A Brandywine River Museum Exhibit
For the Joy of It -
Appliquéd Quilts from the Judy Roche Collection
January 21, 2006 - March 19, 2006
Kaleidoscopic Orange Flowers Quilt
Pennsylvania, circa 1800-1900
Both images on this page
from the collection of Judy Roche.
Photos by David Stansbury.
CHADDS FORD, PA—Kaleidoscopic floral arrangements, a pineapple that Dr. Seuss might have designed, angels in long johns. These and other wonderful images are featured in a special collection of appliquéd quilts on view at the Brandywine River Museum.
Over three decades,
Solebury, Pennsylvania resident Judy Roche has collected nineteenth and
early twentieth century appliquéd quilts and quilt tops that appeal to her
sense of design and whimsy. For Roche, quilt making is about joy and
creativity. According to Roche, the colors, motifs, border and corner
treatments, and combinations of traditional appliqué designs and energetic
quilting patterns reveal how early folk artists expressed with cloth their
individual tastes and personalities.
For the Joy of It: Appliquéd Quilts from the Judy Roche Collection marks the Pennsylvania debut of Roche’s internationally celebrated collection. More than half of the twenty three quilts in the exhibition originated in and around Pennsylvania. The exhibition features motifs and designs, such as Whig Rose, Oak Leaf and Reel, and Four Block, that Roche finds particularly appealing.
The
quilts demonstrate the innovation and creativity of the Victorian era.
The fabric colors, most notably red and green, are historically significant
because they represent scientific advancements in dyes of the period.
Victorian quilters eagerly embraced the new dyes for their clarity, fastness
and affordability. The wide dissemination of appliquéd patterns also
reflects the exciting advancements in transportation during this era.
Vibrant and imaginative designs reflect the Victorian woman’s challenge to be a stabilizing force during industrial expansion and social unrest. In a period when creating a loving, beautiful and serene home for her family’s pleasure and ease was a woman’s societal role, a Victorian woman’s quilt work provided comfort and beauty. Appliquéd quilts, with their freedom of design, were among the most admired of this craft. They are examples of American folk art at its delightful best.
Pineapple Block, hand appliquéd, hand-quilted,
cotton, origin unknown, circa 1900-1930.
The exhibition features an extensive selection of sewing tools also from Judy Roche’s collection. For generations, elegant sewing tools have been a source of pride for women who stitched while entertaining company. Highlights include carved ivory needle cases, inlaid wooden sewing boxes, and an assortment of clever and practical tools designed to amuse, delight and aid the seamstress.
For the Joy of It: Appliquéd Quilts from the Judy Roche Collection is co-curated by Deborah E. Kraak and Lynne Z. Bassett. Kraak, a former textile curator with Winterthur Museum and Library, has written extensively about textiles and owns a consulting company, Historic Textiles, Costumes and Interiors, in Wilmington, Delaware. Bassett, a well-known quilt and costume specialist, most recently authored Modesty Died When Clothes Were Born: Costume in the Life and Literature of Mark Twain for the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, and a ground-breaking article on whole-cloth wool quilts for the September 2005 issue of The Magazine Antiques.
Located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the Brandywine River Museum is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Christmas Day. Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for seniors ages 65 and over, students with I.D., and children; and free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy members. For more information, call 610-388-2700 or visit the museum’s website at www.brandywinemuseum.org.
Media Contacts:
Halsey Spruance or Jennifer Maguire at
610-388-8337