Quilting is an Artform

[Johnny Shafto]

Today my wife and a friend were headed to a "Quilting Show" on the campus of a nearby university. When asked if I'd like to come along my initial hesitation was quickly replaced by why not? Here was an opportunity to see the results of thousands of hours of hard work and colorful creativity. So off we all went. Long story short there were approximately 100 or more examples of beautiful craftsmanship with two I thought everyone here might enjoy…

 

[nc native]

Quilting and blanket making qualify as art forms as far as I am concerned. A funny story about my first baby blanket which was hand sown by a lady at the church my parents attended. It was pink and my mother delivered yours truly, a nine pound boy. I have that blanket in a closet and will probably give it to my granddaughter one day when we get around cleaning out our closets again.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

My grandmother made quilts - either "crazy quilts" which were scraps of whatever clothing or cloth was beyond repairing, all sewn together in whatever way they would fit, or if she used a pattern, it was "Drunkard's Path" which was around well before the Civil War and used later, according to one source:

The widely-held belief is that the quilts were sewn to promote the abolition of alcohol in the US, and were commonly seen with a blue and white color scheme.

 

[Story]

Is group quilting a thing of the past?

Decades ago my (WW2 generation) mom use to get together with the other "church ladies" and work on what I considered to be huge quilts (I was 6/7). Like 12' x 12'. The wooden quilt frames were ancient even then, and as they worked inwards the frame pieces would be re-clamped as the exterior portions were finished.

Obviously she took me along and I remember reading TENNYSON's "Charge of the Light Brigade" and COLERIDGE's "rime of the ancient mariner" aloud as an entertainment for those church ladies, while sitting under the quilt.

Long poems but there was always enough light under there to read clearly.

I learned later that NYC cigar rollers during our period of interest hired news readers to keep them entertained similarly.

I was not paid. Unless you consider being fed a form of payment.

 

[major bill]

Yes without a doubt quilting is art. This would include what might be considered quilts that are "fine art" as well as quilts that might be considered more folk art. Some quilt are meant to be hung on walls, while some quilts are meant to be used in a more functional way. From very early humans until today, humans have made art. Again some art is intended to be looked at, and some art as attractive functional items to make their lives a little more enjoyable. Art is meant to be enjoyed.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Is group quilting a thing of the past?

Decades ago my (WW2 generation) mom use to get together with the other "church ladies" and work on what I considered to be huge quilts (I was 6/7). Like 12' x 12'. The wooden quilt frames were ancient even then, and as they worked inwards the frame pieces would be re-clamped as the exterior portions were finished.

Obviously she took me along and I remember reading TENNYSON's "Charge of the Light Brigade" and COLERIDGE's "rime of the ancient mariner" aloud as an entertainment for those church ladies, while sitting under the quilt.

Long poems but there was always enough light under there to read clearly.

I learned later that NYC cigar rollers during our period of interest hired news readers to keep them entertained similarly.

I was not paid. Unless you consider being fed a form of payment.

Great post - this recalls another way things have changed. Before there was Radio or TV, evening entertainment often consisted of people taking turns reading aloud the riveting novel of the day, or a narrative poem, the longer the better. More pious families limited themselves to passages from the Bible, but there was plenty of drama in there too!

 

[Story]

Great post - this recalls another way things have changed. Before there was Radio or TV, evening entertainment often consisted of people taking turns reading aloud the riveting novel of the day, or a narrative poem, the longer the better. More pious families limited themselves to passages from the Bible, but there was plenty of drama in there too!

Plus you can't get the pure entertainment value on NETFLIX of a squeaky, bloodthirsty little 7 year old reading

Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.​

Sadly, there's a decline in volunteerism across the board in this century

https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/american-volunteerism-continues-to-decline-studies-find

 

[redbob]

Today my wife and a friend were headed to a "Quilting Show" on the campus of a nearby university. When asked if I'd like to come along my initial hesitation was quickly replaced by why not? Here was an opportunity to see the results of thousands of hours of hard work and colorful creativity. So off we all went. Long story short there were approximately 100 or more examples of beautiful craftsmanship with two I thought everyone here might enjoy…

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This has certainly peaked my quilt crazy wife's interest. She worked on a Civil War themed quilt that took longer to make than the Civil War took to be fought.

 

[Sheltowee]

Today my wife and a friend were headed to a "Quilting Show" on the campus of a nearby university. When asked if I'd like to come along my initial hesitation was quickly replaced by why not? Here was an opportunity to see the results of thousands of hours of hard work and colorful creativity. So off we all went. Long story short there were approximately 100 or more examples of beautiful craftsmanship with two I thought everyone here might enjoy…

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Great you were able to get photos. I attempted to photograph a few nice examples at the quilt museum in Paducah.

Was quickly told "NO".

 

[Library Lady]

Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series (novels) has a number of books featuring the Civil War and quilting.

The Runaway Quilt

THE RUNAWAY QUILT | Kirkus Reviews

Quilting, the Underground Railroad, and the struggles of immigrants in Pennsylvania all find a place in this passable fourth in the Elm Creek Quilts series (The Cross-Country Quilters, 2001, etc.).

www.kirkusreviews.com

The Sugar Camp Quilt

The Sugar Camp Quilt - Historical Novel Society

Dorothea Granger lives in antebellum Pennsylvania. Her parents are poor relations of her Uncle Jacob and work on his farm, which they hope to inherit. Dorothea’s family had belonged to a utopian community of transcendental Christians before Elm Creek flooded and scattered them. They expressed...

historicalnovelsociety.org

The Lost Quilter

The Lost Quilter - Jennifer Chiaverini

"This is an outstanding series of novels about a fascinating craft. Quilting, in the hands of Chiaverini, allows us to explore human relationships in all their complexity" —Booklist Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson treasures an antique quilt called by three names—Birds in the Air, after...

www.jenniferchiaverini.com

The Union Quilters

The Union Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini

The New York Times bestselling author of the Elm Creek Quilts series joins the Dutton list with a Civil War-era tale of love and sacrifice behind Union lines. With the The Union Quilters, Chiaverini delivers a powerful story of a remarkable group of women coping with changing roles and the...

www.jenniferchiaverini.com

The Museum of Lost Quilts

Now Available: The Museum of Lost Quilts: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel - Jennifer Chiaverini

“An outstanding series of novels…Quilting, in the hands of Chiaverini, allows us to explore human relationships in all their complexity.” —Booklist on the Elm Creek Quilts series “Chiaverini’s twenty-second Elm... Read more »

www.jenniferchiaverini.com

I have read some of them and thoroughly enjoy the mix of Civil War history and quilting, although I don't quilt myself. Some of them are still in the "read me" pile, and I'm looking forward to getting to them.

 

[MWood1841]

I was Blessed to have known and have a relationship with my Great Grandmother. She passed away when I was 18. I remember watching her and my grandmother spends endless hours quilting on these large quilting racks and rods suspended from the ceiling of my great grandmothers den. My cousins and I always got quilts for Christmas. They are most definitely an art form and sadly one that is fading away with time. @Johnny Shafto thanks for posting. That first quilt is absolutely beautiful and stirred up some great memories of my Granny and Nanny.