Why
do quilters and others go to shows? Is it for the fun of it?
the camaraderie? pure joy and delight? to appreciate creative
works? to reminisce about history re-created? to study others'
talent and workmanship? to revel in artists' mastery of color?
To shop a much wider variety of vendors in a single day or
weekend?
It's all
of these, of course. . . and more. Much more.
The word
for it is: inspiration.
Inspiration
often translates into the next quilt we make. It may introduce
us to a new way of combining colors or a subject that calls
up different memories out of our past. It may take the form
of a new tool which makes easier a pattern we've admired but
didn't think ourselves capable of achieving. We gather sparks
and then innovate.
Let's
take a verbal walk together through the recent Pacific International
Quilt Show. It starts out with an air of expectation with
each passing mile of travel, walking into the lobby, catching
brief glimpses as show officials exit or enter the main show
room. When the doors open fully in welcome, we see quilts
of every description anywhere we look. We may come with our
own agenda or with a totally open mind. But we will find what
we are looking for, even if we are not sure what that might
be.
Some quilts
blaze with bright colors, inviting us to be playful, joyful,
or delighted. Close looks reveal traditions presented anew.
Others sing with new thoughts, words, techniques, or questions.
Who would have thought of doing it that way?
A freeform
shield in honor of favorite forms of music. Circular and spiral
inspired quilts. Large stained glass windows, inviting enough
to walk through mentally or heavenly for rest or reflection.
Lacy fences and arbors to lighten and give dimension to background
sky and colorful flowers.
A streak
of color breaking out of its block to link with another in
the far corner. Circus tents or worlds of one's own, marbleized
abstracts, and bright rainbows of color stitched together
in triangles, blocks, or cubes. Little towns with houses showing
personalities on the outside via each fabric construction
and even faces looking out a window.
Railroading
in all its variety and color traveling across a row quilt
with various destinations on each. Quilts with braided borders
and diagonal corners. Lone stars shining big and beautiful,
each diamond contributing to its majesty. Scenic nature quilts
with bridges or stones real enough to entice. A history of
family cats in splendid array and all white quilting expertise.
Echoes of red star shapes layered atop a black and white background.
Jewels of many colors tossed on darkness like a moonless night.
Opalescent
florals intricately placed on double brown backgrounds compelingly
inviting. How 'bout the whole wide world with gem-bright continents
boasting of their best points? Tall buildings standing and
pointing skyward. A history of clothing styles for couples
of the ages. Or a single couple sitting at peace watching
a seascape. A diamond that radiates brilliant sparkle or a
shingle shanty in sharp detail.
It is
often said that no two quilts are ever alike. And yet, the
truth is we do inspire each other. Perhaps it is with the
possibility of a new color in a different setting. How many
colors can a dragon be? Something breaking out of an expected
boundary or a different border to show off a stalled design
can give new life elsewhere as well. Even a quadruple bypass
is an inspirer and healer. Another quilt may remind us of
the one we started once upon a time and somehow lost under
our growing stash, urging us to finish.
Timing
is an element that affects many a quilt. Enough time, a time
when something highly significant affects us in a new way,
or in the midst of one mood or another, our creation demands
something different than we first planned.
September
11 changed much for us all. Two quilts shown at PIQS, less
than a month after, dramatically illustrated how quickly emotion
can grab us and lead us to the finish line with a quilt that
will have a long life. They also illustrate that many hands
working toward a common goal can achieve a great value.
One, made
simply and dramatically with many squares tied together, was
made by a group of Japanese quilters including Yoko Ueda,
one of the show's instructors, showing care from the world.
The second
quilt, brought to life by the Mendocino Quilt Guild, graphically,
yet artfully, showed the World Trade Center towers at the
moment of fiery impact and later reduced to stark silhouette,
ash and rubble. Flowers and white crosses descended from the
face of Liberty, encircling the great needs of our time. Two
wide vertical borders included memorials: Peace, American
flag, Star of David, angels, teddy bears, scales of justice,
letters, doves, icons, candles, pictures, and more. This was
a remarkable quilt, achieving its memorial goal in just a
few weeks by guild quilters working together and racing the
clock to make its debut, leading the way for others now gathering
fabric for other quilts to reflect both tragedy and a uniting
nation.
It illustrated
the pain of a nation and the wide world, but it also illustrated
how our souls can join together and somehow create beauty
even where it doesn't exist. It showed its many viewers that
we can achieve more than we think we can when our inspiration
is strong enough and our passion is put into action at the
height of our feelings.
When we're
inspired, it's best to start immediately.
