Twelve Quilts of Christmas 2015 – #8

 

Bill Volckening describes this quilt “as a monumental example of early American Whitework. … It is all white, stuffed work, and includes a centre medallion with a large weeping willow tree.  The tree is framed with laurel, surrounded by flowers and grapes, with a border that resembles the architectural detail of a cornice. ”   Bill wrote a wonderfully detailed article about the symbolic significance of the willow tree on the Why Quilts Matter blog. And less than a year after purchasing this quilt, he found it’s twin.  You can read more about it on his blog.

 

 

What I love about this quilt is the loose composition of the outer border and the whimsical nature of the flowers in it. The denser design at the bottom weights the quilt visually and balances the slightly heavier area of grapes and leaves in the upper left area above the tree. The design and execution of the tree and placement of branches truly gives it visual depth and a lifelike quality.  As Bill said, a monumental example! And those dots in the outer border … sigh!  (It is true.  I have a fondness for dots!)