I must admit I laughed when I read the title to this piece and thought, "Who on earth would BUY a quilt???!"
That's my southern upbringing - I have several quilts handmade by the women of my family and my husband's family. Each grandchild received a quilt from my "Granny;" there is no way to guess the hours she invested. Quilts layer each bed in my home, my sister's home, and I hope my son uses his now that he has moved out into the world of adulthood.
Then I felt sad. I don't know how to quilt, and I don't know anyone else who knows how to quilt.
I guess there is a need for articles such as this after all. It won't be too many years before we ALL will be buying quilts because so few artists will be left who can actually make them.
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@Stephanie Lewis You don't know anyone that quilts-FYI quilting is a $3 billion business. Want to learn how to quilt or meet people who quilt? Go to your favorite search engine and put in "quilt guild" and your local area. You will find groups made up of people of all ages, quilting knowledge and abilities.
http://www.saqa.com/weblog/?p=658
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October 1 - 5: Go to the 1199SEIU Union retirees’ quilt exhibit in the penthouse of the old McCraw-Hill building on 42nd St between 8th and 9th Aves. It’s a biannual show of quilts made by the union’s retirees. Opens at 10:00 am each day. Free entry and a wonderful display of quilts.
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Hawaiian style covers have no padding, and the stitching follows the pattern outline, about 1/2" apart. Very good for hotter climes.
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Even better: Making your own quilts.
There's a resurgence of modern quilters making quilts of all types, and there are plenty of tutorials online to get a beginner started.
Two years ago I took it upon myself to try making a quilt for each of my kids, to see if I could do it. (Remember, any quilt hand-made for a child is special, not matter what imperfections occur during construction.)
Now, my quilting is an established hobby, and I love the freedom to create useful art for family, friends, and just the joy of it.
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The writer might consider doing a story on art quilts, which are amazing.
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@Elle
i heartily agree. these quilts are lovely but don't begin to show the breadth of fine art created by many art quilters.
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@ARG, can't we agree that they are both beautiful?
Yes, quilts may be in again, but those shown are only in “modern” design that are lacking in color and personality. Are all quilts in? Even traditional designs, which can also look ultramodern and colorful? Many traditional Amish quilts, for example, are beautiful, can look ultra modern and look beautiful on the bed or as a wall hanging.
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We hang our large Amish quilt on the wall opposite our bed and enjoy admiring this beautiful piece of art every day.
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@Jeannette
Wow! Lacking color and personality...I think any handmade object is made with thoughfulness, skill and love. Traditional quilt is not my design aestadtic but I can appricate the skill and creativity that was put into the process. Show your fellow makers a little love.
I am privileged to own several antique/vintage quilts. Almost all of them have been handed down in my family. They are all hand quilted (not machine) back in the days when a quilt was valued on how many tiny stitches there were in an inch. It hurts my soul to see them used as wall hangings; they should be used for warmth on a bed.
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There are so many beautiful quilts with color, varied designs, etc. - why did you choose similar-looking quilts with subdued, almost monochromatic grey/white half-square patterns (plus the navy quilt with a white 'X')? One or even two would be o.k., but to me what was chosen as illustration is boring and dull. And the prices(!) - truly who is going to pay $300-$500 for a single quilt! Not most of your readers, that's for sure.
How about showing examples of quilts of different designs placed together, or interesting quilts that people can actually afford. I've seen some great ones on etsy and ebay, by local artists at craft fairs, and even in museum exhibits. They are much less expensive and more interesting than the unvarying grey and white patterns seen here.
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@Happy and Proud Anyone who makes quilts will know that $300-500 is a pretty good price. Good quality quilting cottons can cost $25+ a yard, and the labour involved in preparing the fabric, cutting it, piecing it, and doing the actual quilting (by hand or machine) means that we are working for about $5 an hour. Most of the less expensive quilts are made with inferior fabrics and either badly home machine quilted or come from a factory that has infringed on the copyright of someone else's design.
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@Joyce I second that! When I was newly divorced and looking for some supplemental income, my parents suggested I turn my quilting hobby into a business. When I did the math, I would have made less than $5/hour. A well-made, high quality quilt is a labor of love, not profit.
@Happy and Proud Ouch! I have heard your sentiment many times in years past, and I am sure you just don't realize what you are saying: "quilts that people can actually afford. I've seen some great ones on etsy and ebay, by local artists at craft fairs, and even in museum exhibits. They are much less expensive than the patterns seen here."
Women worked making those vintage quilts in times past not for money, but because money was scarce, and the labor of a woman was not paid, but just as valuable a part of the home economy as the man's. Every bit of fabric that was not threadbare was cut from garments and used for the pieces of quilts, which were the only blankets that kept a family warm in the winter.
You are inadvertently saying that a woman's handiwork is not valuable, and indeed, that is the ingrained mindset of the world. That is why I had to give up my quilt business many years ago, when I saw that it could only be profitable if the work were done by women in China for 5c an hour, and done at a highly inferior level as well, at 3 stitches to the inch instead of 12. You are correct, people cannot afford to pay for handwork by women.
Strangely enough, young women today will pay $15k for a giant quilting machine, and have formed many quilting guilds where they make quilts just for the pleasure of it.
If you want to see some truly spectacular quilts, go on Pinterest and put in a search for quilts. They have many great works of art that outshine these all to pieces.
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Just this week I pulled out the quilt that my grandmother made many years ago one stitch at a time. I had forgotten just how beautiful, comfortable, warm and not heavy. I was thrilled to see this article!
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