Twelve Quilts of Christmas 2019 – #1
Early on in my antique quilt studies, Amish quilts spoke loudly to my heart. I was taken by their bold designs and striking colour choices. Over the years I have come to appreciate those elements even more. There are lots of “old standards” examples of Amish quilts on Pinterest and the web … stunning quilts that we know and love and that have clearly spoken to many of us … examples of designs that you automatically visualize of when you think Amish quilt. In considering the quilts for this year, I have chosen to focus on Amish quilts that are a bit different, that have a wee twist in colour combinations (although let’s face it, the Amish were fabulous at creating interesting colour combinations) or interesting interpretations of those designs that we think of as quintessentially Amish.
Working with solids is unforgiving, but rewarding. Solids create a visual clarity that contributes to the powerful visual impact of these splendid quilts. The lines of the design are sharply delineated since the fabric is without printed pattern to visually soften the transition from one piece to another. In looking at all the quilts I considered for this year’s celebration, it is was sometimes the colour that grabbed my attention first, and sometimes it was the design, but grab my attention they did. And I just have to say it was so hard to choose which ones to include out of all the options … I know, I know … you hear that from me every year.
I am so glad you stopped by. I hope you will join me every day from now until the 25th as we celebrate Amish Quilts. Enjoy!
*A special note.
A huge thank you to all who are antique quilt collectors or who work to preserve our precious quilt textile heritage. With many antique quilt photos readily accessible on the web, we can forget that someone or some organization has to be the one responsible for preserving and caring for those quilts so they can be enjoyed in person for years to come. It can be challenging for collectors to arrange permanent custodianship of their collections in a museum, and when it does happen we need to support those museums, that make those commitments to hold quilts in their collections, so they can truly be permanent custodians of our quilting legacy. An interesting article here on quilt historian Janneken Smucker’s blog about the changing fate of the “Esprit Collection” of Amish quilts.
Triangles (crib quilt), Kalona, Iowa, c. 1930, 41″ x 33″, Artist unknown. From the collection of Faith and Stephen Brown.
This quilt centre simply glows against the wide black border. Interesting secondary designs are created when one triangle “tops” the triangle below it and is in a similar colour. A mixture of purples add visual interest and break predictability. The black triangles scattered throughout the quilt give unity with the border and the royal blue triangles add vibrancy to the overall design. Of note are the two orange sherbet-ish triangles and the two pale khaki green triangles. They make the quilt. Take them away and you miss them … that’s how you know it needs them.
I would love to hear your comments or just say hi below.
Thank you for stopping by!
Mary Elizabeth
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I agree about the orange and khaki and like your description. The triangle that looks cerulean blue on my screen is also fun. Orange in Amish quilts always stirs my imagination. What was in the dye pot that day? Did someone get to wear an orange garment? The first quilt I made was an Amish design. I put in some orange and felt rebellious.
I love your thoughts on this quilt and your description of being a rebel and adding orange to your quilt! It made me smile. Thank you for sharing that. We all need to be a little rebellious!
Just stunning! Thank you for this gift at Christmas!
You are so welcome Laverne. Thank you so much for commenting.
Isn’t it amazing! And I love the quilting too
Truly amazing. Thank you Pamela for commenting and stopping by!
Superbe ! J’adore!
Merci, Lydie. Cette quilt me rend fou!
Beautiful array of colours. Hardly “plain people” with all that vibrancy.
Shirley, you are so right. I will take this kind of “plain” everyday!
Just beautiful and thank you for this visual treat. I just finished reading an article about finding your inner light and letting it shine through. This quilt, with its small cracks of light, illustrates it perfectly. Coincidence?
Hi Cheryl. No coincidence at all! Sounds like a fascinating article. Would you mind sharing the source?
I love the simplicity of Amish quilts and the use of color is stunning!
Beautifully said and I totally concur!
Hi Mary Elizabeth! I always look forward to your twelve days of Christmas and am really looking forward to seeing the quilts over the next days. I also enjoyed your article on Gwen in the last issue of Curated Quilts. Thanks for keeping Gwen’s legacy going.
Thank you and thank you Marge. She was a treasure. Your comment brought tears to my eyes.
As someone who goes to Kalona at least twice a year for the Iowa/Illinois Quilt Study Group I love seeing this one. The colors are so wonderful. Excited for the next 11 quilts!
Jody in Iowa
Jody, thank you for your comments. How neat to be able to put a visual of a place to a quilt. We are so lucky to have that information for so many of the quilts in this years Twelve Quilts of Christmas. Usually so much of the information is unknown. I am practically jumping out of my skin for the next eleven I am so excited!
Funny, I noticed the orange triangles almost immediately. Stunning piece you’ve chosen here (as always:-)).
Thank you so much!
Those cheeky orange triangles are delightful.
Cheeky is such a good word to describe those orange triangles … makes me smile with delight! Thank you Isobel.
Thank you so much for doing this every year. I look forward to it. Amish quilts are some of my favorites because the simplicity of the designs are raised up a notch by the color combinations.
You are so welcome Carolyn. And you stated it so well about what makes Amish quilts so special.
What a treat to see these Amish quilts before Christmas. It will be a preview of some of the Esprit collection of Amish quilts at QuiltCon 2020, of which I am looking forward. Thank you so much for this feast for the eyes!
You are so welcome Glenna. Those quilts will be wonderful to see at Quiltcon.
Fabulous quilt! So colorful, of course. The seemingly simple but challenging triangle was my first attempt at a large quilt. Thankfully, I did not choose solids.
Wow! That is so impressive that this triangle was your first large quilt … it is amazing what we will attempt when we don’t know any better!
Mary Ellen, Thanks for sharing this. I met you at Gwennie’s retreat in 2007 (I think) and love your work. I’m especially drawn to this Amish quilt as I was born in Kalona, Iowa. My father was adopted into a Mennonite family in Frytown, near Kalona. I always go to Kalona when I travel ‘home’ to Iowa from Oregon.
Hi Neva, I absolutely remember meeting you. Thank you for saying hi. How neat that you have such a personal connection to this quilt. It is so interesting that you can put place to this quilt and know the environment and area where it was made.
Thanks for your response. Thinking of Gwennie so often. She was such an inspiration and muse… May your Holidays be warm and filled with new memories.
She was such a treasure. How fortunate we were to have had her in our lives. Sending you wishes for a wonderful holiday season as well.
I have to look at this beauty again and again. It is so absolutely beautiful in all its darkness and small pops of discreet color. Thank you so much for sharing it!