DECEMBER 19, 2019
Diamond In The Square Variation, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, c. 1920, 90″ x 90″, Fanny Petersheim. Indicated as from the Esprit Collection.
This quilt concept is one of the “classic” designs in Amish quilt repertoire: the Diamond In The Square or Square in A Square design. While this example uses common colour choices often found in Amish quilts, it is the pieced centre that sets it apart from its solid fabric, un-pieced centre cousins, particularly it’s quirkiness. Nothing seems to line up in that centre block, it feels all wonky and asymmetrical, but when I checked, the red centre of the middle square is indeed in the centre even though it looks like it is not.
It is only when you tip your head sideways that this quilt seems to make sense. Right … there it is … all the symmetry … right down to the way she positioned the pinks in the centre of the upper right and lower left centres of the small trip around the world block … and to way she placed the one black block right next to a light in each corner of the larger centre block. Fabulous thought and attention to detail.
It is fun to see how the purple used in the centre pieced section relates well to the blue in the setting triangles of the larger square. Equally important for the success of the design is how the blue in the pieced section is a different blue from the one used in those setting triangles. And did you notice that not all the reds in the piecing in the centre are the same.
Finally we can’t forget the binding and how it forms it’s own narrow frame completing the whole the quilt both physically and visually.
Can you see the element she added that helps keep centre pieced square feeling balanced?
DECEMBER 18, 2019
Lattice Crib Quilt, Haven, KS, c. 1930, 43″x53″, Maker Unknown. From the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown.
Where do I begin with this one? It is wonderfully complex in it’s simplicity. Is it a strippy quilt or is it a medallion?
The layers … the optical layers … of this quilt create great visual intrigue, and this is most apparent in the centre section of the quilt. The delightful palette of the one patches is unified by the consistency of colour in the strings of each strip. That red string strip. Wowzer. Again, if you were to change out the red strings in that row to green or blue or more pink/peach one, you would miss the red. It makes the quilt. Equally important is how the some of the pink string blocks in the right two strips are blended out, the strings being so close in colour to the “background” of the block. This gives the eye a place to rest in what is a very visually active quilt.
The black outer border does all the work in holding this quilt together. That being said, it relates beautifully to the delicate border that is created with the black string blocks on the blue and pink borders, adding again to the sense of complex yet simple. The fact that the top and bottom black string border block colours are different colours from the side black string border blocks adds to the visual interest. Using the lighter pink based black string border blocks (sorry no easier way to say that!) on the sides seems to visually expand the width of the quilt. The delicate difference in the shades of pink in those blocks creates even more visual variety in a subtle way. By the way, it didn’t bother her one bit that the corners of the black string block border did not resolve consistently in all the corners.
And that one black block in the one patch section is the perfect balance to both the purple one patch and the red string strip.
I like the spunkiness of this quilter.
What’s your favourite element of this quilt?
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Square Within A Square, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, c. 1895, Maker Unknown. Indicated as from the Esprit Collection
I look at this quilt and sigh with delight.
The simple pieced design is such a wonderful canvas for the exquisite quilting designs. The concentric circles of feathers in the centre draw you into the quilt and spin your eye around. The edges of the diamond grid in the corners of the central medallion are softened with a gentle scallop design. That delightful scallop continues on, running along the inner edge of the narrow border between each of the diamond grid sections of quilting. Such wonderful attention to detail. And the un-quilted areas between the diamond grid and the centre circles are import as negative space providing a smooth transition between the two sets of motifs. As well, it helps introduce and in fact emphasize the octagon shape that is created. The geometric nature of the quilting design in the narrow border is nicely balanced by the four leaves in the centre of each wee “square on point”. As for the outer border, the wonderful swirling and undulating feathers entice our eyes to wind our way around the quilt again and again. (Sigh!) They’re wonderful!
I adore the gold with the purple. That teal narrow border is just the right colour and pops visually. (Another wonderful sigh of delight). The icing on the cake? That binding … it is a brighter blue than the teal, but at first glance you don’t notice that they are not the same. If they had been the same, I think it would have been boring. And I might not have thought that it would work having the centre and narrow border colours so close in value, so close that they almost disappear into one another when you squint at it, but it does. There’s just enough difference. Perfection. Absolute glowing perfection.
Would you have ever considered this colour combination? What do you think of it.
DECEMBER 16, 2019
In this early Illinois Amish wool quilt, she made lots of colour substitutions, working with what I imagine she had on hand as she made it. What I find interesting is that she would have had enough of the darker pink to make all the outer corners of another nine patch like the one in the upper left corner but she didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I love how she handled the composition of the nine patches, just curious about her construction and thinking and design process. How exactly did she go about deciding on the placement of the pieces in those nine patches and arranging all the blocks for top? Did she lay out all the blocks and then put it together or pieced together the top as she finished blocks?
The setting triangles that border the centre are wonderfully balanced in their colour placement and that small triangle in the upper left was such a good decision. Without a doubt she had an artistic eye.
I love the simplicity of the three concentric circles of quilting in the setting blocks and the organic nature of the quilting of the chevrons in the borders. She alternated the direction of the straight line quilting in the pieced blocks for interest. That blue binding is the back brought around to the front and stitched down.
And I haven’t mentioned yet that superb border with it’s make do piecing and that wonderful dark bit in the bottom border. I like it! Would you be brave enough to make a border like that?
This one keeps drawing my eye in and sending it around and around the quilt looking at all the details. What about you?
DECEMBER 15, 2019
Nine Patch, Weatherford, Oklahoma, c.1920, 90″ x 70.5″, Barbara Yoder. From the collection of the International Quilt Study Centre, IQSC collection number 2005.039.0005.
This quilt knocks my socks off!
I love that the design is elongated and stretches beyond the central “x” in the interior of the quilt. I love the mix of colours … all the varying shades she used of pinks and blues and lilac to purple to complete her design. The consistent use of black as the corner stones in the “x” anchor the design, but she wasn’t afraid to sprinkle a few more of those same blocks around in the echo-ing “x’s” on either side of the centre one and in the borders. And look at those black setting blocks … they didn’t bother her one bit and they don’t bother me either! Notice how in some of the nine patches that there is so little contrast that the design fades out … that’s okay too! That purple/magenta sashing or inner border sets it all off. And don’t overlook that divine blue binding.
Again, look at the injection of the unexpected in this quilt … those few rust coloured setting blocks and mustardy/puce/gold setting blocks. Love these colour moments.
But about those borders on each end …
Grab the smelling salts and bring the fainting couch closer!
What do you think of this quilt? Does it “feel” Amish to you? Does it change your perception of what an Amish quilt is?
