Modern Roots:Today's Quilts from Yesterday's Inspiration by Bill Volckening

Note the vintage quilt on the wall and the
modern interpretation on the chair

In the introduction to Modern Roots, Bill Volckening quotes Jonathan Holstein's 1973 book The Pieced Quilt: An American Design Tradition noting that antique and vintage quilts sometimes appear to be uncannily modern in design. Bill expanded on this concept in his 2014 lecture Masterpiece Quilts: Modernism in American Patchwork--or, "There's Something Modern About that Quilt."

When Jacqueline Sava reproduced a 1870s Crossroads quilt it confirmed Bill's thinking that "Old quilts were rich with information and inspiration for today's quilters."

Drawing from his extensive private collection of American quilts he selected twelve, dating from 1840 to 1970, to explore the characteristics of modernism including minimalism,importance of negative space, use of solid colors and limited palette, and geometric design.

The quilts are varied: scrappy or showing controlled color use; flamboyant or with large areas of negative space; familiar patterns with a twist and the rare and unusual.

 A simple 1840 medallion quilt has multiple borders of alternating red and white with a circular central block of appliquéd "Sprigs of Photinia." There are three Log Cabin variations. A Lone Star quilt has broken stars in the corners. Pieced blocks include Indiana Puzzle, Shadow Box, and an unusual New York Beauty variation. Radiating Fans create a secondary pattern. Airplane blocks with sashing is representational. Stacked Bars is scrappy and primitive.

There is a full page color photograph of each quilt with its source, date, and materials and an article addressing the quilt's design and background.

The detailed instructions include a material list, cutting and construction directions, and color illustrations showing the steps of construction. Smaller versions of the full size quilts are offered as are photographs of newly made quilts based on the instructions.

Volckening has replicated the original construction methods for the quilts. Several patterns are good for those with some piecing experience, but some are better for those with advanced skills.

Volkening is an award-winning photographer, quiltmaker, and blogger. The Volckening Collection of quilts include impressive examples from all time periods and styles.

Learn more about Crossroads to Bachelor Hall by reading Volckening's article to learn more about this quilt at http://www.academia.edu/24535757/Cross_Roads_to_Bachelors_Hall
and on his blog at
http://willywonkyquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/mystery-pattern-clue.html

I received a free book from C&T Publications in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

http://www.ctpub.com/modern-roots-todays-quilts-from-yesterdays-inspiration/

Dispelling Myths and Extolling the Unconventional

About ten years ago my Dad picked up a trunk from along side the road. When he got home and opened it he found an unbound quilt.

Carolina Lily owned by Nancy A Bekofske

It is not well made. The appliquéd flower stems were applied after the blocks were sewn. The quilting is primitive, the batting is bulky and, and the quilt weighs a ton. The fabrics include Gingham, florals, solids, and bandanna prints.

 

And yet there is an exuberance to the quilt; it makes one smile. I love the orange backgrounds in several blocks.

This is the kind of quilt considered in Unconventional and Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000 by Roderick Kiracofe.  Kiracofe sees his new book as an extension of  his 2004 landmark book The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950.

The quilt collector, author, and artist says that in 2004 he suddenly questioned, what were the everyday quilts between 1950 and the end of the century? The quilts that were made to be used? He started collecting quilts from this era.

These quilts will not win a prize in a national quilt show. They break every rule we quilters have been taught to obey. They are individualistic. They can inspire artists to use what they have and express what they love. They are 'functional' not show quilts that have been "under the radar" and only recently appreciated by collectors and historians. They tell a story. Their energy and a vision is unique to the quilt maker. The artist will discover that the untrained eye knows instinctively the importance of rhythm, value, and line.

Kiracofe's quilts were ten years in collecting. They are wonderfully portrayed in oversize images that allow us to see the total quilt as art, some with quilt back or detail photos. The essays included offer insights on quilts as history, as art, and as a craft.

Never Seen a Blanket by Natalie Chanin tells the story of growing up in a Southern community "raised to work cotton" from picking bolls to sewing garments. "In the South cotton is your birthright, your way of life, your punishment, and your legacy," Chanin writes. 

Amelia Peck, Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses the artistry of late 20th c. quilts in her essay In Dialogue With an Anonymous Quilt, considering color and pattern, vision, and how the quilt speaks to the viewer.

We learn about "M-provisational" quilts in A Texas Quiltmaker's Life: An Interview with Sherry Ann Byrd by Robert Kiracofe and Sherry Ann Byrd. Byrd explains that family use quilts were different from those made for sale, having "more swagger, colorfulness, and a bit of jazzy bling and slang."  

