For discussion clarity, lets establish that this quilt has a centre star medallion and three pieced rings which I reference working out from the centre, 1, 2 & 3.
The maker of this quilt was masterful in their use of colour and value. Four colours; white, red, pale yellow and a yellow chartreuse. Do you see how the pale yellow creates a soft transition to white around the centre star medallion and on the inside of the first ring and the outside of the third ring? Compare that to the transition from the yellow chartreuse to white of the first ring. Notice the differences between the centre star and the bordering stars, comparing where the pale yellow is placed and the impact of that on the design. That subtle but important shift between pale yellow and yellow chartreuse makes all the difference in this quilt. The maker of this quilt had a divine sense of value!
This is one of those quilts that has visual impact, a great punch, and yet at the same time is very calming to look at.
And those tulips …. Sigh!
What would your colour combination be if you were to reproduce this quilt for yourself?
Pinwheel Quilt, McMinn, Tennessee, United States, c. 1860, 74” x 93”, Maker Unknown. From the Quilt Index, Quilt Index Record: 22-18-11
Worn, loved and energetic, almost mesmerizing. The block may be called Pinwheel, but even though it is blue and white it makes me think of peppermint swirl … okay maybe it is the season making me think that!
I just had to include this one, even though the photo is not as clear as I would normally choose and even though you can clearly see the right edge of the quilt is torn and tattered. Was that wear from pulling the quilt up tight around their chin at night to keep out the cold? That worn part just makes me smile. I see it as a sign that this quilt was used and loved, and that is just as it should be.
I appreciate the circle in the centre of the pinwheel which cleverly helps avoid what would be a messy and bulky intersection in the middle if it wasn’t there. Sometimes design decisions are just about practicalities. Plus it is a place for the eye to resist amid all the swirling and whirling.
What I appreciate about the squares on point sashing is that it is the perfect foil to the whirling circles. This sashing design serves two purposes. It gives boundaries and holds in the energy of the whirling circles while giving the eye another space to rest in those white squares on point. At the same time, those same white squares on point have a visual permeability to the sashing as opposed to a stark, hard stop if the sashing had just been only strips of the dark blue fabric; allowing the visual dance to slow down but not stop as the eye moves from circle to circle.
What do you look at first in this very lively quilt? The sashing or the pinwheels?
This Mennonite quilt is so carefully and thoughtfully composed. It has been referred to as a “triumph of original applique design” and rightly so.
Notice how the red and purple grapes are distributed around the wheels to harmoniously sit with the adjacent wheel. There is just a wee bit of variation between how the sawtooth triangles are placed in the wheel, which is just enough to keep the design visually engaging.
That outer border … notice how the two vines meet at the top and bottom. Fun!
And those little teardrop applique shapes, with some almost shaped like small paisleys … swoon!
This quilt has a binding cut on the straight-of-gain, for those who are keeping track of the bias vs. straight-of-grain debate.
It is such a visual feast! What is your favourite part of this quilt and why?
Grab a cup of tea. Today’s post is an unusually long one. Novel-like! (wink!)
In the summer of 1971, a ground-breaking exhibition, Abstract Design in American Quilts, curated by Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hoof,took place at the Whitney Museum in New York City. The show was successful beyond all expectations. Robert Shaw, in his book Quilts: A Living Tradition, comments: “the Whitney Exhibition was novel in that it purposefully took quilts out of any sort of historical context and looked at them strictly as works of abstract art. Holstein’s catalog begged the question, pointing out the quilts’ similarities to modern abstract painting and noting how their makers had found design solutions that would not be ‘discovered’ by artists until a century later.”
Holstein later wrote in his book of the same name, Abstract Design in American Quilts, that no applique quilts where chosen for the exhibition as they were often made for “best”. Instead the focus was on everyday quilts. This is important. These quilts weren’t made for show. They were made to be used. This quilt above was not made for show. It was made to be used.
The Circles and Cross Quilt was hung in the lobby of the Whitney Museum; a striking and captivating introduction to the show. Holstein wrote: “This is a unique pattern. Novelty alone, however, would not have taken it to the lobby of the Whitney as the banner of the exhibition. Why this quilt, to symbolize the theme and the direction of the show? The boldness of the design and the strangeness of the concept make it very eye catching, so those were factors. Equally important was its striking resemblance to a modern painting. I would guess many more people assumed it was a painting or similar work by a contemporary artist, than a quilt.” Seeing the impactful design of this quilt invites, for me, a physical reaction; a huge intake of air, followed by a slight shaking of the head, all in response to its stunning presence. I have to imagine visitors to that exhibit must have had a similar response.
Whenever I see a lot of tan coloured fabric in a quilt, particularly one from this time period, I wonder if tan was indeed the original colour of the fabric (and sometimes it was) or if it was a fabric where the colour had faded. Natural dyes and some early synthetic dyes were notoriously unstable and were referred to as fugitive dyes; their colour fading due to environmental factors, such as light, temperature, or humidity. This instability afflicted certain colours, in particular some blacks, purples, greens and even some blues, and could cause some colours to fade or almost disappear, or in the case of some blacks, to fade to a rust colour.
So that tan fabric? Can you imagine this quilt with a purple or a green colour where there is currently tan? An interesting question, right?
Before I close this post, I want to add something else to the discussion today.
