The color yellow in quilts

When I was selling sewing machines a few years back, I worked in a stand-alone department inside a busy fabric store. I was able to work on quilts between helping customers, and I always enjoyed interacting with people, whether they were interested in my wares or not. I had many lively conversations with other quilters, and heard many stories I wouldn't have had access to elsewhere. One of the items of interest I heard more than once was that you should never use the color yellow in a quilt. One lady told me that her grandmother had said it was considered bad luck. This surprised me greatly, as I've heard other quilters say that you should always put some yellow into a  quilt.
I had also heard that the Amish never used yellow in their quilts, but of course that's not true.
I think that many people are not sure how to use yellow, and can be intimidated by it. It is, after all, a very strong color, which can denote many things, among them warmth, and summer.  Used well, it can bring sparkle to a quilt. It can be fabulously paired with a clear blue for stunning results. On the other hand, it can get lost if paired with white.

 I believe the study of color is critical for successful design. Color can be used to express emotions and feelings, and the knowledge of the effects of color on one's psyche is an invaluable tool with which to work. Learn whatever you can about color, and you will no longer be intimidated by it.One of my very favorite books is Joen Wolfrom's The Magical Effects of Color. Joen has written a number of books on the subject, and she has so much great information to offer.

A quilting bee

One of my cousins tells the story about how my grandmother had some of her friends over for a sort of quilting bee. My aunt prepared luncheon for the ladies, and then they set about their work, sitting around the stretched-out quilt. Before too long one of them dropped to her knees on the floor. Oh no! Was the food served at lunch a problem? Then another did the same. Now it was time to panic.

It turned out that they were simply interested in inspecting the stitching on the back of the  quilt!

A basket quilt

 I was inspired to make this by copying an old quilt which was my maternal grandmother's. The original quilt was much bigger, and the sashing was that great bubble gum pink. The story was that each of her friends had made a block and signed their names. Even though each of the squares looks as though it was made by a different hand, I found no signatures at all. The flowers in the original were all hand embroidered.

When I decided to make this quilt I had originally intended to use pink sashing.The only problem was that I picked out the fabrics for the flowers and baskets, and there was no way it was going to work with pink! That's when I decided to go with black, for which I have the greatest fondness. I've never seen this exact basket pattern anywhere, so I've named it Grandma's Baskets. I've seen blocks which were similar, but not quite the same. I fused the basket handles (cut on the bias) and the flowers, and then used a machine blanket stitch to sew around each raw edge. If I made this again I would probably use wider borders, but I'm quite pleased with it nonetheless. The binding is made up of strips cut from the remains of the fat quarters I used for the baskets and flowers. I must admit that I sort of "borrowed" the flower shapes from Diana McClun and Laura Knownes' book Quilts, Quilts, Quilts.

My Camera

The camera I'm currently using is a Canon PowerShot SX130IS. The list price for this is $249, but I paid $20 less, and I've seen it at an even lower price. (There is also an SX30IS, which is about twice the price.)
This is a point and shoot camera, as opposed to a digital single lens reflex. DSLR cameras are much more expensive, due to higher lens quality, and separate chips for auto focusing and the photosensor. With a point and shoot there is a lag time between when you push the button and the actual picture is taken. I don't want to get too technical, but I've been very happy with this camera, in spite of some limitations, and I've been able to get some really good pictures. It's very lightweight and convenient to use, and I like the fact that I can just take a couple of pictures of a quilt, and put them into my blog posts.

I will upgrade to a higher quality camera at some point, just as a beginning quilter would want to upgrade her sewing machine. It's not necessary to have all the bells and whistles when you're starting a new hobby, but with practice and experience you will learn which features are important to you. Plus, if you spend a lot of money when you start out, you might find that this isn't for you. It's your skill level which you want to improve, and that can be done with even some very simple equipment. Do the best you can with what you have, and be happy with your accomplishments.

An old quilt top

 Here are some pictures of an old quilt top I purchased at our guild boutique a few years ago. It was hung up on a wall, and an announcement was made that this and another old top were for sale for $10 each. When I spotted that black and white star from across the room I knew I just had to have it.
I think it may have been stitched together mid-twentieth century or so (Depression Era, perhaps?)but I really have no idea. At some point, probably in the 70's some chunks were cut out of one side, presumably to make pillows or some such.

 I was unable to find this exact block in any of my books, including Maggie Malone's book, 5,500 Quilt Block Designs. I did find a couple of blocks which were close, one called Anna's Choice, and another called Margaret's Choice, so I've named the block Ann-Margret's Choice.
This is a very beautiful though humble quilt, and one day I'll pay proper tribute and make a copy of it. For now it awaits, neatly folded, among other textiles in my cupboard.

The blocks are machine stitched, and the maker sewed four blocks together and then put the pieced pink and white sashing around them. The pink and white is very near and dear to my heart, and reminds me of my grandmother.

Where do I purchase my quilt fabrics?

I know many quilters who will only buy fabrics at quilt shops, but I'm not one of those. I realize that when you pay $8-$10 a yard for fabrics (or more sometimes) you will expect to be getting the very best quality fabric. I frequent some of the larger chain stores as well, and I often buy small pieces of fabric at the monthly boutique at my quilt guild. I realize that the quality will not always be the same, but I haven't run into too many problems doing this. Sometimes a manufacturer will print the same print onto very different quality greige goods (the term for the un-printed, un-dyed fabric), so unless you're looking at the fabric with a magnifier you can't be sure of the thread count. You can usually tell what kind of quality you're getting after the fabric is washed. If you find you lose all the body in the fabric once the sizing is gone, then you may want to reconsider using it. I've also found the opposite problem, which is when the fabric remains very stiff even after washing. These are just some of the many things you must take into consideration when selecting fabrics.
I once used a beautiful print for the border of a quilt which faded dreadfully after the second washing. It was from what I would consider a high-end manufacturer, and I was hugely disappointed. Luckily for me the  quilt was not a large one, nor one that I had given away. I ended up appliqueing another fabric over the top of the entire border, which was quite a bit of work. I still sigh when I think of how beautiful that first print was!

The joy of African American quilts

When I saw the quilts of Gee's Bend in an exhibit at the de Young Museum a few years ago, I was most intrigued by their exuberance. I saw great spontaneity and joy in so many of those quilts, and I have to say that I was not a little envious of the creativity with which these poor rural women created these works of art. How I wish I could allow myself  to express my work so freely! And yet, they had almost nothing with which to work. By that I mean that they used up every scrap of fabric and thread that they had, and many of those quilts were made from old work clothes. Need I say that those were my favorites?
The ladies of Gee's Bend, Alabama quilted to keep their families warm, and nothing else. Many of the quilts were burned when they were deemed to have reached the end of their useful lives. 
I feel so privileged to have been able to see these wonderful works of art.