When you finish a quilt big enough to cover a king-sized bed I suppose it's normal to tell yourself "never again". I know I did. Until you realize how much you like having a quilt that is just the size, weight, and color you require.
In this case, after the memory of wrestling with a giant quilt begins to fade, you start to think about another. And, if one of your friends does this, you go beyond thinking and into tentative planning mode.
This led to checking out some inspiration from the library including the iconic The Quilts of Gee's Bend. These are the quilts that speak to me. There is something in the perfectly imperfect design that connects me to their makers. I can't really describe it any better than that, but it's powerful.
Then Pam brought all her quilts to the art retreat. So I could SEE them. Quilts must be examined with the hands and human eyes - not camera lenses.
With all this stimulation, all thoughts of not making another quilt are flat out gone and I am in full fledged design mode. I have to formulate a pattern of sorts in my mind. One based on a conglomeration of ideas. Did I mention Pam brought a bunch of quilt books for me to look at too? She's nice that way.
So far I have purchased the triangle template Pam mentioned in her post. Just in case I decide to put my own spin on her triangle masterpiece.
It's good to have someone nearby so she can bring lots of goodies as Pam did to your retreat. I really like the Gee's Bend quilts because they look ever so modern in their simplicity.
You'll quilt again. You know it!
Posted by: Maureen | 02/21/2015 at 09:52 AM
Ahhh, you're the nice one! To put up with the mandatory attendance of my up close and personal quilt show and to be so enthusiastic. So rarely do I have anyone in my daily life that will indulge me and look at them. ;) so excited to watch you make your next quilt! One suggestion- make it a lap-quilt-for-the-couch size!! king size for your first quilt?!?!? Somehow I missed that detail-impressive, but cwazy!!!
Posted by: Pam | 02/21/2015 at 12:50 PM
I've always loved scrap quilts and those rustic Gee's Bend quilts are wonderful. Love the 3rd pic up from bottom, the back of the quilt all pieced up. Great.
I haven't quilted in years and now you've got me thinking about it. Just a small one for the wall, tho.
Posted by: Leslie | 02/21/2015 at 02:08 PM
There's a Gee's Bend quilts video!!!
https://vimeo.com/50454661
Posted by: Leslie | 02/21/2015 at 02:09 PM
My first quilt was a Kaffe Fasset pattern amd the main shape was trapezoids... oh my! I don't know how many days of frustration and resewing patches together that I went through trying to match the seams... and then someone told me about the special rule when sewing these shapes...!! But that was only a baby quilt... not a king size job thank goodness!
Quilts are just joy to have and hold and be under...I get the urge occasionally but not made one for years, sonce my children grew into bigger earthlings...!
Posted by: Bobby | 02/21/2015 at 04:33 PM
King size and then triangles? Goodness you like a challenge. What I love about the Gee's Bend quilts, and utility quilts like them, was that they seem to be made in sections, as the material and inspiration struck. Not designed as a whole. It makes the act of creation so fresh. Of course, I've done quilts in bits, but they didn't turn out like that. That's where the genius shows.
Posted by: LizzieBo | 02/22/2015 at 12:42 AM
The Gee's Bend quilts were discovered by a man whose name escapes me. He saw them as art quilts and put them on display at one of the famous museums in NYC. The women of Gee's Bend were taken to NYC for the shows opening. Most had never been a mile away from Gee's Bend. Can you imagine how overwhelming all the fuss and and to do must have seemed to these humble women? I was overcome with the simplicity of the quilts when I first leafed through the book. Took my breath away.
Posted by: Joan | 02/22/2015 at 09:56 AM
i am going to blow your mind... I did a triangle quilt with big triangles, and string pieced the triangles onto muslin/cotton. It turned out SOOO cool!!! look up string piecing.. it is a way to use long narrow scraps, and every one is different. The only thing I did was sort the scraps by warm and cool. One row of white and warm colors, the next one of white and cool colors. Oh what fun that was. Of course, when you make a scrap quilt you have a pile of scraps.. then when you are done, with a WHOLE QUILT completed, your pile if scraps is 3 times bigger. (Its a mystery) You can also do it with rectangles or plain ol' squares. Such fun!!!
Posted by: Peggy Fry | 02/23/2015 at 10:11 AM