The Modern Quilt Guild

“Every generation wants to believe it has broken with the past. When we praise art as modern we’re saying it seems urgent and meaningful to us now – and that can be as true of a cave painting as a Damien Hirst vitrine.” – Jonathan Jones, Art Critic

This quote perfectly captures the spirit of what is meant by the word “Modern” in the name The Modern Quilt Guild. Modern quilting is quilting in a style that seems “urgent and meaningful to us now”. This statement resonates deeply with the majority of those who identify with the modern quilting movement.

Modern quilting is not radically different than traditional quilting but, it is a progression, a next step in the evolutionary development. It respects the craft and history of traditional quilts and the quilters who made them. A modern quilter will incorporate the parts of traditional quilting that works for him or her and the parts that don’t will be molded and formed into something that does.

If you think about it “modern quilting” in any time reflects quilting that is urgent and meaningful at that time. (An interesting Google search is to look at articles with the term “modern quilting” in them. You’ll find many articles over the last century! Fun!)

Many “modern” quilt patterns originate from traditional patterns, some of them over 200 years old:

The nine patch is said to have been created as early as the year 1800.

Traditional Amish Nine Patch

"Modern" Nine Patch

The log cabin pattern was developed sometime between 1810 and 1830.

Traditioanal Log Cabin

"Modern" Wonky Log Cabin

Hexagon quilts became popular around the Great Depression but, may have originated as early as the 18th century.

Traditional Hexagon Quilt

Modern Hexagon Quilt

Picnic quilts were popular in the 1970’s, sometimes made of simple 6″ squares.

1970's Circa "Picnic" Quilt

Modern Picnic Quilt

Check out this book cover from a book released in the 1970’s – the time period of the last big quilting resurgence. The title? It’s “Modern” Patchwork of course!

Some quilt designs even transcend time and reflect our current “modern” aesthetic. Immediately the quilts from the amazing ladies at Gee’s Bend come to mind. And we can’t forget the “modern” beauty of many of the Amish quilts.

Gee's Bend Quilt

Amish Quilt

So, modern quilting is just about quilting in a way that reflects you, the modern quilter. It is a style of quilting that reflects your life, your aesthetic, and sometimes your general approach to the world. Mary Lee Bendolph, one of the famed Gee’s Bend quilters says it best, “I never try to quilt altogether like anybody. . . It’s better if you do what you are supposed to do than to try and copy somebody else.”

Thanks to all of you who participated in the discussion and we look forward to molding this Modern Quilting movement with each of you.

This is Jacquie Gering’s answer to the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?”  Read more about our modern quilting blog meme here.

It’s been an interesting week, reading the responses of my fellow planning committee members and those of you who are responding on your own blogs and in the comments, and each day thinking more about this question.

I am a mid century modern girl.  I squeal at the sight of an Eames chair; I had to be dragged out of the modern architecture exhibit at MoMA; and I could live in IKEA if they would let me. Two years ago when I rescued my sewing machine from the depths of the closet, it was natural for me to want to make quilts with a modern feel.  It took me awhile to figure out how to accomplish that in a quilt, in fact, I’m still in the discovery phase.  For me, modern quilting is about a ‘look’ and a process.

What I have discovered as of today is that for me, modern quilts have clean, simple lines, be they geometric or organic.  I find simple to be beautiful and deceptively complex. Modern quilts are visually dynamic with color, form or both.  That modern quilt ‘look’ can be accomplished through fabric choices and other times through block and quilt design.  When modern fabric and design come together…well….I get a little giddy.

While the ‘look’ of modern quilts excites me, modern quilting is more than the ‘look’ of a quilt.  I began quilting after seeing the Gees Bend quilt exhibit and the words of the quilters struck a chord with me. I felt joy being surrounded by quilts that expressed freedom in design, whimsy, unpredictability and at the same time utility. I love quilts that are offbeat, but it’s the opportunity to create and think out of the box in terms of design and construction that gets me up in the morning.

While I usually work improvisationally, some of my modern quilt buddies use patterns or do a combination of patterns and improvisation.  What we seem to have in common is we feel free to trust our inner visions and we express those visions in our work.  I strive to innovate, find new construction techniques as well as innovative designs that scratch my modern itch yet maintain a connection to tradition.  It’s a process of experimenting, learning, revising, and trying again.

I never thought I would be part of a movement.  I am excited to have the Modern Quilt Guild as a place to connect with quilters with a modern aesthetic and as a stepping stone to grow the movement.  I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

This is Latifah Saafir’s answer to the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?” Read more about our modern quilting blog meme here.

I’m so excited about this topic. The fun thing is that the more that we try to define modern quilting, the more we will understand how the answer will vary from person to person. I see this as simply meaning that modern quilting is as individual as each of us. Modern quilting is just a reflection of what quilting means to the new generations of quilters. It is an approach to quilting that welcomes a more modern aesthetic, attitude and approach.

With that being said, modern quilting means many things to me. But one of the most important meanings can be summarized by one word – FREEDOM. You see, I’ve loved quilts since I was in my early teens. I must have checked out every quilting book in our local library. I was mesmerized by quilts in general. But I had a special fondness for quilts with a more modern edge, like the clean lines and bold colors of Amish quilts and the quirky “perfect imperfections” of a few Japanese quilts that I remember. But, in spite of my intense love of all things quilting I was intimidated by all the rules. It took almost 20 years to be inspired to take the leap and start my first quilt.  It was less than a year ago when it happened. I saw my friend Jenn’s first quilt and it was awesome. She used an old blanket as the batting. It wasn’t bound – the edges were turned. It had all these crazy and wild fabrics in it. And, IT WAS PERFECT. It was a beautiful work of art, used and loved and it reflected exactly who she was. And for the first time in my life I thought “I can do this. I can quilt!” That is what modern quilting is about to me. It’s about making quilting our own with a freedom that allows us to find our own quilting style in the process.

