The craft of quilting, which involves the stitching together of layers of fabric and padding to create a useful or decorative object, has a long and rich history. Although many believe that quilting began in Colonial America, its historical roots date back to the 1st century. Quilting developed in Europe throughout the Crusades and into the 17th century. But it was uncommon in America in the late 1700s, as most women were responsible for clothing their families by spinning, weaving and sewing, and only the wealthy had the leisure time for quilt making. Quilting was used mostly on decorative items that displayed the fine needlework of the maker.
The Industrial Revolution brought about dramatic changes in quilting. The sewing machine was invented and textiles were manufactured on a broad scale, were affordable and no longer had to be developed at home. As a result, quilting became widespread. During the 1800s, quilters incorporated more creativity into their work. Style designs were broadened to include natural motifs such as feathers or flowers, and quilting methods were expanded as well.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that quilting began to transition from a utilitarian craft to a contemporary art form. Books were published that were instrumental in freeing quilting artists from preconceptions about rules. Quilt art was also brought to the forefront as comparable to other forms of contemporary art by exhibits in New York City and at Harvard University. Traveling exhibits, which spotlighted contemporary quilt art, also started appearing in the 1970s and continue today.
So, what is quilt art?
Although quilted art originated in traditional techniques, artists now use many different processes, including painting, dyeing, piecing, collage, photo printing, appliqué and other complex processes.
One guild artist who started as a painter and incorporated her art into her talent for quilting is Nancy MacMillan. First, she visualizes her painting in vibrant colors and then formulates the painted art on fabric. MacMillan typically creates quilted wall hangings with abstract designs applied with fabric paint, dyes or acrylics. Her paints are applied thickly with a knife, stitching is done along the painting to determine its size and presentation.
MacMillan was quilting for several years before she acquired ongoing technical training from Pat Delaney, a world champion quilter. She has also studied Abstract Expressionism under Sarah Bates Washburn at the Plymouth Center for the Arts and considers both the quilting and art courses invaluable to her work.
Quilt art has seen, MacMillan believes, a growth in popularity within the last decade. She has noticed more newcomers at quilting shows and increased numbers of contemporary aisles at juried events. In 2008, a traveling exhibit from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, entitled “Art Quilt,” surprised MacMillan, not only with its exceptional quality but also the high attendance level. The show also displayed nearly equal numbers of work by women and men.
Although she tends to keep or give away most of her creations, MacMillan has exhibited work in shows on the Cape as well as Plymouth. Last September, she displayed “Margaritaville” in its bright, abstract form at the Center’s juried show. She currently has two abstract wall hangings involving paint, fabric and thread on juried exhibit at the Center’s Russell Gallery Winter Show, which runs through March 27.
Another Guild quilt artist who considers herself a “contemporary traditionalist” is Ann Lainhart. Much of her work is based on traditional quilt blocks. But using modern cottons, hand-dyed fabrics, border prints and “fussy-cutting,” gives her work a contemporary feel. (Fussy-cutting is the isolating of a motif in a fabric and cutting out several pieces exactly alike to produce a kaleidoscopic or mirror-image effect.) She published her book, Fussy-cut Mariner’s Compass in February 2009. This book combines instructions for the process of fussy-cutting with the referenced pattern.
Lainhart says that “If you think today’s quilts are like your grandparents’ quilts, you’d be amazed at a modern quilt show,” Lainhart says, adding that the variety of traditional and innovative styles is impressive. She’s seen a resurgence of interest in quilting since the late 1970s, with the field now offering something for everybody.
Today’s textiles include metallics, hand-painted fabrics and batiks, and reproduction fabrics are produced by museums, such as the Smithsonian. Lainhart adapts traditional Chinese lattice or bargello needlepoint designs used for thousands of years for quilting using these modern fabrics.
Lainhart has been a quilter for more than 25 years. She’s taught quilting and also owned the Quilted Gallery in Gloucester. Ann’s work can be seen at QuiltedGallery.com or in the Center’s Russell Gallery show.
For a complete listing of all classes and workshops available to you at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, call 508-746-7222 or visit www.plymouthguild.org.
The Plymouth Center for the Arts, at 11 North St., is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4. Gallery admission is free, with fees for some special events. Parking is available on the street and in the public lot across from the Center. Call 508-746-7222 or go to www.plymouthguild.org for more information.
