Sunday, March 02, 2008

Art Quilts



One of my best memories growing up is helping my grandma and my mother quilt. I loved the actual quilting part of quilting. Frankly, I think I'm half way decent at it. I think it's sort of sad that no one learns to actually quilt anymore. Every time they teach the girls in Young Women's to "quilt" all they do is teach them to tie a blanket. That's not a quilt!

I understand it though. Quilting is a bit of a lost art because it takes a lot of time to make all those tiny stitches. A lot of women who make quilts these days don't even hand stitch their quilts anyway - they construct and design them and then they "quilt" them on a machine. Eventually, I will be one of those old ladies who says annoying things like "I remember when we had to do all of this by hand". I used to love to quilt and to do embroidery. I can't remember the last time I did either, I just don't have the time.

I like to imagine that someday when I am older and life is less busy I will have time for these things again - I don't know if this will actually happen or not, but it would be nice. It would give me something to do while Kirk paints.

I grew up with very traditional quilting patterns like the wedding ring and the log cabin. But I love a lot of the new art quilts who have taken the traditional patterns and turned them on their head.

The only problem is that I can't sew the quilt together. I have absolutely no patience with a sewing machine. I always end up breaking the needles or jacking it up with a big wad of thread somehow. I am massively impatient with a sewing machine. I love the quilting part and the designing and picking out colors part, but the cutting and sewing and ironing part? There, I am a total disaster.This may ultimately stand in the way of me quilting as a hobby. But aren't these art quilts cool?

3 comments:

Cynthia said...

Those are extraordinary quilts. Those are the kind that make my heart palpitate. I love rich, intricate artistic patterns. I don't have a level of skill to make one, but I love them.
It is kind of disappointing that the YW just tie quilts. I quilted with my grandma years ago. I've only make a couple small ones on my own since then, nothing too fantastic, but I'd love to. I have grandeose ideas of having a lot of time on my hands for projects like that when we retire. I'm hoping anyway.

Anonymous said...

Isn't this why quilting was a social event? You can't make one by yourself.

Y'know Lezlee, we'd all offer to help you, of course! But then it would get ugly when it was finished and real ownership would suddenly become an issue...

*I love crazy quilts, and the variation of the log cabin on acid. THAT's awesome.

Suzanne Barker said...

I LOVE those artsy quilts. I've never learned how to quilt. I have so many hobbies already, I don't think I'll get there.

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