Friday 24 June 2016

Art verses tradition?!

WARNING: VENTING ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!
early morning Peony
Maybe the wrong words to title this post but not sure how to explain this is a few words. I attended the CQA(Canadian Quilters Association)show in Toronto last week. I was only there for a day, to see the vendors and the quilt show. It was a large venue at the International Center. There were lots of vendors of every shape, size and variety of quilt shops along with dealers of sewing machines and quilting machines. Even I, a seasoned quilter/shopper was overwhelmed!
BUT as for the "quilt" show.....to coin a phrase from a commercial.."where's the beef", I wanted to ask "where are all the quilts"? Now when I say quilts, I mean the kind you would find on someone's bed. Don't get me wrong there were some not many, that I would call traditional quilts. For the most part the show was a gallery of art pieces. With black curtains as a backdrop I felt like I was in a gallery on opening night. The pieces were beautiful, life-like and even thought provoking BUT were they quilts??? Three layers, quilted or stitched together..yes they meet those requirements but you would never see these on a bed or hanging on the wall in a hallway of someone's home. I could be wrong there. Also the quilting....machine quilting, long arm quilting is becoming common place. We all have busy lives and the "art" of hand quilting is going the way of the dodo bird! I just wonder how a quilter can make a top, send it to a long arm quilter  and upon its return, bind it and then call it their own. Sometimes the quilting makes the quilt, or makes the top go from nice to WOW!!! I think these long arm quilters need to be recognized more in the process. Yes they provide a service but that service is what might have won the award for the quilt.
Cheddar Pinks in full blossom
This is a juried show which should showcase the best from across Canada. As a traditional quilter, I was and am sad to think of our craft becoming more art than something to cuddle under and use everyday.

These are all just my opinions but I have heard others voice the same thoughts. I was going to show some pics from the show but not sure about copyright and permission so I will avoid all that.
 Instead I will show my flower garden starting to come into full blossom!

5 comments:

  1. I agree with you 100%. I'm wowed by the art quilts, but I hate that they are what so many are thinking of as quilts, rather than the traditional quilts we grew up snuggling under.

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  2. Oh yes... long arm quilting is definitely predominant at quilt shows and it was really disappointing to not see those quilters named and acknowledged on the information cards beside the quilts.
    I would like to see those quilts in their own category called group or tagteam quilts which acknowledges the joint contribution of the piecer and the quilter.
    They can only hang in the show what they get submitted, so us old school dinosaur quilters need to start getting our quilts out there! I am hoping to complete a treadle/hand quilted quilt for the next show. Will let you know how that goes!

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    Replies
    1. One day I will have my hexie quilt finished and hand quilted. That will definitely be one for the books or future quilt show.

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  3. Several of the shows I have attended to here in Florida have acknowledged who and where the quilt was machine quilted. I personally think machine quilting looks artifical no matter who or what type of machine does the quilting. When I see machine quilting at shows I give it a shrug and walk by until I find what I deem the real quilts no matter how stunning the quilt is.

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  4. I was at Quilt Canada, too, ( I had a quilt in!, so exciting) and I have heard the same thoughts from a few people. Even though longarming is my business, I am an old hand-quilter at heart. It is dismaying to see less and less of hand-quilting. I don't understand why people don't want to take some time to learn such a peaceful past-time.

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You just never know!

 The other day a friend texted me and asked if I recognized the photo she sent me. It was a photo of a quilt, one that I had made last year ...