Modern Quilts with Roots

In the six months I've been quilting, I've exposed myself to a lot of blogs, books, magazines, and exhibits on quilting and the history behind it.  All needle- and fiber-arts have deep roots, usually related to necessity rather than the art and craft we associate with it in 2013.  While I'm drawn to modern quilts and fabrics, it's not a surprise that these themes aren't original and can be seen in works from two centuries ago. 

My mom gave me this book in May, before I started quilting, and I skimmed it but didn't really pay much attention until this weekend.  This isn't a book review, but I wanted to talk about the main theme I saw in this book, from 2004: quilts from 1850 are more relevant than quilts from 1950.

A lot of these quilt styles are easily recognizable: sawtooth stars, lone stars, pinwheels, nine patches, on and on.  I've ever reviewed them here, in my Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration and Liberty Love reviews.  They can be seen on Etsy, on Flickr, on blogs--made with Momo and Anna Maria Horner instead of men's uniforms or old dresses.  Upcycling is still relevant--Ariel is the best example of this I know!--but it isn't the only option anymore. The fabric retail industry shows just how much freedom there is in fabric styles, colors, and themes, and choosing to add new into the old is a very modern choice.

This quilt in particular reminds me of Farmer's Wife quilt blocks.  I've seen them done in everything from batiks to Echino.

"Crazy Quilt"--the first improv quilt?

Stripes.  Solids.  Saturated colors.  This quilt isn't featured on the MQG blog--it's 100 years old.

However, for as many relevant quilts there were in this book, there were also quite a few that made me cringe.  While it's true that this book is almost ten years old, the quilts featured date back for hundreds of years.  It surprises me that so many antique styles can look contemporary, but all it takes is a bad applique or a weird scalloped edge to date it immediately.

These were some examples of quilt styles not typically celebrated by modern quilters.  "Whig's Defeat," from the late 1800s, features a scalloped edge and fabrics in cream, mauve, and hunter green.  The funny thing is, instead of the 1880s, it looks like the 1980s.  While these styles certainly have their place in history, it's completely offbase with the modern/traditional movement.

However, ironically, the worst section in the book was the "modern" section: 1950 - present.  2004 was before Modern Quilt Guild, before Heather Ross and Amy Butler, before the resources we have today.  Looking at the quilts labeled contemporary in this books makes me realize just how far modern quilting has come in the past few years.  That's not to say there aren't plenty of quilters still using these techniques; one visit to a traditional quilt shop shows that batiks are alive and well!  But for as much as I loved the Civil War sawtooth, pinwheel, and lonestar styles, I couldn't imagine ever using a template to cut out and applique a polar bear to a bear claw quilt.  Jeni B. has a bear claw quilt in Modern Quilts From the Blogging Universe that is wholly new and fresh while not reinventing the wheel.

Polar bear applique.  Need I say more?

I think what this book says to me most is that color choice really matters and has changed quite a bit.  The 1800s had muted calicos and stripes--women and men wore these homespun fabrics so they were naturally used in home projects.  As quilting became more decorative than functional, and fabric choices evolved from clothing scraps to a growing stash, quilts lost their traditional edge: featuring goldfish instead of stars, and flowers instead of nine patches.  Modern quilting has gone back to these roots, keeping a foot in both worlds: functional quilts made with designer fabrics.  They aren't thumbing their nose at tradition, but rather paying an homage.  

There is a well-known animosity between modern and traditional quilters, and whether or not you've experienced it, you probably know the main disagreements: modern quilters don't have enough rules and traditional quilters are too stuffy; modern quilters need a color wheel lesson and traditional quilters need to brighten up and add prints.  I think this book in particular is deep-rooted in tradition and traditional quilting; if it were written in 2008 or 2009, improv quilts would be in the contemporary section without a doubt.  I find myself gravitating to the older quilts in all traditional books--art quilts are normally featured as "contemporary" and, seeing as how they're almost wholly non-functional, they just go against what I think a quilt should be: a blanket.  

It's important to know the history of what you're doing, whether it's painting, quilting, or making dinner.  Nothing exists in a vacuum.  Pulling from the past and deciding how those traditions are interpreted helps to further a movement.  Books like this one are a great resource because they explain the background of how our favorite blocks came to be.  But it definitely takes an editing eye to decide what is relevant and what isn't, what is true to one's style and what isn't.  As with any book, every project isn't doable, but once a quilter is able to determine what is and isn't his or her style, choosing quilt blocks and merging them with a stash--upcycled or new--becomes easier and more meaningful once it becomes deliberate.

How do you merge old and new in your own work?  Do you know what your style is or are you dabbling?