I was keeping it in the back of my mind. If I had any money left after taxes and other fall expenses, maybe I could buy it.

I'd almost forgotten about it when I woke up the other day thinking about the quilt. I had been dreaming about it. Half-asleep, I made my way over to the computer and checked the web to see if it was still available. I thought for sure it would be gone after the International Quilt Festival in Houston, where The Quilt Complex had a booth. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the computer light, and then it took my mind a few moments to wrap itself around what I was seeing. It was on sale, price reduced.

Immediately I sent a note to Julie Silber asking if it was still available, and within the next three e-mails I'd arranged to buy it. Funny how the idea came to me in a dream. I think the Quilt Gods intervened.

photos courtesy of The Quilt Complex

Embroidered Crazy Block Top with Crazy Border

Recently I found this wonderful wool quilt top, and the unusual design really caught my eye. It's an embroidered crazy block with a crazy border, and I don't recall ever seeing one quite like it. I posted a picture to the Facebook page for Antique and Vintage Quilts, and my friend Pat Sloan asked to see detail pictures, so I thought I'd share some more pictures here.

The center block is embroidered with a flower basket and the name Clifford.

Wreath with leaves, flowers and ribbons.

Wreath with dragonflies and flowers

Block with embroidered flowers, and a section of the pieced border

Embroidered cat with ribbon and birds

I bought the top thinking I would sell it, but I may get it finished first. I have another embroidered wool quilt from the same period, turn-of-the-century, finished with a knife-edge binding and flannel back. So, that's how I'm thinking this piece should be finished. If there's anyone out there who feels like it would be a fun project to finish this piece, I'd be willing to sell it as a top and let you have all the fun! I'm also willing to share pictures of the other completed quilt for inspiration on an appropriate method of finishing. If you're interested, just send me an e-mail.

Two Scrappy Double-Knit Polyester Quilts

Bowties, c. 1975, California

My quest for 1970s quilts has turned up two more colorful examples made of double-knit polyester. The first is a vibrant, multicolored Bowties quilt with hot pink, lime green, and a multitude of other solids and prints. The bowties run diagonally in the blocks, from upper left to lower right, which gives the quilt a wonderful sense of movement.

25-Patch Grid, c. 1970, Michigan

The second quilt is a wonky, multicolored 25-Patch Grid quilt from Michigan. This quilt is reminiscent of the utility quilts from the Southeast, and has what I like to call a casual geometry. The patches are roughly the same size and shape, but not exact. Horizontal strips jump out, lending structure to the design, while the vertical strips between blocks blend in more.

So far, the sophisticated use of color is one thing I take away from my search for 70s quilts. In the 1850s red, white, and green were most prevalent. In the Depression Easter egg colors dominated. In the 1970s there was Technicolor, influenced by Pop Art, evolving multimedia, and a generation of film and television. The luxurious fabrics and high level of craft may have been mostly absent, but I feel the 1970s quilts stand out for their innovative use of color.

Melting Pot: 19th Century Quilts

Early 19th century wholecloth chintz quilt

Last night, I did a lecture for the Westside Quilters Guild of Hillsboro, Oregon - another very fun group! The topic was "Melting Pot: Quilts from the 19th Century" and it was based on a self-published book I made for friends and family last Christmas. In the lecture, I gave an overview of quilt history from the earliest American wholecloth quilts, through the "best" quilts of the Civil War era, to the Victorian, Amish, and wool quilts of the late 19th century.

Nine-Patch Top, unknown maker, New England, c. 1830

The book was a survey of quilts from my collection and included various types of quilts. The lecture was more of a whirlwind tour of several important trends in quiltmaking during the 19th century. It was the first time I'd brought out the recently acquired wholecloth chintz quilt, which served as an example of type of quilt made from the 1760s through the second quarter of the 19th century. When discussing the quilt, I described some of the details and talked about imported fabrics and the advent of fabric production in America. By the 1840s, production was in full swing. The 1830s Nine-Patch top was made during the transitional period, when both imported and domestically produced fabrics were in use.

Detail: Album with Lyre, c. 1850, Mary Couchman Small, West Virginia

Block detail: MacMillan Family quilt, Monroe County, KY, 1868

The next two quilts represented the best of the "best" quilts from the Civil War era. First up was the Album with Lyre, which was hanging for the duration of the lecture. This quilt is among the finest examples of applique and quilting, and quilters always love getting up close to it. The MacMillan Family quilt, a variation of the pattern best known as New York Beauty, stirred a similar reaction from the audience. Both quilts are superlative examples of highly refined work, and both include solid, domestically produced fabrics.

Amish Nine-Patch crib quilt, c. 1900, Ohio

The last three quilts served as examples of the way quilters used color in late 19th century. Interestingly, the quilts also represented three different genres. I showed the Ohio-made Amish crib quilt from the Esprit Collection; the silk Diamonds quilt, a Victorian masterpiece related to the Crazy Quilt movement; and a wonderfully modern looking wool utility quilt. All three pieces displayed a darker palette with lush, earthy colors and rich jewel tones, and each quilt represented a specific type of fabric.

Block detail: utility quilt from the late 19th or early 20th century

Silk Diamonds, c. 1890 - I call it an "OCD" quilt

I always enjoy the reactions when people see these quilts for the first time. These reactions are probably similar to my own when I discover a great quilt. But beyond that, I love sharing what I've learned about quilts and quilt history. Many thanks to the Westside Quilters for inviting me to come lecture. I'm looking forward to visiting with the group again in the future! To check out the Westside Quilters Guild, click here.

