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Quilts are a significant art form in American culture, with deep roots in the country's history. They are both functional and decorative. and have been created by primarily female artists for centuries.
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QUILTS AS ART
* In 1971, Whitney Museum of American Art held an exhibition called Abstract Design in American Quilts. The show recognized quilts as aesthetic achievements. The critical and popular response was enthusiastic. * Critics hailed quilts as important artwork in the American canon. * Quilts have been exhibited in museums, including The American Folk Art Museum. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has also exhibited quilts in its "Fabric of a Nation" exhibition. |
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GAIL (Miller) HOOVER
When I make a New York Beauty Quilt, I start with a couple of goals for the finished project. The first thing I pick out is the background color. Next, I pull a lot of fabric from the scrap pile and yardage shelf that both contrast and coordinate with the background. I begin to sew a quarter circle block. If I like it, I make more. If I don't like it , I save it to use as a filler for a blank space. It goes on a flannel backed table cloth I tacked to the wall. I continue to make blocks and add them to the wall. After I have about half enough blocks, I start taking pictures. It is very easy to see where color should be spread out for balance. This dictates what color is used in the last blocks. I may rearrange 15 times. I have 3 sisters who give their opinions on what should be tweaked. Sometimes I have blocks that get thrown out and I make new ones. When I am happy with the result, it is finished. - GAIL (Miller) HOOVER -
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During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, quilts had become an acknowledged art form within many communities. Quilts were produced that were not intended for use as everyday bedcovers; instead, their primary purpose was to commemorate an event or relationship.
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Eileen Miller 1949-2015 |
Grandmother Lavinia Greiser
5th birthday gift to Barbara (Junker) Henry |
JEAN (Miller) ROYAL
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SYLVIA (Miller) JONES
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SYLVIA'S Grand-daughters Cora and Lia Fonzo
(10 and 12) |
Janet (Miller) Troyer
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Sylvia (Miller) Jones - 2024
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Quilting from "The Crib" (American born)
QUILTING FROM THE CRIB
Gail (Miller) Hoover
I always remember my mother quilting in the winter. I awoke to sound of Dad shaking the clinkers in the furnace, the coffee pot perking and not moving a muscle, since there was no heat in the bedroom. When getting out of bed, one moved quickly since the floors were cold, and generally we didn't have slippers.
By the time I ran to the bathroom, to beat the other four sisters, Mom was drinking coffee and making breakfast. She moved with her cup of coffee to the quilt stretched out on lumber 1" x 4", in the living room. When I was really little clamps held the lumber together, which was then propped on the back of mismatched wooden chairs. The coffee cup was balanced on the frame and Mom was sewing with a two-foot piece of thread. a small sharp needle and a metal thimble. In time, a hole would be punched through the thimble from the pressure used to push the needle through two layers of fabric and one of batting. In time the cotton layer was replaced with one of polyester. This made quilting so much easier! The goal was to make 8 - 10 stitches per inch. Another goal was that each stitch, both top and bottom was even.
The space under the quilt was wonderful! It became a sort of tent. We would wheel our dolls in their buggies under the frame and play for hours. with pink doll beds under there, also. Every once in a while, Mom would invite her quilting friends over to sew. and then provide lunch. Under the quilt, when quiet, we would listen to the chatter among the women. In retrospect, it's where I learned to listen, process, how to agree and disagree with other opinions. It was civilized conversation of people with different experiences etc. News, probably gossip, was shared, support and concern offered and given. Under the quilt, all was safe and secure,
The quilt shrunk every day or so when the quilting was progressing, as far as Mother's arm would reach. Then it was time to roll. worked better with two people. Each would loosen the C-clamp holding perpendicular pieces of wood. then roll the finished quilting on the wood until a new section was in front. Clamps tightened, chairs scooted in place, and the world under the quilt became narrower. Eventually, the tent was gone.
The first time I tried quilting I was in 6th grade. The stitches were terrible! Probably 1/2" long! Mother would let me keep sewing and hen we were in school, she would pull them out. I'm sure it didn't take long. Every day after school I would sew more. Eventually, Mom quit ripping out my work. I'm sure they were not as small as hers, but I had reached the acceptable level.
Gail (Miller) Hoover
I always remember my mother quilting in the winter. I awoke to sound of Dad shaking the clinkers in the furnace, the coffee pot perking and not moving a muscle, since there was no heat in the bedroom. When getting out of bed, one moved quickly since the floors were cold, and generally we didn't have slippers.
By the time I ran to the bathroom, to beat the other four sisters, Mom was drinking coffee and making breakfast. She moved with her cup of coffee to the quilt stretched out on lumber 1" x 4", in the living room. When I was really little clamps held the lumber together, which was then propped on the back of mismatched wooden chairs. The coffee cup was balanced on the frame and Mom was sewing with a two-foot piece of thread. a small sharp needle and a metal thimble. In time, a hole would be punched through the thimble from the pressure used to push the needle through two layers of fabric and one of batting. In time the cotton layer was replaced with one of polyester. This made quilting so much easier! The goal was to make 8 - 10 stitches per inch. Another goal was that each stitch, both top and bottom was even.
The space under the quilt was wonderful! It became a sort of tent. We would wheel our dolls in their buggies under the frame and play for hours. with pink doll beds under there, also. Every once in a while, Mom would invite her quilting friends over to sew. and then provide lunch. Under the quilt, when quiet, we would listen to the chatter among the women. In retrospect, it's where I learned to listen, process, how to agree and disagree with other opinions. It was civilized conversation of people with different experiences etc. News, probably gossip, was shared, support and concern offered and given. Under the quilt, all was safe and secure,
The quilt shrunk every day or so when the quilting was progressing, as far as Mother's arm would reach. Then it was time to roll. worked better with two people. Each would loosen the C-clamp holding perpendicular pieces of wood. then roll the finished quilting on the wood until a new section was in front. Clamps tightened, chairs scooted in place, and the world under the quilt became narrower. Eventually, the tent was gone.
The first time I tried quilting I was in 6th grade. The stitches were terrible! Probably 1/2" long! Mother would let me keep sewing and hen we were in school, she would pull them out. I'm sure it didn't take long. Every day after school I would sew more. Eventually, Mom quit ripping out my work. I'm sure they were not as small as hers, but I had reached the acceptable level.
Mary Ann (Greiser) MILLER
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GREISER GIRLS (from a long time ago)
Kaye, MaryAnn, Fern, June, Ruth, Shirley |
CHRISTMAS - 2024 at the Junkers House
Cadence - Ronald - Priya |
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Trusting the Process........ (for generations)
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