Why Quilts “Matter”: A Quilt Discussion
by Patricia L. Cummings
This particular quilt which I named “Die Gedanken Sind Frei” is composed of reproduction blocks based on various antique quilts in my collection or traditional quilt blocks I have made to illustrate designs for published (printed magazine) articles when originals were not available. I started quilting this by hand about a year ago and hope to resume working on it again, soon! I’ve been sidetracked with research and writing articles and books! Both nineteenth and twentieth century quilt block representations are included in this quilt.
Although no one has ever asked me for an opinion as to why quilts matter, this topic has been a theme in many of my previous writings. Since I am counting sheep instead of zzz’s on this already too long a night at 12:53 a.m., I have begun thinking (again) about quilts and this very subject of why they DO matter.
Most people who consider the “value” of a quilt, think in terms of dollars: how cheaply they can buy a nice quilt for their bed, or an antique one to collect, or how inexpensively they can make a quality quilt. Perhaps, they recall quilts made by their own grandmother, aunt or mother. Some quilters compare their own talents to those of others who are reaping monetary rewards in big shows, galleries or in private sales, and conclude that they would like to make competition quilts in the hope of winning a big cash award. Just maybe that could happen! Everyone likes to think that their work is so unique and so precious that it is certainly valuable in a way that translates into collecting money for parting with (i.e. selling) some of their own artist “statements.”
Quilt “Futures”
In a world awash with quilts in every corner of the globe and with the number of coolie laborers who churn out the “hand quilted” two stitches per inch quilts in third world countries (sold in U.S. department stores), not to even mention the number of quilts that are being generated by people of more skill, it is clear to see that in the future, museums will be collecting less and less quilts. They will simply run out of room! The baby boomers, age 55+, are among the most prolific quilters today! (They have the money and the time to engage in this (now) rather expensive “hobby” with $30,000 sewing machines, fabric at at least $10 dollars per yard and that cost escalating. Even cotton thread is more expensive these days, its price increasing due to shortage of cotton and failure of cotton crops on the world market).
What is a “Museum-quality” quilt?
The term “museum quality” quilt has always seemed like a misnomer to me as it does not always reflect the quilts that typically have found their way into museum holdings. I have to wonder what that term means to most people. There are some “nice” quilts in institutional collections but based on certain collections I have personally seen and/or studied, I’d hazard a guess that many of them were collected just because someone wanted to find a “good home” for them. Some are falling apart, have little provenance, or were not well-constructed in the first place. To automatically assume that a “museum quality” quilt denotes a pristine and terrific quilt is to guess wrong. Museums today are becoming more discerning in collecting any new items and often request a donation to care for a quilt “in perpetuity”. A disclaimer is also provided that the museum may “de-accession” the quilt, at any time. The term could mean selling it to another institution or otherwise “getting rid” of it.
Quilt Names as a Measure of Importance
As a related aside, I’ll mention that today, I was reading (the late) Cuesta Benberry’s ideas about the naming of quilts. In her study of fictional literature, especially of the nineteenth century, a time when some quilt historians have believed that no formal names for quilts existed, she found references to certain quilt patterns that would have been known by readers of the day who shared knowledge of the given names as a common point of reference. She concludes that the quilt designs would not have been mentioned by name had they not generally been known.
Benberry continues her analysis by saying that when the quilt name is noted in a short story, the name of the quilt is not capitalized nor is it in quotation marks. Rather, it is presented in a lower case format, as if to say that the quilt, a common everyday object, just did not carry enough clout to be recognized by its own proper name. This situation has changed, especially when quilt patterns were offered regularly in nineteenth century catalogs, journals, magazines and later, books. I found her views to be very insightful and a refreshing approach to customary and standard pat observations of those who have studied quilt history. It is always good to consider new perspectives and ingenious of Benberry to study the connection of literature and quilts.
Quilts are Most” Important to the Quilter Who Made Them
As a quilt maker, not just a casual observer of quilts made by other people, the value of any quilt goes far deeper than is visible by any mortal other than the quilter who envisioned the textile. Advanced quilters and certainly quilt artists strive to make their quilts just a little different from others they have seen. That goal is the driving factor in the variety of pieced and appliquéd quilts that we see with a nineteenth or twentieth century provenance.
People live by copying, that much is true. However, they also like to put their own “spin” on things to take a traditional pattern and make it their own. That could mean changing the color choices, the size of the blocks, setting blocks on point rather than in a straight alignment and a myriad number of other ways that someone can take an idea and manipulate it to suit themselves. It happens all the time, and more than the public would realize.
