The Quilting Blues

The Quilting Blues, collection of Sue Reich was a special exhibit at the AQS Quiltweek show in DesMoines, IA at the end of September 2023. I was fascinated by the variety of these vintage quilts. The poster at the exhibit said: “The color blue surrounds us with clear, azure skies and calm, peaceful seas where we seek serenity and relaxation. It’s the all-time favorite color in bedrooms. Blue is also associated with royalty, the military, and today, little boys’ clothing. After World War I, a Colonial revival swept the country in the home decoration industry. The color blue once again became a favorite choice in quilt making harkening back to quilts Grandma made. There was a wave of patriotism from the 1930’s with the NRA (National Recovery Act), World War II, and in 1976 with the Bicentennial Celebration, the red, white, and blue quilts reigned. The quilts in this exhibit from the collection of Sue Reich represent 150 years of Quilting Blues, ranging from1825 to 1976.” Sue Reich is a quilter, nationally recognized quilt historian, lecturer and author of nine Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. quilt books. She is also a Gold Star mother and serves as the current president of the Quilts of Valor organization. Her articles on quilt history have appeared in many national magazines. Thank you Sue for sharing these quilts!

The Quilts

This was the first quilt in the exhibit to catch my eye. I loved the simplicity of it. It was recently machine quilted with the baptist fan pattern by Pat Hluska.

One Patch Quilt c. 1920 – quiltmaker unknown

This quilt was hand and machine pieced and was recently machine quilted by Pat Hluska.

Tree Everlasting Quilt c. 1920 Quiltmaker unknown

I was drawn in by the border. At first I thought of a vintage quilt that I had the pleasure of quilting. It had an ice cream cone border and that fact informed my choice of quilting designs. All ice cream related.  But that boder laid flat. I wondered if the maker intended it to be so wavy or if it was a piecing idea gone wrong. After observing the quilt for a while I decided the ruffles and waves were intentional. A charming flounce as the quilt laid on the bed.

detail of Tree Everlasting Quilt

detail of Tree Everlasting Quilt

Modern quilting?

Hand pieceing and hand quilting make this quilt amazing.

Miniature Flying Geese – c. 1940 – Quiltmaker unknown

Interesting how the quilter mimicked the flying geese with her straight-line quilting design just like we do with “modern” quilts today.

detail of Miniature Flying Geese

This quilt is somewhat older, with such a cool, modern-looking piecing pattern. c. 1890 I was hand pieced and machine quilted by Pat Hluska.

detail of Flyfoot Quilt

Only two fabrics were used in this lovely made completely by hand.

Petal Applique Quilt – c. 1840 – Quiltmaker unknown

detail of Petal Applique Quilt

Another hand-pieced and recently machine quilted beauty.

Carpenter’s Star Quilt – c. 1910 – Quiltmaker unknown

detail of Carpenter’s Star Quilt

detail of Carpenter’s Star Quilt

A more modern quilt, c. 1960, using denim and tons of hand embroidery.

Embroidered Denim Sampler – c. 1960 – Quiltmaker unknown

Check out these embroidered blocks! Groovy!

detail of Embroidered Denim Sampler Quilt

a detail of Embroidered Denim Sampler Quilt

detail of Embroidered Denim Sampler Quilt

Moral of the story

Hope you enjoyed this tiny sampling of quilt history. Be sure to label your quilts so that someday, when your quilts are in a historical exhibit, everyone will know exactly who made them! Quilt Every Day! by Mary Beth Krapil