This was just one of the many gorgeous quilts on display at the De Young Museum in San Francisco today. Can you believe that this was made around 1950? It looks like it would be completely at home in one of Denise Schmidt's books of modern quilts. (Made by Jessie T. Pettway)
What first impressed me was how much these quilts looked completely at home hanging on a museum wall. Some were more Mondrian looking and others had innovative takes on traditional patterns - such as Log Cabin (or Housetops as the Benders liked to call it) and the Texas Lone Star.
The next thing was realizing that some of the older quilts were made from the men's work clothing. You can see some of the repaired worn patches on some of these quilts. Now these men were basically sharecroppers doing back-breaking work for so little money that their families were guaranteed to never climb out of the poverty stricken hole that is the inheritance of so many parts of Alabama. These quilts weren't made just for the hell of it, but as necessary means to keep the family warm during the cold winters. Yet these women were able to create works of art and innovation. The Benders liked to call their quilt designs doing it "my way." There's a lot to be said for a quilting community that encourages everyone to experiment.
Annie Mae Young, Circa 1975 - Another beautiful quilt, this one made from scraps of corduroy. After seeing what these women have created with scraps of work clothing, old sheets, and leftover cotton fibers from the cotton gin (they used to hand beat them into their batting), I am inspired to make more things from my bag of fabric scraps. Yes, I'm lucky to be able to run to the LQS and buy yardage as needed, but wouldn't it be nice to use more of the leftovers? That's why my goal for the next two months is to make more projects from my scrap bag.