Detail of Eastside Detroit 'make do' quilt

Unconventional Wisdom: The Myths and Quilts that Came Before by Janneken Smucker, history professor, author, and quiltmaker, dismantles what we have believed about quilts over the last hundred years. Her research shows that scrap quilting was not part of our early heritage. 

Professor and author Elissa Auther discusses A Brief History of Quilts in Contemporary Art from Rauchenberg to the AIDS Quilt.

Barkcloth and Decorating Fabric Quilt circa 1960, found on eBay

From Under the Bedcovers: A Culture Curator's Perspective by Ulysses Grant Dietz, decorative arts curator, considers the "Gees Bend" phenomenon and the cultural and historical background evidenced in quilts.

1970s Gees Bend quilt owned by Anne Soles

Quilts Are Quilts by Allison Smith, artist and professor, explores categorizing quilts as art.

Kaffe Fassett writes about The Joyous Anarchy of Color and Pattern considering how these quilts give permission for quilters to break free into imaginative flights of fantasy.

The Beauty of Making Do by Modern quiltmaker Denyse Schmidt gives permission to experiment with materials on hand, taking the risk of improvisation.

This Picture is Not a Family Heirloom by Abner Nolan considers things not kept, not heirlooms, that find meaning in a new context.

This is a beautiful book that will inspire many.

Improvisational scrap quilt by Nancy A. Bekofske

World War I Quilts by Sue Reich

World War I Quilts by quilt historian Sue Reich new book looks at quiltmakers response to the Great War, including Red Cross and fundraiser signature quilts and quilts made to honor veterans, set in perspective against pre-war early 20th c. quilts.

Chapters include "Quilting Through the 1910s"; "Loyal To The Cause: Quilts for Soldiers"; "Under the Red Cross Flag"; and "Afterward: Poppy Quilts: The Fields of Flanders".

The book's full color photographs of quilts, vintage illustrations and photographs, vintage textiles and ephemera make a visual feast. (The pages were slow to load on my e-reader because of the many photographs!) Along with chapter introductions and a foreword, Reich includes related newspaper articles about quiltmaking from across the country.

There is a wealth of information in this book. It is not a book you will causally flip through, looking at the quilts, and call it 'done.' You will want to take it in small pieces, enjoying the details, returning to it again and again. I laughed when I read advice to cut the worn feet off old socks and use the tops as quilt batting. Another article suggested sewing channels and inserting padding into the channels as an 'easy' quilt.

Early 19th c. quilts incorporated printed flannel pieces given away with tobacco. After crazy-quilting's ruling late Victorian culture, a patchwork 'revival' invigorated quiltmakers. There seemed to be a competition for quilts with the most pieces. Quilters had new products available. The availability of electricity meant electric sewing machines could be employed for quilting. Nationwide quilt competitions began in 1910. Signature quilts and embroidered quilts continued to be popular. Women's magazines abounded with quilt patterns. Quilt designers like Marie Webster and Ruby McKim arose to offer patterns for modern tastes.

Quilters rallied to support war efforts. Signature quilts raised money. We find Red Cross quilts, Ladies Aid Society quilts, and quilts featuring textiles with patriotic and political themes. The Biscuit or Puff Quilt was created without batting to "conserve wool for our soldiers in the battlefield.'

The 1918 flu epidemic was devastating. Preventative measures included the burning of bed linens, including quilts. Post war quilts included Poppy quilts to commemorate veterans.

Quilters have traditionally responded to current events and needs: Abolitionist quilts; the Sanitary Fairs during the Civil War; fund raising quilts for church building and missionary work; Temperance quilts; and for WWI war efforts and the Red Cross. Quiltmakers continue their response to this day. Michigan quilter Ami Simm's Art Quilt Initiative raised $1 Million dollars for Alzheimer Research; recently a member of my Clawson quilters group attended a ceremony where her son received a Quilt of Valor for his military service.

Quilt historian Sue Reich has published a series of books. Her forthcoming book of Presidential and Patriotic Quilts, also from Schiffer Publications, will include the Presidential Quilt Project created last year--including my John Quincy Adams quilt. Sue's books include WWII Quilts; Quiltings, Frolics, and Bees: 100 Years of Signature Quilts; Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut; Quilting News of Yesteryear: 1,000 Pieces and Counting; and  Quilting News of Yesteryear: Crazy As A Bed-quilt. 

Some of the quilts in her new book can be seen at
http://www.coveringquilthistory.com/quilts-of-world-war-i.php

I received the free ebook through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.

WWI Quilts
by Sue Reich
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Publication: Dec 28, 2014
ISBN:9780764347542
176 pages, all full color
$39.99 hardcover

+++++

I have several WWI era handkerchiefs in my collection. They were sent or brought home to sweethearts and family members, often made of silk and embroidered. The embroidery thread was not colorfast! These were for 'show' only.