Detail from "Sunburst" by unknown quilter, circa 1850
(click on any photo in article to see a larger version)
This past weekend at the 35th Annual Houston International Quilt Festival was an overwhelming feast for the eyes, with eye-popping creations from all over the world. Whether you were interested in traditional piecing and quilting or avant garde surface design, there was definitely something - and more - for everyone.
For me, as much as I was inspired and moved by the handiwork of modern quilters, a special place in my heart will always remain for the historic quilts. During my childhood, the women of our church would meet weekly in the church basement to make quilts. These creations were meant to keep people warm in more ways than one - the proceeds from the annual "Gift and Goodie" sale provided much needed funds to keep the church heated during the winter. While often utilitarian in nature, and sometimes quite gaudy in design (remember, these were made solely from scraps and it was the 1970's!) each one symbolized a great deal of hard work and love for community by the local women.
The majority of quilts on display at the show (from the show's private collection) were from the latter 1800's. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how contemporary many of the pieced designs appeared. Seeing these historic interpretations of traditional pieced designs still in use today gave me a deep sense of continuity between ourselves in the modern day and our creative sewing ancestresses.
One of my favorites of all the historic exhibits was the Courtyard Steps quilt created in silk satin around 1890 by an unknown quiltmaker. This incredible piece not only featured gorgeous colors, but because the satin strips alternated between crosswise and lengthwise grains, the difference in light reflection created an illusion of color changes in the blocks for a multi-dimensional effect, as shown here in closer detail: View this photo
Of course the more typical cotton quilts were equally spectacular in their own way. I loved this star quilt for its particularly interesting mixture of fabrics, especially its cupid border print. Here is another detail shot of some of the fabrics used: View this photo
In addition to pieced tops, there were many applique and trapunto beauties to be seen as well. I particularly liked this "Chips and Whetstones with Oak Leaves" quilt made by an unknown quilter in York, PA sometime between 1860-1880. For a closer look at the border and part of a square: View this photo
I was also particularly enraptured by the many wonderful scraps of fabrics in this "tiny" Log Cabin quilt. The pieces were folded and hand-sewn onto a cotton foundation fabric, and backed with a plaid fabric by an unknown quilter circa 1875-1885. A detail shot is available here: View this photo
There were too many wonderful quilts to possibly even begin to show here, but I hope you've enjoyed a peek at some of these historic beauties. Be sure to visit the website for the Houston International Quilt Festival to see photos of the many incredible winning quilts and wearable art, as well as some of their special exhibits:
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