Hi all! I hope you're having a wonderful week! In my last post, I had mentioned that I was headed off to my first Modern Quilt Guild meeting, here's my take on it. The only chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild in the Columbus area was on the north side of town, about 45 minutes from where I live. That would not be a big problem, but when I arrived to the meeting, I was virtually ignored until I decided to randomly introduce myself to the woman sitting next to me. I'm sure they are all very nice people once they know you, but they were not terribly astute at making a new person feel welcomed. The quilt shop that hosted the meeting was extremely modern with more trendy styles of quilt patterns and fabrics. One of the activities of the meeting was to present a challenge piece that they took on in January using a certain fabric line with a given theme. The fabric was acceptable in very muted tones. As each person presented their challenge piece and then later, their respective show and tell pieces, I soon realized that if I heard the word "wonky" one more time, I was going to scream. The definition of modern quilting as taken from the National Modern Quilt Guild website is:
" Modern quilters work in different styles and define modern quilting in different ways, but several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include, but are not limited to: the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work. "Modern traditionalism" or the updating of classic quilt designs is also often seen in modern quilting."
Okay, all that being said, I saw a lot of muted colors; solids mostly in grays and tans. One of the quilters there (who lead the meeting and did beautiful quilting) made the comment that she didn't like a busy quilt and preferred more negative space. Of course, they all loved their "wonky stars" which are stars (but can also be anything that doesn't appear straight or even) that aren't perfectly pointed. The best way to describe modern quilting if you ask me is more fussy cutting to make things look "wonky" as though you sloppily pieced them together, when in reality, the piecing is actually quite fussy and can't be "mass produced" as easily as some more traditional blocks.
The experience taught me a few more things. I most likely won't drive 45 minutes again to attend one of their meetings; and modern quilting in it's truest sense seems to mean go out of your way to make things look very plain (guess I always called a plain quilt a BLANKET!) and tediously piece things so that they look like you threw them together. On a side note, most of the members were women in their late twenties, thirties and forties. There was even one man there who quilts with, and attends the meetings with, his mother. I did think it was neat to see others of my peer group so passionate about quilting, but it almost seems like the younger (under age 50 or so) quilter's feel a need to separate their style from quilting past in order to prove that quilting isn't just for old ladies. I found myself thinking that there has to be a middle ground where modern meets traditional so that the beauty of those old styles isn't completely lost or forgotten, but is instead somehow enhanced in a way that keeps up with our culture.
I drove home asking myself this question: where do I belong in the world of quilting? I know I don't care for tiny floral prints or flying geese quilts, but I also don't care for quite so much "negative space" so that my quilt simply looks like a quilted blanket after I spent HOURS making it. I like the end of the definition of modern quilting--the updating of classic quilt designs is also considered modern quilting. I think I fall there, somewhere between the wonky stars and the flying geese. I like simplicity of design, but mostly I like simplicity of construction. I want to make beautiful things, but my life is simply too busy to fussy cut wonky stars all day. I want to make beautiful quilts, but I don't have the time to be fussy. I am a mass production girl--cut as many as you can at one time of something and choose blocks that have a simple look and can be arranged in different ways to give a different effect depending on the block arrangement. I dubbed myself and those like me "moditional" quilters: modern + traditional. Am I traditional with a modern skew or modern with a traditional streak, I don't know. What I do know is this: in life, as in quilting, we can't dwell in the past, however, we can't ignore it as though it never existed. We learn from our past, be it past victories or past mistakes. Our past affects who we evolve into as we move through this life. The past often affects the outcomes of our future because our past experiences shape the choices we make moving forward. Quilting is this way too. The classic quilts of the past all tell a story of the times, a history of our country through the block designs or the fabric types. Certain economic times in history necessitated certain fabric types or popular culture of a time prompted a certain block or pattern design. I guess I, for one, would hate to see that history overly diluted in the name of "modern." It makes me wonder what story the quilts from these times will tell future generations of quilters like my daughter.
Of course, as is typical for me, I can't just walk away and call it a wash, so I decided I will start a new chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild in my area and I'm currently doing research on what I need (besides more people!) to get started. I'll hopefully have more on that shortly as well.
My quilting journey continues as I discover the contentment that is found in being who you were meant to be. My minister said it perfectly in his sermon this past Sunday. From James 4:17 " Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." The point in the sermon was this: "Relentlessly pursue who God has called you to be." Wow! What an epiphany! Since I have re- entered quilting, I have had the unique privilege of making some items for people in need, as well as meeting a need for a family who deals daily with a child with multiple illnesses so that their family could have some family and relaxation time. In life we go through many "seasons" and I believe in this season, this is God's calling on my life. Through it already He has given me a peace in my life like I have never known and I have in turn been permitted to give something to others. My blessings have been many, and I am humbled and amazed...and thankful. I am also thankful for those of you who actually read my weekly ramblings and for so many who have been so encouraging along the way. Thank you to so many people, and God bless.
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