Friday, August 25, 2017

Stars of the Bed Turning

Here is my last post from the PNW Quilt and Fiber Museum.  Stars from the bed turning last weekend.  Although this isn't technically a star, it has a similar feel to a feathered star so I put it in this post.  It was a fabulous 2 color quilt and the maker did a very good job.

She hand quilted spider web designs in to the center cream diamonds.

This one was spectacular, both in it's color and design.  I love the shots of pink mixed into the poison green that was used.  Crossed flying geese inside a feathered star.

I didn't make a note of how many pieces were in each block, but they did make mention of it.  I just know it's lots.  This quilt maker was confident of her skills to tackle not just one block, but nine of these blocks.

This next piece was very different.  The quilter was showcasing the center fabric and it seems that it would have almost covered the top of the mattress and the lone stars would have been around the three edges.  No border on the top of this quilt.

Again, I did not note any details of the size, but I did notice that the maker used some of the center fabric in a few of the lone star blocks.

A closer look at the center piece and you can see the quilting pattern of diamonds.  I thought this one was pretty special.
How about a dose of Vitamin C, this bright and vibrant flower/sunburst was appliqued and embroidered.  The stitching was quite thick and detailed.

Don't forget to eat your pea's........pea pods and vines were embroidered all around each of the flowers.  I believe this was a coverlet with no batting or quilting.


Last up was this colorful hexagon piece.  The maker created the diamond shapes, and then set them into tumbling blocks.  She appliqued it onto this wonderful orange solid.  Sorry, I didn't snap any full pictures of this one.
But I did get the back.  All that hand quilting gave the back such amazing texture.  I just wanted to run my hand over it and feel all the goodness, but of course I didn't.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the permanent collection from the PNW Quilt and Fiber Museum.  As many of you know, it is our museums that are maintaining, preserving, and showing these fabulous textile treasures from the past, along with exceptional pieces from makers of today.  Without our support, they struggle financially, and if we want to continue to have these amazing facilities be the keepers of past/present textiles we, as quilters need to financially support them.  It's not enough to visit once in awhile, and pay the entrance fee. 

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, please consider becoming an Sustainable Member of our local museum.  When I consider how much I spent on fabric throughout the year, sending $10 a month is less than a yard of fabric.  I have no affiliation with this museum, but I do love the history of quilts and quilting and without our support, these "keeper of the quilts" will cease to exist.

Keep stitching,
Sharon

7 comments:

Roxanne said...

You've shared some beautiful quilts and an important reminder to support our local museums. Thank you!

Mimi said...

I would have loved seeing these beautiful quilts. You are very lucky to have gotten to see them in person. Thank you for sharing.

Louise said...

Wonderful pics of some terrific quilts. I joined the museum the first year I moved up her from Ca.
Thank you Sharon!

Karen said...

I like the poison green quilt very much. Such an unusual feathered star design.

Pat said...

Your reminder to us as to the importance of supporting museums/textile collections is well stated. Thank you for sharing these beauties. I am continually amazed at how stunning they are and realizing the quiltmaker had none of the specialty rulers/cutting tools and other notions we take for granted now.

Kyle said...

Thanks for sharing your photos and descriptions of these pieces of the past. The makers probably didn't think of their quilts as works of art, but they definitely are.

Nifty Quilts said...

Thanks again for showing these masterpieces!!