-
A Closer Look   (3 of 3)

An expert could examine the fabric patterns and its condition in order to date the center of this quilt accurately. I believe the original quilter had sewn on a machine, so it can't date too far back... 

A lot of these four square blocks contain a plaid, and I would guess that they are all cottons.



But my teen-aged self didn't really seem take that into account when I chose scraps to construct new blocks. Apparently, I just used what was on hand in the scrap box. (I don't think I even considered fiber content.)  I may not be able to say when the quilt was started, but, because I recognize fabrics from my clothing projects, I have a pretty good idea of when this was finished. 


I remember having to problem solve when the pink ran out- it was impossible to match exactly. So, I switched to white solid blocks for two rows. The remaining original squares were interspersed with the new four square blocks.

It is a "tied" quilt, which means that the front and back are simply held together at the corners of the squares with little ties, instead of quilting the top.


I think of this as a baby step in my quilting journey. If I were presented with this project today, I would do things a bit differently. My goal might be to preserve the vintage feel and authenticity of the quilt by trying to find similar colors and patterns to match the original fabrics. On the other hand, I did stay true to the scrap quilt genre. It's kind of a time capsule of fabrics from different points in the 20th century. And it represents one family's multi-generational effort in quilting.


Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 28, 2018 at 9:00 PM

    Amazing to see how far you have progressed and a cool insight into an amateur’s attempt at quilting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lauren Klementz-HarteJune 29, 2018 at 4:14 AM

    Wow, you just helped me pull together some ideas for future posts! I had been examining this quilt in terms of its history, but I love the concept of the progress made as I continue to pursue this activity... it puts the quilt in a different context altogether.
    Honestly, I'm grateful for the reminder that those first faltering steps (and missteps) pave the way to the next level in any creative journey.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

The Huntington- Galleries (3 of 3)

-
Image
If you're not into gardens, or there's just so much sun you can tolerate, there are plenty of indoor galleries to visit at our destination spot. After all we're talking about The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. ( https://huntington.org/ ) The gallery exhibits cover a wide range of art movements, styles, and periods. (In fact this would be a great place to study millinery designs for women's hats. LOL)  This vast collection is not exclusively one of painting.  Many art forms and disciplines are represented. And it's really interesting to have divergent styles to compare and contrast in one visit. We happily stumbled on the American Art Galleries. Walking into this room felt like coming home, with it's nod to American quilts and textiles.   This yarn sewn rug attributed to Hannah Rosina Maynard Phillips stood out to me. Loved the rich colors and the intricate floral design.  Contrast Hannah's piece with this one by artist Cai Guo-Qiang a
Read more
-
Ability to be Creative Ability , ( noun )- aptitude, intelligence, innate qualities, powers, potency, talent, capability, competence, proficiency, knowledge, technique, craft, skill, dexterity, artistry, facility, mastery, experience,understanding, faculty This is a partial listing of the synonyms for the word "ability" in Webster's New World Thesaurus . It seems to me that these words can be divided into two categories. The first category would be nouns which people generally think of as qualities that come naturally to the individual-  "innate qualities" . I propose that everyone has intelligence, capability, dexterity, even artistry, though some might say people possess them in varying degrees, and in different combinations. But isn't that called "individuality"? Now consider the second group of words. These are nouns that can be acquired: knowledge, experience, technique, skills, mastery . These are things you have with practice !
Read more

The Huntington- Textures & Colors (2 of 3)

-
Image
  There is so much to visually take in when you're surrounded by the natural beauty at The Huntington! Whether you soak in the vibrant colors and incredible textures of the many floral species, . . .  Or you pull back to absorb the magnificent collective textures created in the various themed gardens like the bamboo forest: or the cactus garden: There are also subtle color palettes created in garden displays that include a variety of plants: And then there are the man made textures that are thoughtfully scattered throughout the gardens: Plenty of inspiration for, say, quilt textures, and color choices; even shapes and design elements to borrow for future projects.
Read more