Consider that the quilter who made this quilt did not make it for the exhibition at the Whitney, obviously. And I don’t imagine it was shown anywhere else “grand” at the time it was made, except maybe at a local fair or on the clothesline to air in the spring. What I am getting at is the maker made it because it made them happy, because it fulfilled an artistic need, one that they could share with their family, and because it helped keep someone warm. They were making what they wanted to make, just for their own needs. They were naturally doing what I call Quilting with Abandon, a phrase I coined about 10 or 12 years ago.
I shared on IG and Facebook recently, a post about my Rules of Quiltmaking. You can read it here, in response to all the posts I was seeing about #quiltconreject and those who were sharing the non-acceptance of their quilts.
It seems to me there is pressure and a hustle bustle that has been added to the making of quilts in recent years, and frankly folks, we don’t need one more bit of pressure, especially these days. Which is why I am going to share something I saw on Facebook here with you all, as an adjunct to that Rules of Quiltmaking post, I am sharing it because I know I needed to hear its affirming message, and maybe you or someone else you know needs to hear it too. The words are from a post by Naomi Holdt. I don’t know her, or her background, and I am not endorsing her in anyway, or her services. I just know I found her words powerful and affirming. The photo below is mine … a moment captured to remind myself of the space I took, to go to the beach, at the end of a very busy day, to just sit and reflect and recharge, and simply watch the sun set.
Here is what Naomi wrote:
A gentle reminder about why you are utterly exhausted…
No one I know began this year on a full tank. Given the vicious onslaught of the previous two years (let’s just call it what it was) most of us dragged ourselves across the finish line of 2021… frazzled, spent, running on aged adrenaline fumes…
We crawled into 2022 still carrying shock, trauma, grief, heaviness, disbelief… The memories of a surreal existence…
And then it began… The fastest hurricane year we could ever have imagined. Whether we have consciously processed it or not, this has been a year of more pressure, more stress, and a race to “catch up” in all departments… Every. Single. One. Work, school, sports, relationships, life…
Though not intentionally aware, perhaps hopeful that the busier we are, the more readily we will forget… the more easily we will undo the emotional tangle… the more permanently we will wipe away the scarring wounds…
We can’t.
And attempts to re-create some semblance of “normal” on steroids while disregarding that for almost two years our sympathetic nervous systems were on full alert, has left our collective mental health in tatters. Our children and teens are not exempt. The natural by-product of fighting a hurricane is complete and utter exhaustion…
So, before you begin questioning the absolutely depleted and wrung-dry state you are in- Pause. Breathe. Remind yourself of who you are and what you have endured. And then remind yourself of what you have overcome. Despite it all, you’re still going. (Even on the days you stumble and find yourself face down in a pile of dirt). Understanding brings compassion…
Most of the world’s citizens are in need of a little extra TLC at the moment. Most are donning invisible “Handle with care” posters around their necks and “Fragile” tattoos on their bodies…
Instead of racing to the finish line of this year, tread gently. Go slowly.
Amidst the chaos, find small pockets of silence. Find compassion. Allow the healing. And most of all… Be kind. There’s no human being on earth who couldn’t use just a little bit more of the healing salve of kindness.
With love
Naomi Holdt – Psychologist and Speaker
Be kind to yourself. Remember why you make quilts. And Quilt with Abandon. That’s it.
Now go make yourself another cup of tea, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Fan Variation Quilt, McCordville, Indiana, United States, c. 1900, 81” x 69”, Susan Noakes McCord. From the collection of The Henry Ford. Object number: 73.120.7
To know me is to know my deep love for the work of Indiana quilter Susan Noakes McCord. Her work leaves me nothing short of breathless and in awe!
The museum writes about this quilt on its website, saying: “This quilt is a variation of a “crazy” quilt design called fans. Most quilters placed a fan in just one corner of a block. Susan McCord sewed fans of varying sizes in each corner. Then she joined the blocks together to form “wheels” that dazzle with a sense of motion and energy — a stunning example of this Indiana farmwife’s extraordinary design sense.”
McCord’s Fan Variation Quilt Is utterly captivating. Made of wool suitings and dress flannels, it was never quilted; the foundations of the blocks visible when the quilt top is turned over.
To be honest I don’t have a fondness for crazy quilts. In fact, I can happily leave them all and not give them any time … with the exception, the sole exception, of this one.
It’s the small bits and dashes of cream coloured fabrics that, with the help of all the circles and circle segments have your eye dancing around the quilt. And look at all the tiny pieces in the far, left column of blocks … swoon! Do you see the one outline piece of a fan that looks more like an elbow? Be sure to follow the link in the photo caption and take a look at the close up of the quilt, to really understand the colours in this quilt. Those toffee and caramel and brown fabrics! That teal! Those moments of olive green! And that red … it just pops!
A quiltmaker, fabric designer, teacher, and speaker, Mary Elizabeth is also co-author of two best-selling books, “Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts” and “Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts“. She has been a featured guest on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. And her work has been shown at international quilt shows and featured in many international quilting publications.
Mary Elizabeth believes in “Quilting With Abandon”, stretching traditional boundaries and creating quilts with a subtle salute to the past. She is enthusiastic about our quilting heritage and the lessons to be learned from the antique quilts she studies and collects. Her recent work examines the interpretation of traditional quilt designs through “gestured appliquéd lines” and the quilting stitch.