There are certain timeless design themes that are found again and again: flowers, animals, children at play, plants, the sun, people, landscapes, geometric shapes, interlocking shapes, the sea, the mountains, holiday themes, etc. Quilts often reflect the world in which we live. Some modern quilts explore fractal geometry, a fascinating subject that is more and more being studied as a way to better understand the universe, including biological/medical implications.
Traditions
Quilts celebrate traditions! As the Holy Bible states, there is little new under the sun. The beauty of any quilt is found in the love that is put its creation as well as the quilter’s desire to create something that never existed before. To that end, the quilt artist selects fabrics, cuts them into various shapes and assembles the pieces according to their own creative inspirations.
Quilts: A Tactile Experience
There is something about a quilt that makes people want to reach out and touch it. That is especially true of old quilts that have been washed, again and again, and as a result are very soft and cuddly. Even animals realize the comfort of quilts. Even dogs and cats manage to pull off any quilt or crocheted afghan draped on the back of a sofa and paw it into their own little “nest” that surrounds them with warmth.
As quilters, we make quilts for many different reasons: to honor people, to share ideas, and to leave a trace of ourselves behind when we are no longer here, and for many people, as a source of income. Some of us challenge ourselves to improve and update our skills and with experience and persistence, most quilters become better at their craft, over time. The learning curve needed to make all of the different styles of quilts is a challenge in and of itself. No quilter ever needs to be bored or worry about finding something meaningful to do. Work is always available and if one likes to quilt by hand, a project can always be taken along to pick up and put down at will, when one has a few moments available.
Textiles: An Expression of Culture
Textiles of all kinds, among them quilts, embroideries, woven and printed fabrics (old and new), and certainly, clothing, can be clues as to the lifestyle of the people who made them and the culture in which they originated.
Textiles for Sacred Purposes
Quilts and other textiles, from needlepoint kneeling cushions to quilted banners and embellished/embroidered garments of church officials are used for ecclesiastical celebrations. Ceremonial bibs and other special textiles such as baptismal gowns are worn and often passed down through a number of generations. Quilts often are given in honor of the birth of a baby. They are most certainly associated with weddings. Historically, they have a long tradition of being given to departing loved ones (to family members heading west during the years of America’s expansion or to a minister who was assigned to another congregation, especially during the nineteenth century when those elegant quilts were made in Baltimore, Maryland for Methodist ministers.
Personal Meaning
Quilts matter to me because I have been immersed in their study and in their making for almost three decades. Before becoming a quilter, I engaged in many other creative outlets including oil painting, doll making, embroidery techniques of all kinds, home sewing, crocheting, stenciling and making other crafted items. In quilting, I found a means of expression that exceeded anything creative I had ever attempted before.
As an active and avid quilt researcher, I try to bring some of the excitement of my own personal findings to light in my many articles published in print venues, books and (for free perusal) on my website and on this blog. I have enjoyed the past twelve years of writing my own quilt history column for The Quilter magazine and more articles are in the works!
Quilting as a hobby, or rather… as a passion, has longevity and has far more significance to a quilter than any non-quilting person would be able to imagine. Quilts have an intrinsic value that far exceeds their associated dollar value. The prices of quilts, like books, on the secondary market would probably astound their original makers, especially those stay-at-home moms in other centuries, some of whom never “earned” a penny in their lives, yet worked tirelessly for the comfort of their families, including making quilts to keep them warm.
The Quilt Industry
Today, those who traffic in quilts, shows, fabrics, fibers, books, magazines, notions, sewing thread, classes, workshops, lectures, retreats and everything else that makes up the commercial world of quilting represent what is referred to as the quilt industry. This worldwide enterprise generates billions of dollars in trade each year. Even if all that were to go away tomorrow, we would still have “little old lady” quilters to whom quilting and quilt friends are vital components of life, necessary as the air they breathe. In summary, these thoughts delineate just a few of the reasons why quilts matter!
Quilts today collectively represent tradition, innovation and vision. Non-quilters who are non-conversant with the richness of the quilting legacy would have a much better appreciation of the meaning of quilts if they only knew more about quilt history and how styles of quilts have evolved and developed over time. It is a beautiful study and one that has enriched my life immeasurably! Quilting engages the soul and the mind and one cannot overstate its importance. This essay cannot begin to reveal the significance of quilts as objects of material culture.
Cheers!
copyright 2011, Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications, Concord, NH