Freedom to innovate.

Freedom to create.

Freedom to make our own rules.

Freedom to make circle picnic quilts.

Freedom to play with big 10” solid squares when you are crunched for time to make a gift.

Freedom to explore circles.

Freedom to be inspired by other quilters!

Freedom to quilt!

Modern quilting is for everybody. When there are no rules and you can’t be wrong, it opens up the art and craft of quilting to many who would have not tried it otherwise.

This is Alissa Haight Carlton’s answer to the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?” Read more about our modern quilting blog meme here.

So it’s my turn to answer the question “what does modern quilting mean to me?” Such a hard thing to answer, isn’t it?

For me a lot of it has to do with how I became a quilter. I came to quilting through the indie crafting scene & blogs. About six years ago I fell in love with knitting and wanted to craft more. I got a sewing machine, started to read blogs, spent hours on Flickr, bought Denyse Schmidt’s book (oh thank you Denyse for that book!), started making quilts, and voila – I was a quilter! I had never set foot in a traditional quilt shop and didn’t even know that world existed. I’m self (well, blog) taught and not worried about following rules. No one told me how to press my seams – I just thought to the side was easier, so that’s what I do. I care deeply about craftsmanship, but not about any specific rules or restrictions.

Ok, onto some of the aesthetic things that to me are modern.

Improvisational wonkiness and working with no pattern:

Mixing fabric lines and lots of white:

Contemporary color choices:

No borders & geometric prints:

Lots of solids:

To me modern quilting is all of these things (and so much more), but I also think it is having a certain attitude toward the craft. An openness that makes you enjoy the process and not be as concerned with a “perfect” outcome. I don’t care about perfection in my quilting at all. What IS perfection anyhow? The perfectly sewn 1/4″ seam? The perfectly square square? Not to me. To me there’s more interest in the little “off” parts of design. If it looks attractive to me (and the craftsmanship is good) it works! That’s much of why I love improv piecing. I find it creatively fulfilling to just sew and design as I go – not completely knowing where the block, much less the quilt, is going.

And hey, I’m so freakin’ modern that I also think that if you disagree with anything or everything I’ve said here, then great! I don’t mind at all if you want to press your seams open, only work with patterns, never use white, always add borders, use big floral fabrics and prewash (I don’t). Go for it!  Modern quilting = tolerant quilting.

Go Modern Quilt Guild!

This is Elizabeth Hartman’s answer to the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?”  Read more about our modern quilting blog meme here.

I tend to think of “modern quilting” as one of the latest in what have been many quilting trends and movements over the years.

I feel like it’s difficult to fully define any creative “movement” but, when I thought about what I was going to write in this post, there were three concepts that I kept coming back to: practicality, sophistication and innovation.

Practicality: For the most part, I see modern quilting as being about making useful objects that will actually be used, not heirlooms to be packed away or fine art too fragile to be touched.  When I make quilts, even if they’re intended to be used as wall hangings, I still think about how they’ll stand up to washing and everyday wear.

Sophistication: Instead of reproducing a traditional look, I see modern quilting as being more interested in reinterpreting patchwork in a stylish way that could fit comfortably into a contemporary home.  For me, this often includes bold color schemes and lots of solid, neutrally-colored areas.

Innovation: What I most love about modern quilting is how openly its practitioners embrace new and different construction methods.  I’m a very meticulous planner, and tend to approach every new quilting project by developing a specific system or plan, so I always find it interesting to see the kinds of solutions that other quilters come up with.  I feel like the modern quilting community is one where most people are interested in seeing and learning new ways of doing things.

Because I think it may be the sharpest dividing line between traditional and modern quilting, I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the online crafting community.  Quilt making has long been a community-centered activity and quilters have participated in bees, quilt-alongs and guilds for many years.  Modern quilting has embraced many of these activities, but I feel like our community is still rooted almost entirely in the online world – in blogs, via photo sharing on Flickr, and in virtual quilting bees.

That’s actually one of the reasons I’m so looking forward to participating in the Modern Quilt Guild.  I’m looking forward to meeting other quilters who do “my kind of work” in real life!

As we work to get the Modern Quilt Guild up and running, we’ve encountered a number of people who are unsure about this “modern quilting” thing. What is it? How is it different from other kinds of quilting, and how does each quilter’s individual style fit in?

Our website has a general description but, because modern quilting means different things to different people, we thought it might be helpful to ask ourselves, and our members, to answer the question: “What does modern quilting mean to you?”

This week, our Planning Committee will be answering that question on the MQG Blog. We hope that you will join us by posting your own answers on your personal blogs. If you choose to participate, please leave a link to your answer in the comments to this post. (If you don’t have your own blog, you can leave your answer right here in the comments.)

Please keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. Our goal is simply to explore the different ways we all define “modern quilting.”

We look forward to seeing your responses!

With branches getting started all over the country, we thought it best to start a site where info for all of us can be centrally located.  Please take a look around and contact us or leave comments with any questions.

If you’d like to join a guild, just click over to your location and join the group.  Some are just getting started so might seem quiet, but just go ahead and join them anyhow.  You’re all of the founding members of the branches!

We hope for all branches to post on this blog occasionally so that we can keep up with each other and all of our fun activities.

Photos of some Los Angeles branch meetings.