Now, what do I mean by such a title for this blog? There were certainly no long waiting lines for the rest room, at the quilt show, as has been commemorated in a very funny quilt by Barbara Barber, a favorite humorous quilter from Rhode Island.
No, what I am getting at is my general impression about machine-quilted quilts. As I said, “It’s all about the lines.” There are many more lines of stitching than are necessary to hold a quilt together. I should also add that “It is all about thread.” I saw lots of shiny, glitzy thread that probably glows in the dark! Much of it was variegated, changing its color like a chameleon or perhaps holographic, and dependent on how the light catches it.
Accenting the lines was more glitz in the name of beads, buttons with shiny parts, or what appear to be rhinestones. One can conclude that, “It’s all about the embellishments.”
Lines of quilting, shiny threads, and rhinestones: what do they equal? An “ART QUILT.” What were vendors selling besides long arm machines? Why, stencils for marking quilts, shiny threads, and rhinestones!
In walking the show, I could not help but wonder what someone who lived in 1850 would think of all of the individualism expressed creatively on the surfaces of quilts, something that used to be a utilitarian item, used up and thrown away. We do live in another age. I now wonder what people will think in 100 more years? Will we have reverted to traditional quilts again, or will something new entirely have come along? We can speculate, but it is nice to know that TODAY, all stabs at creative work is appreciated, by someone, somewhere.
Quilt shows are a little bit like a taste of heaven. Everyone has done their very best, within the scope of their personal vision, and all creative works mirror the work of God himself. Creativity does not exist in a vacuum and we are all influenced by each other, for better or worse. I have a question for you. In being a renegade art quilter, one of the pack, are you being a conformist to a trend? Are you then, not being so renegade at all, but trying to fit into a new way of working in order to gain peer approval? Is art quilting, including raw edge appliqué, which sends one friend screaming into the night, really so unique, or is it an excuse to do spontaneous (i.e. sloppy) work, at times. I have no answers, just many questions, in trying to put all of this into perspective. If anyone has any comments whatsoever, and I hope you do, please make a comment here.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
