Can there ever be too many green quilts?

On April 10th my friend Barbara Mills and I 

attended the Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group 

which met in Kalona, Iowa. 

The focus of the daylong program was 

"Depression Quilts" 

and each of the 60 attendees

 was encouraged to bring two quilts to share with the group.

 I took this photo of two of the antique quilts 

draped over a quilt stand. 

A comment on the caliber of the attendees: 

These women are well-schooled 

and have gathered many quilts in their travels. 

Each time a show of hands was asked for--

"How many of you have a double wedding ring quilt 

at home that you did not bring?"...the tally was at least 23. 

This is coming from 60 ladies. 

This is in addition to the 120+ quilts they brought that day 

which we all oohed and aahed over. 

The attendees were asked the question over and over--

with a change of pattern name--

trip around the world, Sunbonnet Sue or Overall Bill, 

postage stamp, etc. 

I just wanted to rave about this group

 and share a green quilt and as Forrest Gump would say,

 "That is all I am going to say about that."

My friend Lisa Christensen admired this quilt entitled "Maddox".

Now just tell me the green doesn't make it pop!

I just found this next quilt photo 

on the 2010 International Quilt Festival/Chicago 

(actually Rosemont, Illinois) website 

at http://www.quilts.com/sqf10/enVivo/ 

in the SPECIAL EXHIBITS section. 

You may want to check out these 11 special exhibits. 

This quilt which appears in the "Celebrate Spring! 2010" exhibit 

is entitled "Blazing His Own Trail" by Ann Crowl Meyer. 

In addition to being named the Viewer's Choice, 

it was one of the quilts detailed in the VIDEOS section 

(Celebrate Spring exhibit) 

where closer photos 

and interviews of featured quiltmakers were recorded. 

I just love to look at it.

 Don't you?

But to be honest...
not all green quilts are created equal.
I hope my examples have proven that.

If you are not sold yet,
you WILL BE after seeing the next quilt
I made many years ago.

I found the coleus printed fabric
and purchased solid-colored pink and green to go with it.

Mistake #1.

I decided to "fussy cut" a coleus plant for the center

and border it with the green and pink "delectable mountain" blocks.

Mistake #2.

Admittedly this did give me a chance to practice
 the "delectable mountain" blocks which I do like,
but...really...is this a pretty quilt....I don't think so.

The center square looks more like a human heart than a lovely flower.

Hence the name, "Pepto Bismol Beating Heart."

And the border just doesn't do anything for the quilt...
really...what does do anything for the quilt.

So, this is an example of an ugly quilt...
and yet, a quilt which does serve a purpose...

as a warning to others...

DON'T DO THIS!

So there CAN be too many green quilts!

Learn from my mistakes.

But, of course, we must all make our own mistakes.

 If you have, don't let it break you.

It didn't break me.

I must have made another 30 or 40 quilts since this one.

And almost every one is MUCH better.

Laugh at your mistakes and plan a better quilt.

Until next time,

Carlene

You just never know...

 

On March 20, 2010 I was speaking about my quilts

 to a group of women who were visiting Clarinda 

for the National Minneapolis-Moline Collectors Convention. 

In addition to sharing stories about more than thirty other quilts, 

I also chose to set up my 96" x 124" quilt named

 "Holocaust: A Hate Movement" 

in the main area of the Nodaway Valley Historical Museum.

 Since men and women were expected at the Museum that day, 

I thought its message could reach a large group. 

As it turned out, we did have 102 visitors that Saturday.

I shared the messages which are built into the quilt

 through blocks, fabrics, text, dimension, texture and quilting. 

Seventy blocks, chosen for their names 

from The Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns compiled by Barbara Brachman,

tell the story of the Holocaust in chronological order. 

The Nazi swastika block was drafted from a photograph. 

Bright colored prints first released in the 1920's and 1930's 

are featured in the beginning of the quilt. 

At the time when life became precarious, 

only solid-colored fabrics were used. 

The chosen colors were black (hate), red (death), orange (fear), 

brown (Nazi uniforms), dark blue (U.S., British and French flag color) 

and light blue (Israeli flag color). 