Five Polyester Crib Quilts

Five Polyester crib quilts arrived last week. Three are tied, and all are made from square patches of multicolor double-knit. So far, I've found ten crib or baby sized quilts from the 70s, and I'm wondering if they were more often made than crib quilts of other periods. Here are pictures of all five new ones.

I can only imagine these quilts are like a bad flashback for some quilters, who may remember working with double-knit polyester. Apparently, it wasn't the easiest material to use. It is stretchy and dense making it tricky to piece and difficult to quilt. That's why so many of them are tied.

In a way, it's like a love hate relationship. Since I'm the guy who can't thread a needle, I think of these quilts more in terms of quilt history and art history, and they certainly hold a unique place in both fields of study. The 70s quilts intrigue me because of the way quilters were using color. Even the pastels were technicolor! The fabrics are also a lot of fun. Check out the detail of the double-knit clown fabric. Now, how can you look at that and not smile?

What is a Masterpiece Quilt?

During my collecting journey, I gained an appreciation for
wool quilts. This one was made roughly 100 years ago
but there's something very modern about it.

Earlier today, I did a lecture for the Columbia River Gorge Quilters Guild in Hood River, Oregon, and the subject was masterpiece quilts. I've done variations on this lecture before, and today I focused on the idea of a masterpiece quilt and how my idea evolved.

Block detail: cotton pieced quilt, unknown maker, c. 1850, Kentucky

In the program description, I asked, "What is a Masterpiece quilt? Masterpiece is a term that's usually associated with the fine arts, such as painting or sculpture. In the world of art, a masterpiece is a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship - an artist's best piece of work. People don't always think of quilts as works of art, but they are! 

Detail, Album quilt by Mary Couchman Small, West Virginia, c. 1850

We started with "best" quilts, the type of quilt collectors were collecting in the 80s, leading up to the time when I bought my first quilt in 1989. The level of skill, dense quilting, expert construction and detail left no doubt that these quilts were masterpieces. They spoke for themselves. Coincidentally, 1989 is the year  I saw my first quilt exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, featuring masterpiece Applique quilts from their permanent collection. 

Economy Patch, c. 1810, New England

Around 2001, wool utility quilts from the late 1800s and early 1900s started to catch my attention. Compared with the early-to-mid 19th century cotton quilts, the wool quilts were a whole different animal. The bold geometry, modern looking designs and often earthy combinations expanded my understanding of what a masterpiece quilt could be. More recently, I've developed a true love for the early 1800s wool quilts, which are often extraordinarily modern looking and visually sophisticated.

Block Detail: scrap quilt, c. 1970 - I call it "Wild Thing"

Toward the end of the lecture, I talked about one of the biggest revelations I had as a collector. In 2002, I saw The Quilts of Gee's Bend at the Whitney Museum in New York. It was just the second major quilt show I'd seen. The exhibition opened my eyes to all types of quilts, in any condition, and expanded my definition of a masterpiece quilt way beyond the wool utility quilts. It even led to what I'm collecting right now- primarily 1970s quilts. 

"Wild Thing" - I think I love you...

The last quilt I showed is a quilt I call "Wild Thing" - and it represents a point at which I was drawn to a quilt, but needed to figure out why. Sometimes the things that are most difficult to understand are most worth getting to know. 1970s quilts, many made of materials such as double knit polyester, are not widely appreciated or collected right now, but I believe some day they will be. 


So, it was a wonderful morning with a great group! And they put on a fantastic quilt show annually in September, so mark your calendars! To check out the Columbia River Gorge Quilters Guild, click here.

Portland Modern Quilt Guild - A Fun Group!

Night Flight, 1982, by Andrea Leong Scadden, aka Andrea Balosky

Yesterday I visited the Portland Modern Quilt Guild at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland for an evening talk about masterpiece quilts. The room was packed, and what a fun group! There was lots of laughter, great questions, and the usual wide eyes, craned necks and audible gasps (I love those). The talk was an adaptation of my "Masterpiece Theatre" lecture, tailored to the guild.

Cross Roads, c. 1870, Texas

It was a whirlwind tour of my journey as a collector, and how my idea of a masterpiece quilt evolved over the years. The story started with the type of quilts that collectors were buying in the 1980s when I started collecting - "best" quilts - which are easily recognized by their wonderful design, great construction, and dense quilting.

Album with Lyre, 1850, Mary Couchman Small, West Virginia

From there, we went to Alabama when I showed Lucy Mingo's Bible Story quilt, made in 1979. Seeing the Gee's Bend exhibit in New York was a real turning point for me. I realized the definition of a masterpiece quilt was much more broad than my preconceived idea of the "best" quilt.

Bible Story by Lucy Mingo, Gee's Bend, Alabama, 1979

It was a big jump, but that's kind of how it happened for me. The first quilt exhibit I ever saw was Applique Quilts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The second quilt exhibit I saw was The Quilts of Gee's Bend. It was a lot to digest in a short time, but my art history background was a good foundation for understanding various styles of artistic expression. I loved the Gee's Bend quilts from the moment I first laid eyes on them!

Blue Skies and Green Tangent, 2011, by Andrea Balosky

I showed nine quilts in 45 minutes! Crazy, I know, but four were grouped together when I spoke about Andrea Balosky. Everyone seemed to have fun...I know I did! Thank you to the Portland Modern Quilt Guild for inviting me speak. I hope to return to the guild in the future to speak about more great quilts! To check out the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, click here.