The four gray border fabrics represent everyday "normal life" (left), 

ashes blowing in the wind (top), 

ashes in the furnaces (bottom) 

and tendrils of hope growing from the ashes (right).

Blocks pieced with their seam allowances 

on the surface (instead of inside) 

reverse the meaning of the original block name. 

For example, the reversed block "Peace and Plenty" 

depicts the lack of peace and plenty at that time. 

Text such as "Where is God" and "Men to the left, Women to the right" 

documents both memories and agonizing concerns. 

Overall hand quilting in three-inch intervals 

represents the barbed wire fences 

surrounding the extermination and work camps.

In 1991 I was inspired by God 

to make this quilt after visiting Yad Vashem, 

The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority 

near Jerusalem, Israel. 

Yad Vashem was founded in 1953 by the State of Israel 

to recognize those killed and harmed during the Holocaust 

and to acknowledge those who worked to rescue the survivors.

The software programs Electric Quilt and Blockbase 

were used to design the quilt layout and print templates 

for cutting out the pieces of the blocks. 

The names of the 77 quilt blocks 

are listed in alphabetical order as follows:

American Homes

At the Depot

At the Square

Attic Window

A Victory Quilt

Boxcar Patch

Broken Windows

Brown World

Children Israel

Church Steps

Churchill

Day and Night

Danger Signal

Depression

Father's Choice

Follow the Leader

Ghost Walk

Hide & Seek

Home Again

Hour Glass

Lost Children

Memory Block (seven - each containing one of the texts below)

..."Men to the left, women to the right"

..."Work will make you free"

..."Break the body, break the spirit, break the heart"

..."Where is God"

..."Whatsoever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do unto me"

..."I was only following orders"

..."Never again"

Next Door Neighbor

Nothing Wasted

Our Country

Path Thru the Woods

Peace and Plenty (backwards)

Peaceful Hours (backwards)

President Roosevelt

Prosperity (backwards)

Railroad Crossing

Road to Paris

Rob Peter to Pay Paul

Salute to Loyalty

Secret Drawer

Star of David

Swastika

Target

The Stockade

Trial and Troubles

Underground Railroad

Victory

I am drawn to tell stories about my quilts. 

This one has been the most difficult so far. 

In addition I have found that remembering history

opens my eyes to the current lack of justice and peace

in so many areas of our world.

 Keep your eyes open. 

Be courageous and speak up. 

You just never know when you might make a difference. 

Do you know of a venue which would welcome 

a short term display of this eye-opening quilt with a serious message?

Peace,

Carlene

Surfing in new waters

I created this 100" x 100" quilt
(with slightly different inner borders)

after viewing a photo of an antique quilt online.

As you can see, green is a powerful draw for me yet.

What would you use to make the 378 half square triangles--

Triangle Paper, Wonder Ruler or traditional methods?

Also I discovered two more websites of interesting quilts.

On the BBC website I found information about England's

Victoria and Albert Museum current show of quilts from 1700-2010.

Check out the hexagon quilt probably made by a sailor.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8578091.stm

Below is the website where you can view the winners of the

Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2010 and 2009.

http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/quilt/

You know I loved the quilt entitled "Variations of Green" by Chinami Terai

which appeared with the 2009 winners.

http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/quilt/8/original1.htm

Keep quilting--in your style and with your favorite colored fabrics--or not.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a lovely spring!

Carlene

Say cheese!

For some reason I am totally into orange lately. Maybe it is all the gray skies here in Iowa. Maybe it is the lack of it in the colors of our clothing. Whatever the reason it is speaking to me.

So I went into Electric Quilt 6 and designed and colored a two color quilt with white and orange....and then orange and white.

Which do you prefer? Doesn't it remind you of "Dreamsickles"? Perhaps you knew of them as "Pushups"--vanilla ice cream coated with orange sherbet (or as we said..sherbert).

Hmmm...would these quilts keep you warm or cause you to shiver as you slept under them....not sure.

Perhaps this pink one would warm you up more.

That is what I love about quilting....the emotional connection to color and design.

I hope you have a warm quilt on your bed tonight. Sleep well and dream of the colors in your life.

Carlene